Contact: Kara O’Keeffe
Kara.okeeffe@wisconsinhistory.org
608-261-9596
Madison, WI. – The Wisconsin Historical Society will be at the Madison Latino Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, May 8, 2019, from 6:00-7:30 pm (doors open at 5:30 pm) to hear from the Latinx community on their thoughts and ideas of how their community can be represented and served by a state history museum on Madison’s Capitol Square.
“The Wisconsin Historical Society values building relationships with all communities in order to integrate authentic perspectives from diverse populations into the new museum project,” said Christian Overland, Ruth and Hartley Barker Director of the Wisconsin Historical Society.
The event will start with an introduction to the new museum project from Overland. Guests will then participate in workshops that will help develop feedback and conversations on current design exhibit concepts, what makes their community unique and how a state history museum could serve the community.
“The Society is committed to inclusive storytelling and collaborating with our communities to ensure that stories reflecting Wisconsin’s unique mix of people can be heard and experienced in the shared story of what makes Wisconsin, Wisconsin,” continued Overland.
The event is supported by local partner, the Latino Chamber of Commerce.
The Society is traveling the state and will be holding over 40 community listening sessions as well as 14 Native Nations engagement sessions and listening sessions with students.
Guests can pre-register and see a full list of events at wihist.org/yourvoice.
“As we hold more listening workshops across the state, we have learned many community stories that have local significance and national impact. Our communities want to experience their stories in a new history museum,” Overland continued. “We also want to understand how we can better serve our audiences in their towns and cities because we believe that everyone should feel welcomed in this museum when they visit in person and participate digitally.”
The Wisconsin Historical Society has been working towards building a new $120 million, 100,000-square-foot museum for more than 20 years. The new museum will more than double exhibition space and include state-of-the-art technology while providing learning, meeting and flexible spaces. The new museum will reach and connect people all across the state through distance learning technology and exciting, modern exhibits.
For more information on the Wisconsin Historical Society visit wisconsinhistory.org.
