Dear Wisconsin Humanities friends and supporters,Conversations can be focused or meandering, in-depth or in passing, life-changing or forgettable. They can offer wisdom and make us laugh. Talking with each other is such a huge part of being human! I love how the humanities give us ways to put our oh-so-human chattiness to good use. When we re-opened the WH grant program this spring, we prioritized projects that use conversation strategically, bringing people together to build trust. It was uplifting to see all the projects proposed. The ones we funded facilitate fruitful conversation around cultural traditions, history, public policy, community challenges and opportunities, and more. They are intentional about gathering people with varying backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs, from rural northwest Wisconsin to the urban and suburban southeast, the Driftless, and parts in between. Topics range from AI data centers to rural housing, from the history and culture around caring for sturgeon habitat to Mexican fiber arts traditions. Please take a minute to learn about them. We were happy to pick up the conversation begun at our November listening session in Milwaukee. As you can see in the photo above, I had a chance to chat with Joel Cencius of Arts at Large (left) and Prof. Arijit Sen of UW-Milwaukee, along with other nonprofit leaders and community-engaged humanities scholars, about how to work together to mobilize the strengths we identified last fall. That practical thinking about the future is what WH is doing for our work throughout the state. ADD YOUR VOICE to WH's conversation about the future by completing the survey described below. We need to hear from people all across the state who bring a variety of perspectives to the work we do! A brand new conversation I can't wait to share with you will happen this summer. We're staging an event you won't want to miss. Tradition Bearers, Live! will celebrate the creativity, cultural traditions, and personal histories that help make our communities vibrant. Wisconsin folk and traditional artists will be joined on stage by folklorists who engage them in dynamic conversations, storytelling, and demonstrations. Stay tuned for details about the artists and how to register to attend!
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