Exhibition Programs

Artist Gallery Talk

Sunday, June 11 |  1:00pm – 2:00pm  |  Tour with Jill Witty and Vicki Morley  

Sunday, July 23 |  1:00pm – 2:00pm  |  Tour with Lenox Wallace

Join a painter represented in the Transparent Watercolor Society of America and see the annual exhibition, now in its 47th year, through the eyes of an artist. Learn techniques, discuss composition, and ask any questions you have about the art form. No registration required. 

Planet or Plastic? Programs

Museum Munchkins

Wednesdays, starting August 23 | 9:30am – 10:00am 

Get your preschoolers excited about science and the world around them. Each week they will learn about a different museum collection animal through songs, stories, and activities. This fall, we’ll have a special Munchkins every month to talk about our planet and how we can help it.

Artsy Afternoons

Artsy Afternoon, inspired by Planet or Plastic?

This art workshop for families is free with required registration, occurring monthly topics will support the reuse of plastics or omitting plastic waste altogether. Free, registration required. Intended for ages 5-9.

Friday, September 15  |  2:00pm-4:00pm |  Tissue Paper Lantern Register Here

Friday, October 13  |  2:00pm-4:00pm |  Printing with Leaves Register Here

Friday, November 10  |  2:00pm-4:00pm |  Embossed Metal Ornaments Register Here

Friday, December 1  |  2:00pm-4:00pm |  Stamping Recycled Wrapping Paper  Register Here

Planet Books

Saving the Planet with Books!

Tuesday, August 22 | 3:00pm – 7:00pm

“Saving the planet” can sound like such a big task, but there are things we can all do every day to make a difference. Join the Kenosha Public Museum and Blue House Books as we learn about Great Lakes conservation through family-friendly, hands-on activities, readings by local authors for kids and adults, and discover how you can make some change through our new exhibit “National Geographic presents Planet or Plastic?”.  No registration required. 

Fossil Hunt

Community Fossil Hunt and Beach Clean-up

Sunday, September 10 | 12:00pm – 3:00pm  |  Simmons Island Beach

Kenosha’s distant past is hidden all along the lakeshore, fossils of ancient coral reefs and the animals that lived there flood the sandy beaches. Kenosha’s future depends on us taking care of the beautiful spaces we have. So join us for a community fossil hunt and beach clean-up! Curator of Education Nick Wiersum will be onsite to answer questions about fossils and to help identify what has been found. While we’re looking for fossils, we might as well grab a trash bag and help clean up the beach too! No registration required. 

Root River

Root River Kayak Clean-up

Thursday, September 14* | 5:30pm – 7:30pm  |  $8 ($10 non-member)  |  Register Here

Help clean up the Root River, a 43-mile-long tributary that flows into Lake Michigan at the City of Racine, with the Kenosha Museums! Participants will paddle kayaks and collect trash together as we enjoy the beauty of the river bank. A scavenger hunt and prizes for the most trash collected will be awarded. All guests will be required to wear life jackets, participants must be 9 and up. This program is provided in partnership with the Root River Environmental Education Community Center.

*Rain date September 21

Plastic Yarn

Plastic Yarn Weaving

Sunday, September 17 | 1:00pm and 2:00pm  |  Instructor: Tiffany Knopow  |  Free 

1:00pm Session Register Here

2:00pm Session Register Here

Pre-register for this family workshop and bring your plastic shopping bags to upcycle into useful crocheted items like coasters and start on bigger projects like mats. After the workshop drop into the Field Station to continue working on plarn items throughout the run of the exhibition.

Animal Habitats

Animal Habitats Girl Scouts Program

Saturday, January 6  |  9:00am – 12:00pm  |  $25 per scout  |  Register Here

Become a scientist and study animals in our exhibits to understand their survival adaptations, practice your observation skills with scientific illustration, and create model animal habitats. Scouts will complete all the requirements to earn the Animal Habitats badge. This scout program will also visit the Planet or Plastic? exhibition and discuss how plastic pollution affects animal habitats.

Caring for the Great Lakes with Liz Sutton

Saturday, October 14  |  1:00pm – 2:00pm  |  Free 

Do you know the scope of the plastic pollution in the Great Lakes? We are lucky enough to live on one of the largest freshwater sources in the world yet half of all plastic waste in the Great Lakes is in Lake Michigan. Learn about the problem of plastics in our own backyard and what we can do to help fix it.

The School of Freshwater Sciences at UW-Milwaukee is the first school in the nation dedicated solely to the study of freshwater and is a launch pad for critical and fascinating freshwater research. For more than 50 years, the faculty and scientists have been conducting internationally recognized freshwater research across four essential themes: human and ecosystem health, freshwater system dynamics, freshwater technology, and freshwater policy and economics.

Upcycled Jewelry

Upcycled Jewelry using Plastics

Wednesday, November 15 |  6:00pm – 8:00pm  |  Instructor:  Tiffany Knopow  |  $40 ($50 non-members)  |  Register Here

Transform plastics headed for the landfill into beautiful and unique statement pieces of jewelry in this 3D workshop.

Shibori

Shibori Furoshiki: Japanese Reusable Wrapping “Paper”

Friday, December 1  |  6:00pm – 8:00pm  |  Instructor:  Tiffany Knopow  |  $52 ($65 non-members)  |  Register Here

Did you know that most wrapping paper is coated in plastic which makes it impossible to recycle? Furoshiki is cloth used to wrap gifts in Japan and is both reusable and beautiful. This fabric can be used to tie packages to put under your tree without sacrificing that festive spirit! Shibori dying is traditionally an indigo dye technique used in Japan, other colors will be available so you can customize your furoshiki. Students will be provided two squares of fabric to practice the techniques and can bring their own pre-cut fabric (must be lighter in color and 100% cotton) to dye as well.

A full refund will be issued if the Kenosha Public Museum, Dinosaur Discovery Museum, or Civil War Museum cancels a workshop or camp.

All refunds requested within 72 hours of the program are subject to a $10 processing fee.

No refunds are offered on or after the day a workshop or camp begins.

Class cancellations can happen if enrollment minimums are not met two days prior to the event. You will be contacted via phone or email if your event is canceled.

If unforeseen circumstances (i.e. weather, power outages, instructor illness) occur within 72 hours of the workshop or camp and the program must be canceled, the museum will do its best to reschedule or provide a voucher to take a program of a similar or same cost.