Enjoy Art and Nature Inspired Family Programming this Fall at Pyramid Hill

Pyramid Hill is the place to be this fall for family-friendly programming inspired by art and nature. We have an awesome line up of workshops, movie nights, art exhibitions, and more at the Park, plus our biggest weekend of the year - Art Fair!

Wines and Vines

Friday, September 13, 5PM – 7PM

Unwind and let your creative side out at this happy hour ink and drink! Sip on specially selected wines and learn about their origins from Hamilton grower’s market The Farmer’s Collective. Listen to live music and draw with homemade charcoal and ink made from the wild grape vines of Pyramid Hill

• Event is free with general Park admission

• For guests 21+

• Cash bar; members receive a complimentary drink ticket

Family Movie Night: Elemental

Saturday, September 14, 7PM – 10PM

Immerse your family in the elements for the evening! Explore water and earth with sensory activities, play with air by crafting wind streamers, and snack on s'mores roasted over a fire. Afterwards, settle in to enjoy Disney Pixar’s Elemental (rated PG) under the night sky.

• Free with admission - no pre-registration required

• Program will be held outdoors and will take place under cover in the event of rain

• Please bring chairs or blankets to sit on

Nature/Nurture Series: Forest Bathing

Sunday, September 15, 1PM – 3PM

Calm your mind and body with a forest bathing session at Pyramid Hill! Forest Bathing, or Shinrin-Yoku (“Bathing in the Healing Elements of the Forest”) is an evidence-based practice from Japan that quiets the mind by gently re-awakening our five senses - sight, sound, taste, touch and smell. The session involves a slow guided walk, a sequence of soothing, nature-based readings, moments of stillness, and poetry that will be led by Pam Lowe Cho, ANFT-Certified Forest Therapy Guide. You don’t want to miss this unique opportunity to reap the rewards of reconnecting with the serenity of nature.

Registration is required:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/969337363147?aff=oddtdtcreator

About the Instructor:

Pam Lowe Cho, a former corporate executive, has been an executive coach since 2009. During the pandemic she became a Certified Forest Therapy Guide and introduced outdoor coaching sessions to her clients, offering relief from stress, depression, and anxiety. Clients reported physiological and psychological benefits, including enhanced clarity, hopefulness, and energy, along with reduced levels of stress. Pam recently journeyed to Japan to study with medical practitioners and forest bathing guides, bringing this enriched experience to her programs.

• Best suited for adults and teens

• Program includes a short walk (under 1 mile) on uneven ground

• Dress for the weather and wear comfortable clothes and sturdy shoes that can get muddy

Art Fair

Saturday, September 28: 11AM – 6PM

Sunday, September 29: 11AM – 4PM

Welcome in fall with our annual Art Fair! Shop paintings, ceramics, jewelry, woodworking, glass and more from over 60 regional and national artists. Enjoy food trucks, artist demonstrations,  and live music, including a Sunday performance from the Butler Philharmonic Orchestra. Get creative with activities and crafts for the whole family in our Family Fun Zone, or find your new best friend with pet adoptions from Animal Friends Humane Society! There’s sure to be something for everyone at our biggest event of the year.

• $5 for non-member adults, free for members and children 12 and under

All Ages Workshop: The Bug Chicks + Jo Whaley

Saturday, Oct. 5, 11AM – 12:30PM

Join The Bug Chicks as they teach about the incredible world of arthropods (bugs!) and how they have inspired human expression! We will explore the biology and behavior of these often-misunderstood animals and explore how these animals have influenced art and design. You'll get to meet our live arthropod zoo and even touch, pet or hold some of our arthropod ambassadors! Then, create your own bug-inspired artwork with the help of artist Jo Whaley, maker of The Theater of Nature exhibition currently on display in the Gallery Museum. Free with general Park admission, but capacity is limited so registration is required:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/969333411327?aff=oddtdtcreator

• If you register and can no longer attend, please notify park staff so that we accommodate those on the waitlist

• Best suited to people ages 6+

Artist Talk: Jo Whaley

Saturday, Oct. 5, 11AM – 12:30PM

Join us for an artist talk from New Mexico-based photographer Jo Whaley who will discuss her exhibition,The Theater of Nature. Her collection of photographs and ephemera presents the world of insects and nature as dramatic, wondrous, and ultimately, intertwined with our own lives. Free with general Park admission - no pre-registration required.

FotoFocus Opening Reception

Saturday, Oct. 5, 3PM – 5PM

Join us at the Gallery Museum to celebrate the opening of three FotoFocus exhibitions: Jo Whaley’s The Theater of Insects, Meryl McMaster’s Stories of the Infinite Skies, and our fall open call show, Stories of the Land. Light refreshments will be provided. Free with general Park admission - no pre-registration required.

Adult Workshop: The Theater of Photography: A Backstage View with Jo Whaley

Sunday, October 6th, 1PM – 4:30PM

For as long as we’ve had cameras, photographers have had to decide whether to document ‘reality’ as they find it or to instead create their own imaginary worlds to be photographed. The latter’s theatricality has inspired many photographers, like Jo Whaley, to be storytellers in their art—to act as a playwright and a set designer before reaching for the camera. Bring your questions and join Jo Whaley, who through discussion and demonstration, will overview the practice of staging photographs and demonstrate how she crafts her own fantastical scenes. Light refreshments will be provided. Free with general Park admission, but capacity is limited so registration is required:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/969341014067?aff=oddtdtcreator

• If you register and can no longer attend, please notify park staff so that we can accommodate those on the waitlist

• Best suited to adults and teens 15+

Artist Talk: Meryl McMaster (Online)

Thursday, October 10th, 12PM – 1PM

Join us for an online artist talk from nêhiyaw (Plains Cree), Métis, Dutch, and British photographer Meryl McMaster, who will discuss her exhibition, Stories of the Infinite Sky. Inspired by her memories and cultural traditions, the photographs in this exhibition weave an imaginative tale of memory, mystery, and what lies within the personas we create throughout our lives. The talk will be hosted by guest curator Mary Visco. Online talk is free but pre-registration is required to receive the Zoom link.

Adult Workshop: Landscape Photography

Saturday, Oct. 19, 9AM – 1PM

Join us for an introductory workshop on landscape photography open to experienced and beginning photographers alike. In this half-day workshop led by Stories of the Land artist Mike Rank, you'll learn some of the tools used by visual artists to create successful compositions, and then apply what you learn as you photograph locations inside Pyramid Hill. Free with general Park admission, but capacity is limited so registration is required:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/969399037617?aff=oddtdtcreator

• Participants are encouraged to bring their own photography equipment; cell phone photography permitted

• Since "bad" weather can produce outstanding images, we'll shoot regardless. Please dress for the weather and bring rain gear and warm clothing, if necessary

• Tripods are recommended but not required

• If you register and can no longer attend, please notify park staff so that we can accommodate those on the waitlist

• Best suited to adults and teens 15+

• Takes place both indoors and outdoors

Horror on the Hill: The Shining

Sunday, October 27, 6:00PM – 9:30PM

Get spooky at Pyramid Hill with a themed outdoor screening of arthouse horror classic, The Shining. Channel your inner Jack Torrance as you create typewriter art and practice your (inflatable) axe throwing skills, or simply kick back with a Redrum cocktail and enjoy the night sky. Dress as your favorite character to join in the costume contest! As the twins would say, “come and play with us!”

• Geared towards mature teens and adults. The Shining is rated R for disturbing violent content and contains brief nudity

• Program will be held outdoors and will take place under cover in the event of rain

• Please bring chairs or blankets to sit on

• Free with general Park admission, but capacity is limited so registration is required

Adult Workshop: Beginning Basketry

Saturday, November 9, 12:30PM – 4:30PM

Learn basic weaving techniques as you make a handled reed basket with guidance from experienced basket maker Carrie Ledford. All materials will be provided - the only thing you need to bring is your curiosity! Registration is required:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/969373471147?aff=oddtdtcreator

• Workshop registration includes park admission, so stick around and explore the park

• Best suited to adults and teens 14+

• Takes place indoors in a heated building