Loppet Outdoor Art

Based in Theodore Wirth Park, this hands-on class will combine nature exploration and green wood carving, a traditional Scandinavian handcraft. Emphasizing sustainability, you’ll gain skills to transform a common local material from its raw form into items of your choice such as butter spreaders, magic wands, game pieces, beads and more. This gently-paced class welcomes makers of all skill levels, and is intended for intergenerational partners: children and their parents or grandparents or special adults. 

Come learn the basics of green wood carving in an outdoor environment. You’ll learn about carving knives and grips, wood species and carving safety. Above all, we’ll have fun together and go home with the confidence to keep carving at home.

This three-session series is designed for kids ages 8-14 and an accompanying grown-up. One adult per child registrant. 

Materials:

• Comfortable shoes
• Clothes you don’t mind getting dirty
• Water Bottle

Dates and Times: May 7-21, 2024 (3 weeks) Tuesdays, 6 – 8 pm

Location: Trailhead building: 1221 Theodore Wirth Pkwy

Lead Instructor: Anna Sharrett

Cost: $135 (12 people max – Intergenerational – Family program)

Registration opens March 1 at 9:00am

Anna Sharratt is the founder of Twin Cities Makers Circle and Free Forest School, and believes in the power of lifelong learning, mixed age education and being out in nature. 

Facilitator: Allie Rykken – loves creating programs with all of her favorite things: playing outside and creative things!

Physical expectations: Wood carving requires average hand dexterity and strength. If anyone would like to participate in the class but has physical limitations, please contact rykken@loppet.org to make arrangements as best as we can.

Weather Protocols

Scholarships: If finances are a barrier, please reach out to rykken@loppet.org to discuss. We’d love for you to join us!

Join the Loppet this March in a new three-class program integrating nature, movement and print-making at Theodore Wirth Park. Starting with a hike, this class will center ourselves in nature and our bodies, followed by indoor background and instruction in the art of print-making.  We will be using carving blocks, and all materials will be included in the program. Beginners welcome! It will inspire and refresh you artistically and personally!

Dates and Times: February 29, March 7, March 14, 2024 – Thursdays, 5:30-8 PM

Location: Trailhead building – 1221 Theodore Wirth Parkway

Lead Instructor: Betsy Hsiao

Cost: $120

Betsy is a printmaker inspired by the prairie, the wetlands, the lakes and the woods. She loves the challenge of putting the beauty that surrounds her in Minnesota into a woodcut.

Facilitator: Allie Rykken

Physical expectations: Participants will be asked to hike to 1-2 miles. If anyone would like to participate in the class but have physical limitations, please contact rykken@loppet.org to make separate arrangements as best as we can.

Weather Protocols

Join the Loppet this November in a four class program series integrating creativity, movement and nature at Theodore Wirth Park. Inspired by the deep autumn, we’ll explore readings of nature writers, keep nature journals and experiment with creative writing via prompts and exercises.

Dates: 2024 TBD

Location: Trailhead building – 1221 Theodore Wirth Parkway

Lead Instructor: TBD

Facilitator: Allie Rykken

Join the Loppet this Fall in a new three-class pilot program series integrating creativity, art, movement and nature at Theodore Wirth Park. Starting and finishing with a hike, this class will take place outdoors in a special pocket of the park, with a lesson from a lead artist, time designated for painting, a regrouping for snacks and sharing, with the intention of building connection to the outdoors, ourselves and each other. It will inspire and refresh you artistically and personally!

Dates: 2024 TBD

Location: Wirth Beach. 3200 Glenwood Ave N, Minneapolis

Lead Artist: TBD

Facilitator: Allie Rykken

*Participants are invited to use the lesson or environment to influence the artwork they work on in the open painting time, but it isn’t limited to those.

Materials List

The Loppet will issue a full refund of the program fee minus the original processing fee up until 4 weeks before the program starts.  Between 4 and 3 weeks from the program start date, a 50% refund will be issued. There are no refunds for any cancellations within less than 3 weeks of the start of a program.