Campus Connection

Community members are working alongside UWL students to turn La Crosse history into art. [Art]ifact, a new UWL history course, is putting those community members and students to work researching 15 items related to La Crosse’s history. The items include a white Hmong skirt, a camera and a barrel for biscuits. “This is a really interesting way of looking at the history of La Crosse,” says Terri Karsten, a Cochrane-Fountain City teacher participating in the project. “We’re figuring out how it’s connected with La Crosse, how it was made, who made it and giving these items personal stories.” The collaborative research is then passed along to 15 artists as inspiration for an original piece of artwork. The art and the artifacts will be displayed at the Pump House Regional Art Center in La Crosse with an opening from 6-7:30 p.m. on Feb. 26. The exhibit will run through April 17. Tami Holtslander, a teacher in La Crescent, is participating in the class as part of her teacher license renewal. “I wanted to take a history course with an art twist,” she said. “I think it’s clever and interesting twist on ‘artifact’ that I’m the fact part and the artists is the art.” [Art]ifact is one of several course options available to the general public through UWL’s Continuing Education and Extension (CEE). CEE's mission is to connect the university with the community. The public section of the [art]ifact course is an example of the many life-long learning opportunities, informed by the academic work of UWL faculty, that add to the richness of life in our region. Much of the project is funded is funded through donations and grants, including a $10,000 grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Council, written by Assistant History Professor Ariel Beaujot. She also spearheaded the successful “Hear, Here” oral history project in downtown La Crosse. The project is a partnership between the Pump House Regional Art Center, La Crosse County Historical Society and UWL. The community credit course is supported by the Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies through a partnership with CEE. Read more about [art]ifact’s conception here.