Public programs can take many forms including exhibitions, performances, storytelling sessions, community discussions, guest speakers, public school or prison programs, workshops, oral history projects, panels, festivals, podcasts, town halls, films, and more. Creativity, participatory approaches, connecting across differences and engaging new audiences is encouraged. Humanities programs explore ideas and knowledge about human history and culture that prompt us to examine our shared past and present, while inspiring us to collaborate on a desired future. Inquiry, observation, storytelling, reflection, analysis, and discussion are often tools of the humanities.

Wisconsin Humanities’ funds public humanities projects. In other words, eligible projects will be for the public (not strictly academic in nature) and will engage members of the public in celebrating and exploring histories, cultures, beliefs, and values. The public humanities are not about research or a simple, one-way transfer of knowledge. They actively use the insight and knowledge held by community members, humanities scholars or other humanities experts. Storytelling, reflection, and conversation that draw people together are just a few examples of how the public humanities are put to work! The public humanities today are helping Wisconsinites explore our past, our cultures and those of our neighbors, as well as helping us talk with one another about challenges facing our communities.

The public humanities often draw upon knowledge from the academic humanities and/or involve scholars working in fields such as archaeology, art history, cultural anthropology, ethics, ethnic studies, folklore, gender studies, history, jurisprudence, languages, law, linguistics, philosophy, and religious studies. Social sciences, such as political science and sociology, are also often part of the humanities as are the medical and environmental humanities.