On Thursday, October 30 from 3:00-5:00, the Chatfield Center for the Arts’ Lifelong Learning Lecture Series will feature Prioritizing and Preserving Prairies, presented by Stephen Winter. Stephen is a Certified Wildlife Biologist with The Wildlife Society as well as an active member of The Prairie Enthusiasts, a regional land trust whose mission is to ensure the perpetuation and recovery of prairie, oak savanna, and other associated fire-dependent ecosystems of the Upper Midwest, through protection, management, restoration, and education.

With this presentation, attendees will learn about historic and current prevalence of prairies in Minnesota and elsewhere, differences between remnant and reconstructed prairies, and the importance of prairies to the conservation of biodiversity and human economies. Additionally, attendees will learn how to start their own journey of reconstructing, restoring, managing, and protecting prairies.

To pre-register for this Lifelong Learning Lecture Series presentation, and pay the $10 registration fee, please go to this web page. Note that Prairie Enthusiasts members can pre-register for free by using the discount code “CARLA25”.

Prairie Dances – Artists Reception

Following the Lifelong Lecture Series presentation, Carla Gallina will premier her metal art, Prairie Dances, at an Artists reception in the 1916 Gallery at the Chatfield Center for the Arts. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant awarded by the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Prairie Dances is a project about the renewal, regeneration, and conservation of pollinator insects and their habitats. Minnesota prairies and marshlands are vanishing, leading to the decline of host plants for butterflies, dragonflies, and bees. The project outcome is metal sculptures crafted to honor pollinators and their habitats.

The sculpture will feature simplified forms of prairie and marsh plants and the insects they host. Bronze, copper, and brass will introduce multiple colors to each finished piece. Flat sheets of the base metals will be shaped into 3D forms using traditional hand tools, joined using jewelry soldering tools and techniques, and detailed using traditional metal chasing and repoussé tools and techniques.

Prairie Dances will remain on exhibit at the Chatfield Center for the Arts from November 1st through November 30th, 2025.