Subject: FW: Indian Agency House BREAKING NEWS
From: "Char Olson" <[email-masked]>
To: "Boulden Dan" <[email-masked]>, "Grant Ken" <[email-masked]>, "Heron Tracy" <[email-masked]>, "Kirchstein Jim" <[email-masked]>, "Nelson Karen" <[email-masked]>, "Price Kay" <[email-masked]>, "Roberts James" <[email-masked]>, "Schweitzer Mary" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:30:45 -0600

I didn't take the time to read all of this but wanted to share it with you
and ask the question. 

Why. why can't we obtain some grants?  Perhaps one of our members could
assist (chair) such a venture.

BCNU soon. IMOKRU

Char

From: Destinee Udelhoven [mailto:[email-masked]] 
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2012 10:50 AM
To: Destinee Udelhoven
Subject: Indian Agency House BREAKING NEWS

Indian Agency House Awarded Third Consecutive $10,000 Grant

In mid-December, the Historic Indian Agency House (HIAH) of Portage got an
early Christmas present; they received confirmation of a generous grant from
the Great Circle Foundation, Inc., the same New York-based charitable
organization that also awarded similar grants to the historic site in 2009
and 2010.

HIAH Director Destinee Udelhoven described the Foundation as "our
educational fairy godmother-they have made so many of our dreams come true!"

 

The funding associated with all three grants has been and remains
exclusively for specific, pre-approved educational related programming and
projects, each laid out in detail in the grant applications submitted to the
Great Circle Foundation for their consideration.  Udelhoven noted her
"genuine efforts to present innovative ideas and projects that would benefit
the community," knowing that the Foundation's mission statement specifically
states that it seeks to fund organizations that "offer a compelling plan to
meet the needs of individuals in the primary areas of the arts and
education."  

In 2010, HIAH gratefully utilized Great Circle funds for programming
associated with the interpretative theme, "To Arms: Portage & 19th Century
Military Conflicts," specially chosen to align with last year's 150th
anniversary of the commencement of the American Civil War.  Related events
included a special "Wisconsin in the Civil War" exhibit, a four-part summer
speaker series; and September's "Civil War Remembered" Weekend (held
collaboratively with the Portage Center for the Arts), for which HIAH hosted
a Union Soldier Training Camp for Kids and an open air performance of
Wisconsin's renowned 1st Brigade Band.

HIAH was also able to offer a children's "Hands-On History" craft workshop
exploring the Southwestern art of sand painting, a living history
encampment, and a Flag Day performance by Chicago actress Betsey Means as
Juliette Kinzie, original inhabitant of the 1832 Indian Agency House.
Finally, the Foundation's 2010 grant made it possible for HIAH to hire
intern Kristen Schumacher, who used existing artifacts to create a
exhaustive exhibit on the Wisconsin pioneer experience. The resulting
permanent exhibit is now an integral part of our museum, and offered free of
charge to all visitors.

2011's grant funding will be also be spread across the 2012 season, with
this year's chosen theme being "Saving the Structures of our Past: The
Impact & Importance of Historic Preservation." This interpretive theme is
particularly appropriate, as the Indian Agency House itself will be
undergoing intensive stabilization and restoration work all year.  In fact,
a portion of the 2011 Great Circle grant will be used to develop a special
restoration-themed "hard hat tour," exclusively offered to visitors only
during the 2012 season.  Additionally, a related special exhibit and
four-part speaker series is planned.

Other educational programming that will be funded by the grant include
HIAH's fourth annual living history encampment and two  "Hands-On History"
installments: one children's workshop on frontier housing and one featuring
the art of basket weaving, as notably practiced by the Ho-Chunk nation for
hundreds of years. 

Beyond public events, this grant will make it possible for HIAH to complete
two major site projects. A recent museum studies graduate has been
contracted to produce an in-depth interpretative plan that will be used to
re-envision our public tours, with a renewed emphasis on the house as a
government business structure and resident employee John Kinzie's duties as
Indian Agent and Postmaster.  The other project will be carried out by a
university-level graduate who will be sought to research and develop a
self-guided educational tour of our new nature trail debuting this spring.

In line with their mission to provide equal access for all to the arts and
education, the Great Circle Foundation stipulates that all instances of
programming funded in whole or in part by the Foundation be offered at no
charge whenever possible. As in 2010 and 2011, HIAH will honor this
requirement, with a majority of 2012's events to be held free of charge or,
when necessary, at rates below actual cost.

The Historic Indian Agency House opens for the 2012 season on May 15, with a
full calendar of events planned. Director Destinee Udelhoven is available to
answer any questions related to this grant and the programs it encompasses
at 608-742-6362.
____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________

The Historic Indian Agency House is owned and operated by

The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of
Wisconsin.

To learn more about this genealogical-based group and its many

philanthropic and patriotic efforts,

visit  <http://www.wisconsindames.org/> www.wisconsindames.org.

____________________________________________________________________________
_______

Destinee K. Udelhoven
Executive Director
Historic Indian Agency House
Portage, Wisconsin 
(608) 742 - 6362

      The future has a way of arriving unannounced.

                                               ~George Will