Learning about the state we serve
The Wisconsin Idea Seminar’s 2019 River Tour was five days packed full with so much learning about Wisconsin life. Rivers provided our narrative frame as we discussed and experienced the cultural, educational, industrial, social, and political realities of the state. Our bus traveled from places like Milwaukee’s Sherman Phoenix, a vibrant hub for entrepreneurs of color, …
Sherry Wagner-Henry, director of the Bolz Center for Arts Administration at UW-Madison, and her team will lead a creative placemaking workshop this summer for artists, arts and cultural leaders and workers, urban and rural planners, BID staff, Main Street and neighborhood association staff and volunteers, and anyone else interested in arts-based community development. The workshop …
Rosy-Lane Holsteins owner and partner Daphne Holterman will welcome the Wisconsin Idea Seminar in May and give a tour of their 900-cow operation. In advance of our visit–and in between a number of international speaking engagements–she shares insight with us about her time at UW-Madison, her role as an “agvocate,” and the farm’s exploration of …
What initially drew you to papermaking? I was introduced to the fine craft of hand papermaking during my MA degree at the University of Iowa, studying Textile Design. Tim Barrett (who was awarded a MacArthur Award for his work as both a practitioner and teacher of hand papermaking in 2009) joined the faculty as …
What was it like growing up on your family’s farm, Mystic Valley Dairy? I feel so blessed to have grown up on my family’s dairy farm right outside Sauk City, about 20 miles north of Madison. From a young age, I had the opportunity to be immersed in the world of agriculture through the Wisconsin …
What drew you to apply to intern for the Wisconsin Idea Seminar? Who wouldn’t want to work for an immersive tour that shows off the cultural, educational, industrial, social, and political realities of Wisconsin? I love my home state, and the thought of being able to share it with others really excites me! Additionally, …
Katherine Charek Briggs currently serves as the Assistant Director for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s LGBT Campus Center, which provides education, outreach, advocacy, and resources for student communities and their allies to improve campus climate and their daily intersectional experiences. Charek Briggs is instrumental in making all student feel welcome, and has recently worked with colleagues …
Some may not know that the University of Wisconsin-Madison sits on native Ho-Chunk land. The Ho-Chunk Nation is one of 11 federally recognized American Indian Nations in the state of Wisconsin. For millennia the area which is now the city of Madison was called Dejope and was a significant cultural and governmental center for Ho-Chunk …
Only in the Humanities building can one wander down a hallway and be treated with delight to the sounds of voice and instruments as students practice for upcoming performances. Down one of these hallways you might find David Ronis, the Karen K. Bishop Director of University Opera and assistant professor here at UW-Madison. Originally from …
Al Castro is a passionate social worker who brings humor and empathy to his work as the Health Research Program Director for the United Community Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Thousands of individuals benefit from the United Community Center, which focuses on serving the Latino population on Milwaukee’s south side. Castro plays an important role in …