Introducing Ten Public Humanities Projects in Barron, Brown, Dane, Fond du Lac, Milwaukee, Portage, Sauk, and Vernon Counties:
We are so excited to announce the second round of Opportunity Grant awardees! These ten projects will reach people of different ages, interests, and abilities. The organizations receiving WH support are working in rural communities and urban communities. They are using a variety of formats and drawing on a breadth of experiences to create programs that serve real needs in Wisconsin. The innovative programs invite human connection and conversation about learning from history, imagining possibilities for the future, and a sense of belonging today.
Stay tuned in the coming months: We will be sharing more about how these efforts evolve and stories emerge to help us all better understand our neighbors and our state.
Is your nonprofit's project next?
Another Opportunity Grant deadline is March 1st.
$4,000 to State Recognized Tribal Artists Guild for "Building A Bridge - Bringing Tribal Artists Together"
The State-Recognized Tribal Artists Guild (SRTAG) received an Opportunity Grant to bring together both state and federally recognized tribal artists. The goal is to raise awareness within their communities about how each are protected under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act and explore patterns of cultural appropriation and misrepresentation. They will produce an art show for the general public that helps to educate art enthusiasts about the issues Native artists face while providing an opportunity for Native artists to collaborate and celebrate the full spectrum of Native cultural identity.
$4,000 to Ridges & Rivers Incorporated for "Ridges & Rivers Book Festival 2025"
The burgeoning Ridges & Rivers Book Festival has received an Opportunity Grant to bring a wide variety of authors to rural Vernon County for free and accessible presentations and conversations for all ages. Partnering organizations will host events at the public library, the Historic Temple Theatre and other Viroqua spaces. The festival celebrates rural stories, local histories and diverse perspectives on a wide range of topics.
$4,000 to Thoreau College, Inc. for "Viroqua Shakespeare Festival"
A $4,0000 Opportunity grant supports Thoreau College’s Viroqua Shakespeare Festival, a community-led celebration of Shakespeare through pop-up performances and lectures, public readings of sonnets, English dance, poetry and music contributions, and a mainstage Shakespeare play.
$3,998 to Bronzeville Histories Institute for "Bronzeville Histories in the Neighborhood"
Bronzeville Histories Institute will use an Opportunity Grant to conduct history and art camps with local youth. Drawing from their digitized collection, students will be immersed in the stories of the Bronzeville community and the specific legacy of African-American community organizer, Dr. Ruben Harpole. The history and art camps will connect youth to the community advocates and entrepreneurs currently making Bronzeville the connected, creative place that it is today.
$3,814.00 to Historic Indian Agency House Association, Inc. for "Hearth and Home: Cultivating Insights through the Everyday"
An Opportunity Grant supports a range of free programming at the Historic Indian Agency House that invite visitors to immerse themselves in the every day rhythms of a variety of cultures. Events include hands-on activities associated with gardening techniques and chores, storytelling around a hearth or campfire, and culturally significant funeral practices. Complementing the hands-on programming, a series of speaker events will investigate the history of childhood, Oneida foodways, historic wedding traditions, and Wisconsin’s food traditions from different cultures.
$4,000 to Ebony Vision for "Ebony Vision's Play, Read, Belong"
Ebony Vision, with a $4,0000 Opportunity Grant, will implement a literacy and play-based weekly summer outreach program for the children of Maplewood Commons. Organized around weekly themes and visiting community groups, a range of interdisciplinary activities will highlight black and BIPOC authors and artists while fostering a love of literacy and nurturing cultural pride and belonging. As an example, through an introduction to the photography of Gordon Parks, youth will use InstaPrint cameras for their own photography project to capture elements of their community.
$4,000 to Hmong Autism Neurodiverse Disability Support for "A Dance Program"
Hmong Autism Neurodiverse Disability Support will utilize an Opportunity Grant to create an inclusive space for local youth of all abilities to practice and learn traditional Hmong dance. Dancers will learn about cultural courting traditions and agricultural traditions while learning a ball-tossing dance and a rice-reaping dance. The dance groups will prepare for a summer showcase for the community.
$3,850 to Bikes for Kids Wisconsin for "Pedals and Pixels"
Bikes for Kids Wisconsin, in partnership with Black Girl Magic, will use an Opportunity Grant to highlight the power of bicycling for middle school girls and overall community health. The curriculum includes photography workshops to allow participants to experience their community by bike and through an artistic lens. Girls in grades 6-8 will take part in journaling and photography activities that emphasize the benefits of biking for body, mind, and environment. The project will culminate in a gallery showcase.
$1,206 to Chetek Public Arts League Inc. for "Chetek: The Rest of the Story"
An Opportunity Grant supports the Chetek Public Arts League’s project designed to strengthen civic life, develop new connections among residents, and celebrate that everyone has a story to share. Short, poetic “Six-word” stories will be collected at everyday establishments, from nursing homes to bars, and laundromats to restaurants, throughout the town of Chetek. Organizers will work to ensure that no aspect of Chetek culture goes overlooked and that community life beyond “fishing and fireworks” is represented. The resulting stories will be brought together in an illustrated public banner.
$4,000.00 to Baraboo Acts Coalition for Baraboo Reads "The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together "
A $4,0000 Opportunity Grant supports a community book study of, “The Sum of Us, What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together.” By thoughtfully reducing barriers to participation, a series of five in-person book club sessions will foster open dialogue about racial equity in the Sauk County area, build trust and stronger networks, and establish an action plan for positive change.