Dear Wisconsin Humanities Friends and Supporters,
The wild apples on my farm took the year off and voles chomped the roots of my tomato plants, so here on the edge of the Driftless, autumn feels more than usually hot and less than usually abundant. Maybe nature is picking up on the national temper! Spending time with many of you who came to our first virtual listening session this week was just the opposite: full of human warmth, not heat, and packed with fruitful ideas! (See it in the smiles below?!)
I heard your ideas about making new alliances in unexpected places, new ways to engage young people, bringing greater civility to public discourse, and more. The session was a demonstration of what makes our Wisconsin Humanities community so special, and why growing it is urgent.
October is Arts and Humanities Month in Wisconsin. I'm thrilled that this month we will bring together humanities, arts, and civic leaders and other concerned Wisconsinites to talk about what's happening in our communities today. We know the humanities and the arts play a vital role in knitting communities together.
As Jimmy Gutierrez said in a recent Human Powered podcast episode, when flooding devastated southwest Wisconsin years ago, it was sharing stories that helped residents come together and heal from the trauma. Whether it's recovery from flooding or hate crimes, WH has been there. But above all, we have always been there to make communities more resilient and Wisconsinites more connected by helping your dreams become realities. Whether that dream is a local history mural or a festival, a new cultural program for teens, community dialogue, or something as yet unimagined, this is why we're here. And you have been with us, as an individual or through your connection with one of the hundreds of vibrant local organizations who are our treasured partners.
This month, if you have a story about how the humanities brought people together in your community, drop me a line at dena.wortzel@wisconsinhumanities.org. I would love to hear it from you!
Dena
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