Lynden Sculpture Garden

What Lynden Sculpture Garden does

Lynden Sculpture Garden is a nonprofit cultural institution operating a 40-acre outdoor sculpture garden and educational campus at 2145 West Brown Deer Road in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its core asset is a permanent collection of more than 50 monumental sculptures acquired by collector Peg Bradley between 1962 and her death in 1978, featuring works by internationally recognized artists including Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Mark di Suvero, Alexander Archipenko, Clement Meadmore, and Tony Smith, sited across park, lake, woodland, formal gardens, and a prairie. The garden opened to the public in May 2010 following sustainable renovation of the former Harry and Peg Bradley estate, which the couple had acquired in 1927 and transformed with landscape architects Langford and Moreau.

The institution generates revenue through a diversified mix of streams typical of a mid-sized U.S. cultural nonprofit: venue and conference rentals (full-day conference room at $500/$400 nonprofit; upstairs studio at $550/$450 nonprofit), workshop and class fees ($10–$175 per 7-week session across early childhood, youth, and adult programs), annual memberships, donations processed via JotForm, and the annual Harry & Peg Bradley's Backyard Barbecue fundraiser ($35–$1,250 per ticket). General admission is currently free thanks to grant support from the Wisconsin Arts Board and the National Endowment for the Arts, and the organization programmatically subsidizes participation for Milwaukee Public Schools K-12 students and refugee communities through the HOME Refugee Steering Committee partnership.

Lynden's operating model integrates four interlocking program areas: (1) the sculpture collection itself and temporary exhibitions (e.g., Warren King: Homecoming through November 15, 2026); (2) education programming at the art-nature intersection, including Wednesdays in the Garden for ages 1-3, summer camps, and the Innovative Educators Institute for K-12 teachers; (3) artist development through the Call & Response residency and the annual Nohl Fellowship (co-presented offsite at the Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University); and (4) venue rentals for corporate and private events, with explicit exclusions on weddings, proms, and political fundraisers. The organization operates with approximately 19 employees and is governed as a Wisconsin nonprofit (likely under the legal entity Lynden, Inc.), funded by a combination of government arts grants, foundation grants (Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Ruth Foundation for the Arts), corporate sponsorships (ECAB Group), individual donations, memberships, and earned program revenue.

Name

Lynden Sculpture Garden

Legal name

Lynden Sculpture Garden

Website

https://lyndensculpturegarden.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lynden Sculpture Garden is a Milwaukee-based nonprofit cultural institution operating a 40-acre outdoor sculpture garden featuring more than 50 monumental sculptures, offering free admission, art-and-nature education programs, artist residencies, the Nohl Fellowship, and venue rentals to the public, schools, and corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Event and Venue Rentals: Rental income from outdoor events (cocktail parties, catered dinners, informal gatherings), conference room rentals (capacity 16), and upstairs studio rentals (capacity 35). Catering kitchen available. Tents available mid-June to mid-September.
2. Memberships: Annual membership program offering member-only discounts and special offers. Members receive discounted rates on workshops and programs.
3. Educational Programs and Workshops: Fees collected for workshops, classes (Wednesdays in the Garden, Art + Nature Lab, summer camps), and educational programming for children and adults.
4. Annual Fundraiser (Backyard Barbecue): Annual Harry & Peg Bradley's Backyard Barbecue fundraiser supporting education programs, school tours, transportation subsidies, and scholarships for youth programs. Ticket sales and sponsorships.
5. Admission: General admission to the sculpture garden. Currently free due to generosity of funders.
6. Donations and Grants: Supported by grants from Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. Accepts online donations.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Lynden Sculpture Garden operates a 40-acre outdoor sculpture garden featuring more than 50 monumental works by artists such as Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, and Mark di Suvero, sited across park, lake, and woodland landscapes. It layers educational programming (school field trips, early-childhood classes, summer camps, teacher professional development), artist residencies (Call & Response, Nohl Fellowship), event and venue rentals, an annual fundraising event (Backyard Barbecue), and a membership program onto free general admission.

Product overview

Lynden Sculpture Garden is a single-site cultural institution offering a unified experience centered on its collection of more than 50 monumental outdoor sculptures across 40 acres. The institution provides integrated programming including educational workshops and classes, artist residencies (Call & Response), the annual Nohl Fellowship for artists, event and venue rentals, conference facilities, and a membership program. The core offering is the sculpture garden experience itself, with supporting programs designed to promote art appreciation, environmental education, and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Free admission currently available to all visitors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ECAB GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Harry & Peg Bradley's Backyard Barbecue annual fundraiser supporting education programs.
• Haggerty Museum of Art (Marquette University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for annual Nohl Fellows Exhibition. Partnership provides expanded audience reach and cross-institutional programming. Located at 1234 West Tory Hill Street, Marquette University Campus.
• Milwaukee Bonsai FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOwns the bonsai collection housed in Lynden's Bonsai Pavilion. Collection open to public May-October, Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays 10am-4pm.
• HOME Refugee Steering CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative community partnership focused on refugee welcome and cultural programming. Coordinates World Refugee Day celebrations and ongoing HOME programming featuring refugee artists and community members.
• Visit MilwaukeeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal tourism promotion organization linking to Lynden on visitor information resources.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum: deCordova is a 30-acre outdoor sculpture park in Lincoln, MA, with indoor galleries and education programs. It is a near-comparable in scale to Lynden and operates with a similar sculpture-collection + programming model.
• SculptureCenter: Long Island City nonprofit dedicated to commissioning and presenting contemporary sculpture, with artist residencies and public programs. Comparable to Lynden's Call & Response residency and Nohl Fellowship artist-development mission.
• Laumeier Sculpture Park: Laumeier is a 105-acre outdoor sculpture park and museum in St. Louis offering free admission, education programs, and event rentals. Comparable to Lynden as a free-admission, multi-programming sculpture park with an active community mission.
• Storm King Art Center: Storm King is a 500-acre outdoor sculpture park in New York's Hudson Valley featuring monumental sculpture installations in a landscape setting. It is the most direct US analog to Lynden in terms of the outdoor sculpture-collection model, scale, and visitor mission.

Others

• Woodland Pattern Book Center: Milwaukee-based nonprofit literary arts center that works closely with Lynden—including staff like Chuck Stebelton serving in cross-organizational roles. Comparable as a Milwaukee cultural/community partner with overlapping educational and literary programming audiences.

Regional players

• Olbrich Botanical Gardens: Olbrich is a 16-acre public botanical garden in Madison, Wisconsin, offering free admission, year-round programming, and event rentals. Comparable to Lynden's outdoor garden programming, free admission model, and Wisconsin regional footprint.
• Mitchell Park Domes (The Domes): Three iconic glass dome conservatories in Milwaukee featuring plant collections and exhibitions. Direct Milwaukee geographic peer with similar free/low-cost public garden experience, education, and event programming.
• Milwaukee Art Museum: Milwaukee's flagship art museum featuring a major collection, education programs, and event venues. Regional peer to Lynden within the Milwaukee cultural ecosystem, overlapping on K-12 education programming and event rental audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: 158-acre combined botanical garden and sculpture park in Grand Rapids, MI, with major sculpture collection, education, and event rentals. Comparable to Lynden as a hybrid sculpture park + botanical garden with free/low-cost admission model.
• Chicago Botanic Garden: One of the largest public botanical gardens in the US, with 27 gardens, education, and event rentals. Comparable to Lynden on the outdoor garden + education + community mission surface, though at far greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lyndensculpture
• YouTubevimeo.com/LyndenSculptureGarden
• Facebookfacebook.com/LyndenSculptureGarden
• Instagraminstagram.com/LyndenSculptureGarden
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lynden-sculpture-garden

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lynden Sculpture Garden