PROGRAM PROFILE 06 07

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

– Socrates

Letter from the WHC 3
What Are the Humanities? 4
What We Do 5
CONTENTS
WHC Speakers Bureau 6
Wisconsin Book Festival 8
Motheread/Fatheread 10
®
A More Perfect Union 12
Between Fences 14
WHC Grant Program 16
DEAR FRIENDS OF THE WHC:
Many of you who are long time supporters of the Wisconsin Humanities Council may notice
that we have a brand new logo. This interlocking set of three dialogue balloons represents the
meeting of multiple points of view and the lively conversations that occur within the structure
of a WHC program. We think our new tag line — community through conversation — distills our
mission nicely, and we hope it inspires you to look into WHC-backed initiatives in your part of
the state. Better yet, perhaps you will be inspired to write your own grant proposal and design a
provocative, lively public humanities program for your own community.
Your support of the WHC demonstrates that you believe that the humanities help shape the
2006 Grants 18 civic infrastructure of our nation. Indeed, while it is our physical infrastructure—roads, bridges,
Support the Humanities 20 borders, and public utilities—that make us a nation, it is our civic infrastructure—our stories,
songs, beliefs, and values—that make us a civilization worth celebrating and preserving.
Power of Partnerships 21
Major Donors 22
We thank you for your continued support,
WHC Board and Staff 23
Contact Information 24
Dean Bakopoulos Karla Mullen 3
Executive Director WHC Chair, Watertown, WI
H I S TO R Y • C U LT U R A L A N T H R O P O LO G Y • L I T ER AT U R E
• P H I LO S O P H Y A N D E T H I C S • F O R EI G N L A N G U A G E S
AND CULTURES • THE HIS TORY, THEORY, AND C R I T I C I S M
OF THE AR T S • COMPAR ATIVE RELIGION • LINGUIS TIC S
• F O L K LO R E • P H I LO S O P H Y O F L AW • A R C H EO LO G Y
WHAT WE DO
Established in 1972 as an independent affiliate of the National Endowment of the
Humanities, the Wisconsin Humanities Council is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization
that supports public programs that engage the people of Wisconsin in the exploration of
human cultures, ideas, and values. We do this with the conviction that our communities
are strengthened with civil and informed conversations.
Each year, the WHC receives federal funding from the NEH, which we use to leverage
state, individual, corporate, and foundation support at the local level. We also extend our
federal dollars by forming partnerships with both state and local organizations. The WHC,
for example, works closely with the Cultural Coalition of Wisconsin and the University
of Wisconsin–Extension. In doing so, we help to build a stronger network among
cultural institutions.
5
6
Our library had the pleasure of having
Christopher Goetz come and give us his
Talk with the Past. Not only was he
well-prepared and personable, but he
captivated our audience for over one
hour. The passion he has for his histor-
ical character and history were clearly
evident. Audience members said, ‘Bring
him back; he was GREAT!’
– Jennifer Einwalter,
slinger community library,
on christopher goetz’s chautauqua
presentation on civil war life, Talk with the Past
WHC SPEAKERS BUREAU
Since 1991, the WHC Speakers Bureau has offered educational and entertaining humanities
presentations and in-character historical “Chautauqua” performances in nearly every county
in Wisconsin, bringing discussions about poetry, world religions, archaeology, folklore,
history, and much more to every corner of the state.
The size of our Speakers Bureau audiences continues to increase. For the 2004 – 2005 cata-
logue years, almost 12,000 people attended one of the 267 Speakers Bureau presentations
around Wisconsin. Encouragingly, one-third of these events were hosted by organizations in
Wisconsin that had never before applied to host a Speakers Bureau event. These new requests
came from professional groups, libraries, social clubs, middle schools, social advocacy groups,
conservation groups, religious centers, museums, and churches — and attest to the growing
(and glowing!) reputation of the WHC Speakers Bureau.
7
 The Festival served again as one of
Madison’s most fantastic events, a five-day
gathering that would make big-city dwellers
8 Wisconsin Book Festival celebrates our state’s rich literary heritage, brings some of America’s
drop their reading glasses in awe. I heard
18 authors, seven poets, and a British
woman who translated a novel from
Spanish to English. Bolstered by Wisconsin
authors and others with significant ties to
the Dairyland state, the Festival [delivered]
many memorable moments.
– Tom Alesia,
Wisconsin State Journal
This was my first time at the event
and it was amazing for me as a young
person. Events like these are crucial
for the expression and education of
young people through literature
and the arts.
– Survey Respondent
I’ve been to many book festivals
over the years and simply put, yours
was by far the most excellent and
most exciting.
– Carol Houck Smith, Senior Editor
ww norton, new york
WISCONSIN BOOK FESTIVAL
Through a unique partnership between the public, private, and academic sectors, the
finest writers to the people of Wisconsin, and encourages Wisconsinites of all ages to read
widely and to read well. The Wisconsin Book Festival is the state’s largest literary festival
— with annual attendance reaching 15,000 attendees — and one of the largest free literary
events in the nation.
Each year the Festival hosts over 100 events, including author readings, panel discussions,
writing workshops, exhibitions, and youth poetry slams.
In recent years, Festival presenters have included Wisconsin favorites Jane Hamilton,
Lorrie Moore, Jacquelyn Mitchard, David Maraniss, Michael Perry, Denise Sweet, Mark
Turcotte, and Kevin Henkes. We have also welcomed nationally-acclaimed literary stars like
Michael Chabon, Isabel Allende, Edwidge Danticat, and Grace Paley; U.S. Poet Laureates
Billy Collins and Ted Kooser; nationally-acclaimed poets like Martín Espada, Sam Hamill, and
Luis Rodriguez; National Public Radio reporters Anne Garrels and Noah Adams; historians
Howard Zinn and Joseph Ellis; and graphic novelists Chris Ware and Marjane Satrapi. 9
 Motheread/Fatheread ® has truly touched the hearts
of many families in the La Crosse School District, both
10 through the power of the group and the power of the
stories themselves. Parents leave feeling empowered
and motivated to read with their children, and have
a true understanding of how reading together not only
QUOTE
benefits their child academically, but also brings them
closer as a family.
– Sandy Brauer,
Director of Curriculum & Staff Development,
la crosse school district
®
MOTHEREAD FATHEREAD
Family Literacy Program
Motheread/Fatheread® is a family literacy program that does something amazing: it helps
parents who are poor readers become confident and excited about reading aloud to their
children. And because it has been shown that the most important predictor of a child’s
success in school is whether he or she is read to at home, parents who participate in
Motheread/Fatheread® are breaking the generational cycle of school failure.
As the exclusive Wisconsin provider of the Motheread/Fatheread® Family Literacy program,
the WHC trains teachers, literacy instructors, librarians, and other literacy professionals in
this nationally acclaimed instructional approach and curriculum. Motheread/Fatheread®
introduces parents with limited literacy to high quality children’s literature and encourages
families to read together. The curriculum appeals to a very powerful motivation in parents:
the desire to help their children learn. 11
 A More Perfect Union offers
themed book discussions to
12 our library’s book club. We
often talk about the future
of the United States in our
discussions. Going back to
our roots as a nation with
this series is a unique
experience for the club.
– Cecilia Wiltzius, Library Director,
karl jungunger memorial library
The books dealt with difficult subjects,
sometimes horrible events. But we
need to face these things. Good change
is possible. We need to be hopeful
and active.
– 2005 AMPU participant in Janesville
I read all the books, understood a little, and learned much
more from the discussions. It was well worth my time.
– 2005 AMPU participant from Presque Isle
A MORE PERFECT UNION
Book Discussion Series
Since its inception in 2004, hundreds of Wisconsin residents each year have joined our free
book discussion series. A More Perfect Union prompts readers to examine various aspects of
the U.S. Constitution—both its ideals and its realities. We lend fifteen copies of the books
and accompanying discussion guides to any group in Wisconsin that meets in a public space
and publicly advertises its meetings. We will even pay for a scholar to join the group to
enrich the conversation about one or more of the books.
Taking its inspiration from the Constitution’s Preamble, the WHC structures each year’s
theme around its phrases. In 2005 the theme was “The Common Defense.” In 2006 it was
“To Establish Justice.” The theme in 2007 is “To Ensure Domestic Tranquility.”
The WHC has also proudly hosted A More Perfect Union authors (including Marge Piercy,
Tim O’Brien, Anthony Grooms, and Jonathan Harr) at the Wisconsin Book Festival.

I was really impressed by the applications
we received,” said Jessica Becker, Senior
14
Program officer at the WHC and coordinator
for the Between Fences tour. “Clearly these
issues are extremely relevant in Wisconsin
today and the exhibition tour is a wonderful
opportunity for communities throughout
the state to explore their history, celebrate
their unique stories, and break down fences
that are no longer needed.”
“Support from the WHC allows the
River Arts Center to bring a Smithson-
ian exhibition to our small town.
We appreciate this unique opportunity
to explore our community’s history
and enhance our cultural programs.”
– B. Tracy Madison,
Sauk Prairie Between
Fences Coordinator
BETWEEN FENCES
A Smithsonian “Museums on Main Street” Exhibition
We live between fences—personal, national, geo-political, conceptual. And as we dismantle
boundaries we no longer need, we also erect new barriers. From picket fences to chain links
to barbed wire and beyond, fences imply security, decoration, ownership, and industry.
They dictate our behavior and cement property lines. But who defines that property? How
have rivals negotiated boundaries in the past? And how do we reinforce our borders today?
Beginning in the fall of 2007, Between Fences, a traveling Museums on Main Street exhibition
from the Smithsonian Institute, will spend six weeks each in Waupaca, Hales Corners, LaFarge,
Sauk Prairie, Clear Lake, and Cable. The exhibition will be hosted by small museums,
community centers, libraries, and historic sites that were selected through a competitive
application process. Each community will celebrate the Smithsonian coming to town with
related events and programs.
Designed for communities of 10,000 residents or less, Between Fences reveals how central
the fence is to the American landscape. The exhibition’s assemblage of tools, images, literature
— and, of course, fences—prompt us to reflect on the role of the fence in our lives and see a
common icon in new ways. 15
 “There would be no DC Everest Oral
History program without the financial
in 2006 the
support of WHC… This support has
16 allowed students at DCE to link integrally WHC awarded one or more WHC GRANT PROGRAM
21
with veterans, elderly folks, and business
and political leaders of our community. GR ANTS in counties The WHC’s grant program provides support for public humanities programs that encourage
WHC has created an opportunity for audiences to converse, connect, and reflect upon our world through the lens of the humani-

our students to learn history through the

and hosted one or more ties. From museum exhibitions to library book discussion programs, from media projects
to programs that enhance humanities education for children, WHC grants enrich the civic
people of our community. The ability to
council - conducted and cultural life of the state. WHC-funded programs are designed for a public audience and
actually publish and share the end results involve at least one scholar from a humanities discipline.

has given our community a lasting PROGR AMS in

record of its history.”
–Paul Aleckson,
Social Studies Coordinator,
46 counties
17
d.c. everest area schools across wisconsin.
SELECTED GRANTS AWARDED IN 2006
New Berlin Public Library
$350 for A More Perfect Union: The Common Defense
Friends of the Dwight Foster
Public Library
$600 for A More Perfect Union: The Common Defense
Urban League of Greater Madison
$1,650 for City of Madison-Dane County
Martin Luther King, Jr. Coalition
Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation
$2,000 for Disentangling the Iraq War: History,
Politics, the Media, and the Veteran Experience
Center for the Study of
Upper Midwestern Cultures
$2,000 for Wisconsin Englishes
Kennedy Heights Community Center
$2,000 for Many Cultures, One Community Exhibit
Kickapoo Valley Friends (Quaker) Meeting
$10,000 for Vanished: German-American Civilian
Internment, 1941–48
Eau Claire County
Sesquicentennial Commission
$8,500 for Eau Claire County:
Changing Roles In Changing Times, 1856-2006
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
$4,000 for International Conference on Rivers
and Civilization: Multidisciplinary Perspectives
on Major River Basins
The Sterling North Society
$4,425 for Edgerton Book Festival
The Board of Regents of the
University of Wisconsin System
$5,000 for Production and Promotion of Literature
of the Indian Nations of Wisconsin
Friends of the Dwight Foster
Public Library
$800 for Jefferson County Reads, 2006
Milwaukee County Historical Society
$2,000 for Miss Annie Mae’s Hats Public Programs
Justiceworks, Ltd.
$1,440 for Jail in the Justice System: A Symposium on
Incarceration in Our Community and Alternatives
Ashland/Bayfield County League
of Women Voters
$2,000 for Toward A More Perfect Union: League of
Women Voters as a Champion of Good Government
and Participatory Democracy in Two Rural Wisconsin
Counties, 1956-2006
Forgotten Wisdom, Inc.
$1,100 for Frank Belanger Settlement Project
River Falls Community Arts Base
$1,955 for The River in Literature and History:
A Children’s Poetry Writing Project
Telemark Educational Foundation, Inc.
$1,951 for Northwest Wisconsin Children’s
Book Conference
Labor Education & Training Center
$2,000 for Madison Sesquicentennial Labor Mural
Rusk County Community Library
$600 for A More Perfect Union: To Establish Justice
Superior Public Library
$800 for A More Perfect Union: To Establish Justice
Portage County Public Library
$400 for A More Perfect Union: To Establish Justice
The Center for the Humanities
(The Board of Regents of UW-System)
$9,900 for Don Quixote in Wisconsin
D.C. Everest Junior & Senior High Schools
$9,875 for The 1920’s
Fox Cities Children’s Museum
$10,000 for En Mi Familia: Celebrating
Family Traditions
Literary Arts Committee,
Eau Claire Regional Arts Center
$8,795 for Chippewa Valley Book Festival
Jane Morgan Memorial Library
$600 for A More Perfect Union: To Establish Justice
Viterbo University
$2,000 for The Viterbo Women’s Studies Symposium,
“Women Speak: Listening to Women’s Voices Within
& Beyond the Academic Disciplines”
Mississippi Valley Archaeology
Center at UW-La Crosse
$2,000 for Archaeology Day at Silver Mound
Neillsville Public Library
$400 for A More Perfect Union: To Establish Justice
UW-Marathon County
$10,000 for Shared Reading/Shared Thoughts:
A Campus/Community Dialogue about Affluenza
UW-Parkside Benevolent Foundation
$10,000 for The Racine Odyssey Project,
a Clemente Course in the Humanities
UW-Oshkosh
$9,807 for “Black Thursday” Remembered:
An Oral History of the 1968 African American Student
Protests at Wisconsin State University-Oshkosh
Wisconsin Academy of Sciences,
Arts and Letters
$2,910 for Wisconsin’s People on the Land
Heritage Hill Foundation
$10,000 for Chief Oshkosh on Trial
19
 HELP SUPPORT THE HUMANITIES
Here are examples of what your $50: Travel expenses for one in-state humanities scholar to visit with Perhaps your organization
a book discussion group.
donation can contribute:
20 $100: Ten books for the ongoing A More Perfect Union statewide book
discussion series.
$500: All expenses for one WHC Speakers Bureau event in one of
hundreds of towns around Wisconsin.
$1,000: Three scholarships for literacy instructors to be trained in the
nationally acclaimed Motheread/Fatheread® Family Literacy
Please make a tax-deductible contribution to
curriculum. (In turn, each of these instructors reaches upwards of
the Wisconsin Humanities Council today.  100 Wisconsin families per year.)
Your donation helps us make the humanities
$2,000: One mini-grant to support a cultural event or exhibition at one
part of everyday life for everyone in Wisconsin.  of Wisconsin’s hundreds of vibrant cultural centers.
We truly appreciate your support. $5,000: Events with nationally renowned authors at the Wisconsin
Book Festival
$10,000: A grant partnership pool to the district or interest area of
your choice.
POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS
should consider a
WHC partnership pool.
The Wisconsin Humanities Council works
with a number of businesses and organiza-
tions to expand our services across the state.
Most notably, the WHC arranges “partner-
ship pools” that match private donations
with federal funding, thus expanding the
capacity of our grant program and channel-
ing resources into specific areas of interest.
The Boldt Company, a Wisconsin construction services f irm based For more
in Appleton, sponsors our newest partnership pool: “The Future information,
of Farming & Rural Life in Wisconsin.” This initiative encourages contact
organizations in smaller cities and towns to generate creative Dean Bakopoulos,
public humanities programs that examine the changing nature of Executive Director,
agriculture and community life in rural Wisconsin. Thanks to the at 608-265-5594.
Boldt Company, the WHC will award grants in 2006 and 2007 to
organizations based in communities with populations of 5,000
residents or less, whose programs explore the rich and diverse
histories, stories, and values of Wisconsin’s evolving rural and
agricultural heritage.
Another of our partnership pools pairs resources from the WHC
and the Jeffris Family Foundation to create a special fund to sup-
port “Historic Preservation Program Grants.” These funds are set
aside specif ically for projects that enhance our appreciation of
historic preservation, and increase public awareness of the impor-
tance of particular historic buildings or decorative art works 21
in Wisconsin.
donors to the Major Donors Federation of State
Humanities Councils
David Brostrom Stephen J. Books Steve Klaven and Merija Eisen Joseph Rodriguez
WHC Board Karla Mullen, Chair
watertown
*Mary Knapp
Madison Public Library
WHC Staff Dean Bakopoulos
Executive Director
& Sponsors Elaine Burke Bonnie G. Buchanan Constance Klotz Jane Roeber
WHC in the ($10,000 or more)
Friends of the
UW-Madison Libraries Henry Drewal Roger Buffett Mary Knapp Janet Ross Members Raúl Galván, Vice-Chair *Connie Loden Dena Wortzel
2005 and 2006 Argosy Foundation Harry W. Schwartz Joyce and William Erickson Deborah Buffton Heidi Stibbe Knight Mike Russell * Governor’s Appointee Milwaukee Public Television Heart of Wisconsin
Business and
Associate Director,
Director of Program
The Boldt Company Bookshops Peg and Dan Geisler Glenna Carter Mary Knight Martin and Melissa Scanlan Steven M. Taylor, Treasurer
fiscal years Borders Group, Inc. Herbert H. Kohl Charities, Inc. Terry Haller Martha and Charles Casey Robert J. and Renie Shapiro Marquette University
Economic Alliance
Jessica Becker
Barbara B. Knowlton wisconsin rapids
include: Cyberius’ Network Madison Arts Commission Max and Ann Harris Alison Jones Chaim
Don Kynaston
P.M. and Carrie Sherrill milwaukee
Stephen R. Myck
Senior Program Officer
Dane County Cultural Madison Area Jacqueline and Jack and Beverly Christ Carol and Dean Schroeder David Brostrom
Reading Council The Douglas Stewart Alison Jones Chaim
Affairs Commission James Klimaszewski Ann Lacy Waukesha Public Library
Carol Cohen Judith L. Strasser Company Director,
Distillery Design Studio Madison Community Nancy and Arthur Laskin Marvin G. Lansing
Foundation Anne M. and Timothy J. Connor Steven M. Taylor Henry John Drewal madison Wisconsin Book Festival
The Evjue Foundation Kathleen McElroy and Ed Linenthal
(the charitable arm The Madison Concourse David Newby Donald Cress Libby Temkin UW-Madison Michael Kean
Connie Loden Wayne Patterson
of The Capital Times) Hotel and Governor’s Club James P. Danky Carol Tennessen Director of Administration
Karla and Bill Mullen Janet Dykema St. Norbert College
IMS Madison Public Library Eddie R. and Astride H. Lowry & Finance
Stephen Myck James DeLine Mr. and Mrs. Wisconsin Historical Society de pere
Isthmus Mosse/Weinstein Center Anne Lucke L. William Teweles eau claire
Ellen Nelson M. DeMatties Joyce E. Salisbury Shawn Shey
for Jewish Studies Nancy O. Lurie Sara Toenes
Jeffris Family Foundation Jerome K. Dombraski *Joyce Erickson UW-Green Bay, Emerita Administrative Specialist
Shepherd Express Shawn Schey
National Endowment Lesleigh Luttrell Sandi Torkildson
Carol Smart Janet Dykema kenosha Masarah Van Eyck
for the Arts Starbucks Esther Mackintosh Michael and *Kou Vang
Lynde B. Uihlen Joseph and Joann Elder Carol Troyer-Shank Reginald Finlayson Cardinal Stritch University Director of Development
Pleasant T. Rowland The SWC Group Helen H. Madsen
Karen Faster Milwaukee Area milwaukee & Communications
Foundation Target Daniel and Selma Van Eyck Harry Van Camp
Richard Magyar Technical College
Verizon Foundation Gerald Viste Reggie Finlayson Masarah Van Eyck *Bobbi Webster
University of Kathy Engen Malkasian
VQR: The Virginia Wisconsin Press Arthur and Clarice Wortzel Julie Frankl Linda VandenBerg Jean M. Fleet Oneida Nation
Quarterly Review Denise Marino and
UW-Extension Gail Geiger Herbert Paaren Peg and Ron Wallace Riverside University
Kris Adams Wendt
Wisconsin State UW-Madison Libraries Harlan and Elaine Grinde High School
Department of Tourism Friends of the WHC Tilney Marsh G. Lane and Linda Ware
milwaukee
Rhinelander District Library
Wal-Mart Seymour and Joan and George Hall Susan McLeod Norma and Ralph Wehlitz Susanne Wofford
Other Corporate Webcrafters, Inc. Shirley Abrahamson Jane Hamblen Charlotte Meyer George Wells and
John Hanson
UW-Madison
& Organizational Dwight Allen John Hanson Sally Hammond Northern Pictures, Inc.
Wisconsin Academy of Judith Claire Mitchell bayfield Margarita Zamora
Support Sciences, Arts and Letters Lynn Archer Wayne and Janet Hanson Judy Moore
Kris Adams Wendt
UW-Madison
Alliant Energy Foundation Wisconsin Public Radio Richard and Elizabeth Askey Bev Harrington Amanda Werhane Jacqueline Klimaszewski
Steven Nadler
All Writers Workplace George and Patricia Bakopoulos Robin Whyte Appleton Area School District
Standish and Jane Henning Kathleen Orosz
& Workshop Director’s Circle Robert and Janice Baldwin Rebecca Holmes Ralph and Jo Wickstrom
American Family ($300 or more) Joseph L. and Mary D. Ousley
Insurance Group Jessica Becker C.J. Hribel David K. and
Lloyd W. and Margaret T. Page
Cooperative Children’s
Book Center
Dean Bakopoulos and
Amanda Okopski Maurice and Sybil Better Margaret Banta Humleker Kay Plantes
Karen M. Williams
Dena Wortzel
23
Oscar C. and Patricia H. Boldt Bennett Berson Barbara and Hannah Pinkerton Margarita Zamora
The Country Today Allan G. and Margaret R. Bogue Thomas Hulseberg
Tom and Renee Boldt Agnes Posbrig
Douglas Stewart Company Jane Bowers Beverly Jambois
Paul and Ann Boyer Charlie P. Ries
 contact information: For more on how the humanities help us
222 South Bedford Street, Suite F
Madison, Wisconsin 53703-3688 “examine our lives,” please see the special
P: 608.262.0706 F: 608.263.7970
E-Mail: contact@wisconsinhumanities.org WHC section, “The Humanities in Our Lives,”
www.wisconsinhumanities.org in each issue of Wisconsin People & Ideas.

This publication was produced with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations
expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the NEH.
 community through conversation
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE

PAID
MADISON, WI
PERMIT NO. 2361

222 S. Bedford St., Suite F Madison, WI 53703-3688