Page 8 - Annual Report FINAL

NEW DIVISION AIMS FOR NEW AUDIENCES

bout 18 months ago, the Society put us in front of new audiences,” have opened doors allowing the Society
A ushered in a new era with the Edmonds said of his appointment by to serve a much broader audience.
creation of the Office of Programs & Society Chief Operating Officer Wes Apaloo helped organize the
Outreach. And if the first full fiscal year Mosman Block. successful traveling exhibit on the
of its existence is any indication, it will The division will help the 50th anniversary of Milwaukee’s Fair
prove to be a transformative decision. organization achieve a major goal: Housing Marches, two copies of which
The new division, led by director to get out in the field, build new are now touring the state.
Michael Edmonds, has added relationships and collect more diverse That effort also led to the donation
key staff members and lifted the stories. “And we should do that because of an item long-sought by the Society
Society’s education initiatives, Vaunce Ashby Tanika Apaloo everybody in Wisconsin deserves to — an NAACP Youth Council T-shirt
local history collaborations and understand their place in history,” worn during the marches.
publishing to new levels. history organizations and collaborated Edmonds said. “This synergy is starting to grow,”
In fiscal year 2017, the Society served with more than 50 minority groups. A catalyst to making that happen, Edmonds said. “Things are happening
more than 86,000 K-12 students In addition, the Society Press held Edmonds said, was the hiring of in a way that they weren’t a year ago, so
— including a record 30,487 young numerous author events and sold more Vaunce Ashby to lead the education I feel pretty good about it. But we have
visitors to the Wisconsin Historical than 57,000 books. team and Tanika Apaloo as adult such a long way to go. There’s so much
Museum — consulted with 780 local “Part of my mandate was to education specialist. Together, they more to be done.”

Hands-On History makes impact

ne of the new Office of Programs & Outreach’s that will make them want to learn even more about
Ofirst initiatives was the Hands-On History pro- their home state.”
gram, which has brought the museum experience into The program — made possible thanks to gener-
the classrooms of nearly 1,500 students in traditional- ous funding from the National Endowment for the
ly underserved neighborhoods, mostly in Milwaukee. Humanities and the Wisconsin Humanities Council,
Kurt Griesemer, who was named Coordinator of among others — is expanding this school year with
Primary Education after previously leading museum the hiring of educator Ashleigh Herrera.
education, devised the program, which he brought to “This was the opening move in the Society’s effort
38 locations by traveling 4,590 miles since December. to enrich the lives of children whom we have not Coordinator of Primary Education Kurt
“It’s incredibly satisfying,” Griesemer said. “The best reached very often in the past,” said Michael Griesemer brought his Hands-On History program
part of every day is when I am working directly with Edmonds, the Society’s Director of Programs & to more than 1,500 students in 25 schools and
teachers and students. Hopefully I provide that spark Outreach. 13 libraries in the Milwaukee area.

8 ANNUAL REPORT SOCIETY HIGHLIGHTS | PROGRAMS & OUTREACH