Story by Holly Hartung, College of Letters & Science
Most may associate “Foxy Lady” with the distinct guitar riffs from the Jimi Hendrix song of that same title.
But participants of the Wisconsin Teachers of Local Culture 2011 Tour know the “Foxy Lady” as a sea-faring vessel—well, almost.
This past summer, the Foxy Lady navigated 22 passengers up the Fox River in northeastern Wisconsin as part of an annual program organized by the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures (CSUMC), housed in the College of Letters & Science.
The Foxy Lady tour is no new idea. The CSUMC partners with other organizations and communities for their public outreach efforts as a way to advance the Wisconsin Idea, the guiding principle that learning extends beyond the borders of campus and the state.
Ruth Olson, an instructor of Folklore at UW-Madison and the associate director of CSUMC, helped found the tour with Anne Pryor and Debbie Kmetz of the Wisconsin Arts Board.
Together they have been conducting “Here at Home Cultural Tours” since 2006 to give Wisconsin teachers a deeper understanding of cultures in the Midwest and a chance to shake-up their teaching style.
This year's partner was the Chippewa Valley Museum in Eau Claire, and it was supported by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as funds from the Wisconsin Arts Board.
Olson said she hopes this sort of interdisciplinary learning will motivate teachers to teach local culture in the classroom while giving them the confidence and knowledge to do so.
“The trip helped to clarify for me that culture is very much alive, vibrant and living all around us right now,” said Dave Jenks, a local instructor at Falk Elementary in Madison. “My kids will become interviewers because I learned the techniques during this class. We are starting a project with Attic Angel Community, pairing kids up with 'Angels' to document parts of their life, and culture, through the interview process."
This year’s tour, titled “Lakefronts & Backstories” focused on the culture in the region between the waters of Green Bay, the Fox River, Lake Winnebago and Lake Michigan.
Olson and Pryor, along with Professor Steve Ackerman of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Mark Wagler, recently retired from UW System's Local Games Lab served as the instructors for the tour.
Three faculty from the Department of Folklore—Jim Leary, Janet Gilmore and Theresa Schenck—also advised the tour.
Leary said that the best way to experience the rich and diverse local cultures of Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest is by “hanging out with, documenting, and collaborating with individuals, groups, and organizations.”
Accordingly, many of the activities of the tour concentrated on local culture aspects that are often overlooked or unavailable for tourists or lone travelers.
One activity this summer included a ride down the Fox River through one of its many locks. The teachers learned about the history of the lock tenders and their families as well as some contemporary issues with the river like pollution and PCB removal.
WTLC also hit the shore for land activities. The group visited with several local residents, including a Chinese immigrant in Neenah who prepared a traditional meal and shared about the Chinese community in the area.
Although no tour of the region would be complete without a visit to Lambeau Field, the tour also included lesser known landmarks like the Green Bay Curling Club. There, the teachers got a chance to try their hand at the one-of-a-kind ice sport.