Learning about the state we serve
Adija Greer-Smith, owner of Confectionately Yours at the Sherman Phoenix in Milwaukee, has been making 500 to 600 cookies a week since March to give away to hospitals, dialysis centers, testing labs, funeral homes, and fire departments in Milwaukee. In 2019, the Wisconsin Idea Seminar visited the Sherman Phoenix and heard from Adija, among others, about how …
Rosy-Lane Holsteins, a 900-cow dairy farm in Watertown, is owned by UW alumni Lloyd and Daphne Holterman and their partners Tim Strobel and Jordan Matthews. They have hosted the Wisconsin Idea Seminar twice since 1993, most recently in 2019. On April 22, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, established under the leadership of dairy farmers, announced …
Alice’s Garden, an urban oasis in Milwaukee that the Wisconsin Idea Seminar visited in 2019, opened a few weeks early so that it could provide a “living labyrinth” for people to walk an intentional path and reflect inwardly. Venice Williams, executive director of Alice’s Garden, is leading some of the pre-scheduled walks through the healing …
Dispatches from Our Own Wisconsin: Dani Lind of Rooted Spoon Dani Lind, owner and head chef of Rooted Spoon, leverages her local agricultural connections to bring quality ingredients to the small town of Viroqua, Wisconsin. She has spent the last 20 years or so cooking, gardening, preserving, exploring, and developing relationships with local food and farmers. …
Dispatches from Our Own Wisconsin: Hillary Bark of De Soto Area School District Hillary Bark is an agriculture teacher and FFA (Future Farmers of America) advisor at De Soto Area School District, a rural school district in western Wisconsin. She graduated from UW-Platteville with her B.S. in Animal Science and went on to get her …
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 …
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 …
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 …