Staging Site: Wisconsin River, Sauk + Iowa County, WI. November 2026.
The first gathering and research convening of Beak is a Bridge will take place along the Wisconsin River in Sauk and Iowa Counties, WI, in unison with the Great Midwest Crane Fest. Every fall, the International Crane Foundation (ICF) and the Aldo Leopold Foundation (ALF) host this festival to celebrate the gathering of sandhill and whooping cranes on the banks of the Wisconsin River during their fall migration. These stopovers are also known as ‘staging sites’ where the birds gather together in groups of several thousand and feed before continuing their southwards journey.
Beak is a Bridge brings regional land stewards together, alongside artists and culture bearers, for a similar staging ground gathering of rest, nourishment, and community.
Purchase Great Midwest Crane Fest tickets here!
Saturday Nov. 14th:
10:30-11:30 AM Slow Noticing with Quick Creatures: An Artist-led Bird Walk with Austen Camille, Tia Kramer, Amanda Leigh Evans, and Mark Menjívar (ICF: Prairie Trails)
3:30-4:30 PM A Vast Pulsing Harmony by DeepTime Collective (artists Tia Kramer and Amanda Leigh Evans) (ALF: Frank’s Hill)
Sunday Nov. 15th:
9:00-10:00 AM The Lonely Marsh: A Live Puppet Performance by Julia Blair (ICF: Library)
1:00-3:00 PM MOTUS as Sculpture with Mark Menjívar (ICF: Exit gate)
3:30-4:30 PM A Vast Pulsing Harmony by DeepTime Collective (artists Tia Kramer and Amanda Leigh Evans) (ALF: Frank‘s Hill)
5:00-9:00 PM Beak is a Bridge Community Potluck and Barn Dance (Driftless Area Land Conservancy’s Wintergreen Preserve, Spring Green)
Artworks:
A Vast Pulsing Harmony by DeepTime Collective (artists Tia Kramer and Amanda Leigh Evans) (ALF)
At Rest by Mark Menjívar (ALF)
MOTUS as Sculpture, by Mark Menjívar (ICF)
Infinite Grassland Noticing Station by Flyway Institute (Austen Camille and Joshua T. Anderson) (ICF)
This gathering is made possible by:
Wormfarm Institute
Andy Warhol Foundation for the Arts
International Crane Foundation
Aldo Leopold Foundation
Savanna Institute
Driftless Area Land Conservancy
Wisconsin Waterfowl Association
Vortex Optics
Wonderstate Coffee
Las Mujeres Vineyard