Spring 2021 Newsletter
Wisconsin Humanities has a brand-new podcast!
We’ve put together a fantastic team to help us tell beautifully produced, emotionally powerful stories about how people make places better across our state.
In six monthly episodes, you’ll meet Wisconsinites who hail from Milwaukee, the Driftless, Oshkosh, the Red Cliff Reservation, and beyond. You’ll hear what motivates them to bring people together to compassionately confront the most pressing challenges in their communities.
One of the people you’ll meet is Cheri Fuqua, a community leader and organizer in Milwaukee, who says:
Producer Craig Eley talks with Cheri Fuqua on her front porch in Milwaukee.
Photo by Aris Owens.
“I purchased this home in 1999. And they told me that the community’s gonna change. Hmm. They didn’t tell me I was gonna be the change.”
LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE now wherever you get your podcasts, or listen right here on our website.
Photo of Arijit Sen by Gary Porter
You’ll meet Arijit Sen in Episode 1 of Human Powered. Arijit is an architecture professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. You may not expect someone in his position to stress the importance of listening, but it’s essential to Arijit’s teaching approach.
Arijit generously shared more of his insights—and life story—with us through Love Wisconsin. We know his words will leave you feeling inspired and enlightened. Read the rest of Arijit’s story at lovewi.com/arijit.
“School usually teaches that you need to solve problems,” Arijit says.
“We want our students to un-learn that and teach them not to rush to a solution. Students learn to do that by interviewing people and collecting their personal stories—doing oral histories. For example, when you look at a neighborhood you may see that there are big potholes there. And there’s a broken house, broken porch, lots of garbage, and you kind of know it might be unsafe. We all know that, we learned it. But that visual, that kind of obvious way of seeing, renders the humanity and the vibrancy of that space invisible.”
A Conversation with Jimmy Gutierrez
We’re thrilled to share this Q&A with Jimmy Gutierrez, the host of our new podcast, Human Powered. Jimmy is also a Milwaukee-based journalist whose work takes an exciting, community-centered approach. Both roles are all about connecting with people through deep, sustained listening.
In 2019, we launched Immigrant Journeys from South of the Border—an exhibit that shares the stories of eight immigrants who now live and work in Wisconsin. During this period of social and physical distancing, we believe this conversation must continue.
“Mary spent her life bringing people together and supported Wisconsin Humanities because she believed its programs and initiatives were so effective in providing public forums for civic dialogue among people of all persuasions, something she felt was so necessary for us all.”
We were honored to award a total of $548,000 to 82 nonprofit organizations across the state.
Beyond the Headlines:
Wisconsin’s Water Future
How do we tell Wisconsin’s complex water stories? From flood to drought, storm intensity to changing temperatures, these stories are local, emotional, and essential.
