Learning about the state we serve
Mitch Breunig, third-generation farmer at Mystic Valley Dairy in Sauk City, and Kent Weigel, livestock geneticist and chair of UW–Madison’s dairy science department, passionately explained some current struggles associated with dairy farming in a recent article for Wisconsin State Farmer. Breunig welcomed the Wisconsin Idea Seminar to his 400-cow operation in 2018, where Weigel helped …
As an American Indian curriculum consultant at UW–Madison’s School of Education, Omar Poler helps integrate concepts of Native history, culture and tribal sovereignty into the curriculum. Poler is a member of the Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and leverages his training in library science to support tribal archivists across Wisconsin. Most recently he …
Mitch Breunig, third-generation farmer and UW–Madison alumnus, was elected as chair of the Dairy Innovation Hub advisory council. In this new position, Breunig will work to assemble the council, set agendas, and provide guidance to the Dairy Innovation Hub’s faculty director: UW–Madison dairy scientist and WIS’13 alumna Heather White. In 2018, the Wisconsin Idea Seminar visited …
Beginning on February 1 and extending until May 10, the Faculty Exhibition 2020 will be on display in the Pleasant T. Rowland Galleries and throughout the Chazen Art Museum. Wisconsin Idea Seminar participant Tomiko Jones (WIS ’19) is showing three tricolor gum prints over cyanotype, inspired by a collection of Japanese ukiyo-e prints in the Van …
Marianne Fairbanks, textile artist and assistant professor of Design Studies, recently launched a new weaving loom in response to a previous social practice project. Her new hand-held looms work to extend access to weaving so that new ideas can be explored in relation to textiles, community, and making. Fairbanks teaches a weaving course, where students …
Tomiko Jones, assistant art professor at UW–Madison and 2019 Wisconsin Idea Seminar participant, recently received a Seed Grant Award for the Arts. Titled “These Grand Places”, the photography-based narrative communicates a socially engaged public land project. Jones’s project documents the lived experience and connections between land and people, working with experts across the nation. Two …
Water@UW–Madison hosts an annual photo contest, accepting submissions for both artistic photos and pet photos. This year, the top 3 images in the artistic category were won by 2019 WIS participant Christian Andresen and WIS intern Bethany Prochnow. In first place was Andresen’s “Wisconsin Veins”, followed by Prochnow’s second-place “Trout Lake Sunset”, and Andresen’s “Arctic …
Dr. James Deline, a central fixture in the La Farge community, has practiced medicine in Vernon County for nearly 40 years. Deline works at the intersection of rural and Amish healthcare, and sees many rare genetic conditions. The Wisconsin Idea Seminar has visited the La Farge Medical Clinic twice, in 2017 and 2019, to see …
Residents, government officials, and storytellers recently gathered together at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve in La Farge to celebrate a story-telling project focused on the area flooding in late 2018. Caroline Gottschalk Druschke, a UW–Madison professor, brought undergraduate students together with the Driftless Writing Center to collaborate with local Kickapoo Valley residents affected by the floods, …
Venice Williams, executive director of urban oasis Alice’s Garden in Milwaukee, was recently highlighted as one of Natalie’s everyday heroes. In May of 2019, the Wisconsin Idea Seminar visited the garden and heard from Williams about her work connecting the community through gardening; nurturing relationships, creating herb bundles, facilitating fun programs, and planning for more …