Once a WH grant-funded project is complete, we ask grantees to submit final reports. More than just how many people attended, we want to hear about what worked and what didn't. And we learn a lot from you — how you are responding to real needs in your communities, how you are making connections among organizations, building bridges between ideas and people, and opening up new opportunities that may not have seemed possible before.
When we received the final report from Norma Yaeger, the President of Headwaters Council for the Performing Arts in Eagle River, which was full of photos and wonderful stories, we noticed that the initial idea had blossomed beyond the proposed event and discussion! The project in Vilas County was called "Veterans and Families' Expressions" and was centered initially on a musical performance piece called Kiss Me Once, Stories from the Homefront. The performing arts group partnered with the local library and planned to build out events for veterans of past and recent conflicts.
We hope you enjoy reading about the evolution of the idea and project, and all the things that were learned, in the Q&A below!
* The image above of three men is entitled Murphy’s Dream Vision or “Warrior’s Ring” by Robert P. Buono.

"This project has opened our eyes to the many connections we didn’t know we needed."
The project director of "Veterans and Families' Expressions" shares thoughts about the project and impact in Eagle River.
WH: Can you describe how Headwaters Council for the Performing Arts started working with the partnering organizations to plan the project and events?
Yaeger: The project began in the fall of 2022 with the booking of Kathy Kaefer’s one-woman show, “Kiss Me Once, Letters from the Homefront” by the HCPA Board for the 2023-24 season. The preview was so appealing we felt we should reach out to those it might touch, including, but not limited to, veterans of the Second World War, now a very aged population. Our grant coordinator, Karen Sailer, suggested we apply for a Wisconsin Humanities grant since we had the opportunity to reach across many layers of society, to involve many sectors of our population, and to add an opportunity for veterans to perhaps express for the first time what they had gone through.
We quickly realized we needed the help of local resources familiar with the effects before, during, and after military service. We also realized that not only the service member, but his or her family also had a story to tell about keeping it all together during the time of service, deployment, and absence. The option to help veterans express themselves then led us to the Warehouse Community Arts Center, which is itself a multicultural teaching/performing organization. This resulted in the happy connection with Donna Murray-Tiedge, the Executive Director who has a Ph.D. in aesthetic education (teaching through the arts). Not only her credentials, but her demeanor of respect, encouragement, and acceptance made her the perfect liaison to open the doors of the Warehouse to welcome veterans going through a new door. Donna coordinated the six weekly sessions with Bobby Bullet, also a gentle singer/songwriter Native American veteran who created a welcoming space for sharing stories, and as it turns out, for making connections among veterans.
The outreach to veterans provided an additional opportunity for veterans and their families to connect with the Vilas County Veterans Service Officer, Brian Thomas, which for some was another new door full of benefits and support they were not aware of. Brian was extremely supportive of the project, taking advantage of his responsibilities across the entire county to spread the word about the program.
The two months before the actual concert on March 24th provided a time to display what was being created, but also to exhibit already completed works of art, writings, letters, service memorabilia, family histories, newspapers, scrapbooks, all charged with memories, some of which had not been touched for decades.
The need for display space was met by involving our local librarian, Sara Klemann, who made available a highly visible display case in the Olson Memorial library for that time period. Brian also obtained permission for objects to be displayed in our local Courthouse main entrance, another highly visible place for the display of the items which included the veterans’ descriptions and relevance to them. Two hours in advance of the performance, all the items were then arranged for display at the high school that afternoon. Photos were taken of every object to commemorate the donations since they were all returned following the concert.
The other partnership opportunity came with the realization that our local Eagle River Historical Society archived items from the different decades of conflict, all of which had a local tie-in. A reception to view the collection and hear a brief talk was arranged for the day before the concert.
An accidental partnership evolved when the Veterans Resources Center expressed a need for emergency food for veterans: a member of our working committee, who is also the local Food Pantry President, stepped up to make supplies available. By coincidence, and the happy benefit of small town people wearing many hats, the Food Pantry President was also the former coordinator of the annual Veterans Day show at the high school. We were encouraged to attend in November of 2023; those of us who had never attended that ceremony were deeply impacted by the number of current and past service members, their families, the high school band and chorus, local speakers, the patriotism essay award winner, and members of the Honor Guard.
WH: How did the project evolve? What did you learn?
Yaeger: The project evolved from a visit I made to the Bonifas Fine Arts Center in Escanaba, MI. They had encouraged veterans to express their military-related experiences and feelings, and to create and display art in any media. The Veterans Administration was encouraging this type of activity and it felt like a good model. From there, our project grew organically as word spread of how we were connecting the VA project with our concert of WWII-related music and “Letters from the Homefront." The Veterans Resource Center (formerly the VFW) agreed to pay for veterans and family members to sign up for any classes or sessions at the Warehouse. Letters to local government officials created interest around the county and neighboring counties. The local City Council endorsed the project with a declaration of Veterans and Families’ Expressions Day on March 24th. A special flier was created to promote the show, but also to acknowledge and tie together the many groups involved in the endeavor.
What we learned is that even when you think you know a small town, sometimes it only takes an idea, a need, an opportunity, or a passing reference in conversation to bring out experiences and connections not previously brought together. The network we discovered and the sheer joy of working together was rewarding and so valuable. It reminded me of an octet of musicians each learning their line of music, but when brought together, it became a greater whole than the simple sum of the components. At least eight distinct components of our small town benefited from the awareness of each other that grew out of this collaboration.
WH: What did funding from WH allow you to do?
Yaeger: The award of the grant from Wisconsin Humanities validated and authenticated the new effort at outreach to and inclusion of our local organizations, including veterans services and historical societies that had not been associated with our performing arts association. The funding enabled us to create a unified look for the project, including a banner and the flier including the design and production; the veterans descriptions accompanying each submission; the longer hours at the high school for the set-up, viewing, program, and reception; the Eagle River Historical Society talk and reception, and a new appreciation for the value of the humanities.
The WH website says: “The things we call 'the arts' (like theater, dance, music, and visual art forms) are intertwined with, and often influenced by, the things we call 'the humanities.' To keep it simple, we sometimes say that 'the arts' are the doing part; 'the humanities are talking about it.'”
We all benefitted from the opportunity to finally talk about “it”, the buried subject of feelings about having been in the service.
WH: What kinds of impacts do you feel came out of "Veterans and Families’ Expressions?"
Yaeger: At least eight distinct components of our small town benefited from the awareness of each other that grew out of collaboration. The project generated new contacts at the Veterans organizations, new visitors to the library, new attendees at the Warehouse, new patrons at the concert, and even new visitors to our wonderful local high school, and new patrons for our arts association.
The concert itself sung by Kathy Kaefer was impactful in its simplicity: a singer, a piano, a backdrop of photos delving into one family’s history (her grandparents). She brought to life the very personal experiences that lyricists and composers had incorporated into the songs, the tune and lyrics that captured the shared and personal experiences of those who went into service. As one participant expressed it: “What a great show this was to honor our Veterans. The songs brought smiles to the faces of some, and tears to the eyes of others.” Another response from a committee member: “The project meant so much to so many people.”
One unexpected but much appreciated element of the concert was that Kathy Kaefer came out into the reception in the gathering space after the concert and stayed for an hour, visiting with veterans, their families (often many generations), looking at the displays, listening to very personal memories of stories inspired by the songs in her program. She stepped out of her professional role to become one among us, teaching us a valuable lesson to listen and acknowledge the person in the person you’re talking to.
WH: Is there anything else you would like to share?
I have a much deeper appreciation of the simple word, “Humanities” since it is often associated with higher education, names of schools within universities, or anything that is not practical. Humanities, based on the word, “human” is what we are, and should not be relegated to a silo of unexplored options and missed opportunities to share life with each other.

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