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Dear Wisconsin Humanities friends and supporters, I’m delighted to invite you to Tradition Bearers, Live!, a one-of-a-kind evening celebrating the artists, traditions, and cultural heritage that help define communities across Wisconsin. Masters of traditional and folk arts — Aztec dance, Haudenosaunee raised beadwork, and Turkish water marbling — will join us to offer you a memorable evening of performance,… Read more »
Dear Wisconsin Humanities friends and supporters, In April 2025, Wisconsin Humanities lost the federal funding that had supported our work for more than 50 years. Instead of stepping back, we adapted. We stabilized operations, listened to you and your neighbors, maintained key programs, and built a path forward. Our 2025 Impact Report highlights what that looked like… Read more »
Dear Wisconsin Humanities friends and supporters, Whether you’re the parent of a kindergartener, a new graduate yourself, or just enjoying roadside graduation party signs, the end of the school year resonates. Last year, I was the commencement speaker for UW-Platteville’s College of Liberal Arts and Education. The task was an honor — and daunting. It… Read more »
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… Read more »
Dear Wisconsin Humanities friends and supporters, After raving to you about our statewide Listening Sessions (thanks again to everyone who contributed), now you can read what we learned about the strengths people see in their communities, the challenges they face, and how they want to move forward. The Listening Session summary on our website highlights what we… Read more »
Training for you! Our Director of Community Powered, Chrissy Widmayer, has returned to Wisconsin Humanities to restart the nationally award-winning training program she was instrumental in creating! This great news is possible thanks to a partnership with the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures at UW-Madison, where Chrissy is also a postdoctoral fellow in… Read more »
Dear Wisconsin Humanities Friends and Supporters, Is your mailbox full of seed catalogues? I love Seed Savers Exchange, an organization devoted to “collecting, regenerating, and sharing heirloom seeds, plants, and stories.” In addition to introducing me to great pickling cukes, I love that they know it’s plants’ stories that move us to protect them –… Read more »
Dear Wisconsin Humanities Friends and Supporters, Punxsutawney Phil may not be looking for his shadow yet, but at WH we’ve poked our heads out and… surprise! It looks like we may have a lot more to germinate this spring. That’s because we got positive news from Washington: A federal “minibus” budget bill for 2026 was… Read more »
Dear Wisconsin Humanities Friends and Supporters, Happy New Year! We’re thrilled to kick the year off by reopening our grant program. Huge thanks to everyone who gave a year-end gift, helping us to restart programming. With you and the rest of our statewide community as advocates and supporters of the public humanities, I’m sure we’ll be… Read more »
Dear Wisconsin Humanities Friends and Supporters, My heart is full these days, as I keep working to help Wisconsinites understand and care for one another. In the face of political division and national turmoil, our Wisconsin Humanities family is resilient and generous. I’m fueled by your support — and by hope. Because of your generosity,… Read more »
Dear Wisconsin Humanities Friends and Supporters, This holiday season will be the first since my mother passed at the incredible age of 102. I’m grateful to my mom for a lot of things, but one that stands out is her eternal optimism. Even when she watched the news — frequently telling me “It’s scary!” –… Read more »
Dear Wisconsin Humanities Friends and Supporters, I don’t have enough space here to tell you all the incredible things I’ve heard in the last couple of weeks. Our first three in-person Listening Sessions were everything we hoped they would be — and were possible thanks to your contributions! Commitment and care for community were on… Read more »
