Our Museums Need A Museum

Multicultural Wisconsin, by From Travel Wisconsin

When it comes to unique and unusual museums, no other place compares to the badger state's originality. For instance, there's the Mustard Museum in Mount Horeb which features more than 4,300 varieties of prepared mustard from around the world. Or, how about the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward that takes up residency in a towering, four-and-a-half story muskie. (That's a fish for the uninitiated.) Yes, Wisconsin has more than its fair share of the quirky.
It also has surprising diversity.
Perhaps Wisconsin's best-kept secret is the varied cultural offerings available to multicultural visitors and their families. In addition to the many possibilities celebrating Native American history and culture, Wisconsin's urban centers feature many museums of particular interest to African Americans, Asians, and Latinos.

All aboard in Green Bay: Pullmann: Porters Exhibit at the National Railroad Museum
There's virtual reality. Then there's reality. Here's an opportunity to pull the kids away from their computer games and text messages, and treat them to a true interactive experience. The National Railroad Museum in Green Bay boasts more than 80 rolling pieces of old-time muscle and steel, including monster locomotives, oil tankers and ever-popular cabooses — and offers the chance to climb aboard many of the relic steamers and sleek diesels on display.
A must-see at the museum is Pullman Porters: From Service to Civil Rights, which tells the compelling story of the men who worked American's rail lines for nearly 100 years. The exhibit weaves the history of the railroads with the labor and civil rights movements of the 20th century. It features a restored 1920s Pullman sleeper car, the Lake Mitchell. Inside, museum visitors interact with a computer-generated porter and an innovative touch screen kiosk that presents oral histories, complete with period music, to set the cultural, political and racial climate of the time.
The National Railroad Museum is located on 33 acres along the Fox River at 2285 S. Broadway in Green Bay. The museum is open year-round, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, closing for holidays and on Mondays January through April. Train ride tours aboard a vintage, full-size train are available May 1-September 30 and on weekends in October. To learn more, contact the National Railroad Museum at (920) 437-7623 or visit www.nationalrrmuseum.org. 

The battle between North and South comes to Kenosha: The Civil War Museum
The Civil War and slavery are indelibly fused together in a watershed moment in American history. The new Civil War Museum in Kenosha tells this story and that of Midwesterners — the soldiers and slaves, the women and children, the clergymen and tradesmen affected by the conflict that tore our nation apart.
The Fiery Trail exhibit unveils personal struggles and triumphs through state-of-the-art museum technology, life-size dioramas and interactive exhibits — all of which transport museum visitors back in time to the social, political, and economic factors that fanned the flames of war. Experience the battlefront, the incredible logistics and resources needed to wage such a conflict and, most importantly, the deep emotions and regrettable realities of the war, not just between the states, but between Americans and brethren.
In addition, the Civil War Museum holds special events and presentations such as behind the scenes museum tour and in-depth discussion of slavery, the Underground Railroad and abolitionism in the upper " Middle West" by museum curator, Doug Damman. In addition, the Civil War Museum Theatre Program presents the story of Ida B. Wells, a daughter of slaves who became an important civil rights leader. First-person narratives performed by guest speakers have also been a popular attraction for visitors. One such performance focuses on the life and times of Thomas Morris Chester, our nation's first African-American embedded war correspondent.
The Civil War Museum is located at 5400 First Avenue, Kenosha. Open daily from 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Sunday and Monday, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more details, call (262) 653-4141 or visit www.thecivilwarmuseum.org.

Milwaukee’s Hispanic Heritage comes alive: Latino Arts
Latino culture and art fuses in a rich pageantry of indigenous, European, and African influences, which provides for an imaginative performing arts experience, and it all comes together at Latino Arts in Milwaukee. In fact, Milwaukee's vibrant near south side has become a creative hotbed for Latinos, spotlighting local talent and drawing artists, ensembles and troupes of international acclaim to the Brew City — from such places as Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Spain. And Latino Arts takes center stage to it all.
Latino Arts features a 350-seat auditorium, 3,000 square foot art gallery and a Hispanic Heritage Center, where visitors can learn about the history of the Latino community in Milwaukee. Concerts here have included such legendary musical artists as José Feliciano, Celia Cruz, and Tito Puente. Art exhibits have featured the Colorín Colorado exhibition of paintings by indigenous children from Mexico, and a number of individual artists like Alejandro Romero, Renato Esquivel, Raoul Deal, Edgar Salguero, and Ernesto Gutierrez. 
A cultural jewel for the area's nearly 100,000 Hispanic residents, Latino Arts is located in the heart of Milwaukee's south side, at 1028 S. 9th Street. To learn more, call (414) 384-3100, or visit www.latinoartsinc.org.

East meets Madison: The Thai Pavilion and Garden and the Chinese Fine Art Association Gallery
The Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison is the site of the beautiful Thai Pavilion and Garden. In Thailand, a pavilion, or sala, is designed to provide shelter from the elements. This one, a gift of the Thai government and UW-Madison Thai Alumni Association, is designed to inspire. The ornate structure is constructed from plantation-grown teak and ceramic roof tiles and features intricate decoration, gold leaf etchings and a lacquer finish. The pavilion was crafted in Thailand, then disassembled and shipped by sea, then rail, then truck to Madison where it was reassembled by nine Thai artisans. It is one of only four such pavilions located outside of Thailand.
Surrounding the pavilion is a lush garden that simulates a tropical environ with ornamental grasses, hardy bamboos, clipped tree art called mai dat and glazed water jars. The entire effect is one of sheer beauty and serenity. And more natural wonder awaits those who cross the 155-foot arched foot bridge to the central gardens.
Olbrich Botanical Gardens are located at 3330 Atwood Avenue in Madison. For more information, call (608) 246-4550 or visit www.olbrich.org/gardens/thai.cfm.
While you're in Madison, you can keep following your Asian muse thanks to the traditional Chinese brush work presented by the Chinese Fine Art Association (CFAA). Only the CFAA puts a new twist on this ancient art form.
All paintings are the modern creations of CFAA members. And the CFFA displays their works, not in a gallery, but in the lobby of the Imperial Gardens East Restaurant. Okay, so it's not a museum. But the traveler, not the tourist, finds beauty and creativity in the most unusual places.
Through the use of delicate lines, expressive brush strokes and watercolor shades, CFAA artists use hallowed, time-honored techniques to interpret contemporary images and themes on rice, cicada or sumi paper. It is part of the CFAA's organizational mission: to unite Eastern and Western styles, while raising awareness of the numerous oriental art forms. At any given time, the lobby of Imperial Gardens restaurant has 20-30 works of art on display and they are available for purchase. So why not feed your artistic side, and your hunger for Asian food, in one outing? The address is 4214 E. Washington Ave. in Madison. To learn more, call (608) 249-0466 or visit www.cfaamadison.org.

 Diversity takes flight in Oshkosh: The AirVenture Museum
Every summer, the Oshkosh skies fill with strange and unusual birds, as the annual EAA AirVenture Fly-in summons all sorts of imaginative aviators and experimental aircraft to Wisconsin. And many of them just happen to be men and women of color. As Dick Knapinski, communications director of the EAA says, "The airplane does not care what color you are. It's only looking for a quality pilot."
Such pilots are honored at the EAA's AirVenture Museum.
One pilot in particular, Chappy James was one of the early Tuskegee airmen from Pensacola, Florida. He graduated first in his class at Tuskegee in 1943 and later became the first African American to earn the rank of four-star general. Chappy's photo is proudly displayed at the museum in the "Hall of Aviation Heroes," where you can read more about him and his career in the Air Force which spanned 35 years.
Another African American pilot, the late Neal Loving, started bringing his aircraft to the EAA Fly-in in 1955. The next two years, he flew home to Detroit with the EAA's coveted "most outstanding design" award. It wasn't Neal's creativity that set him apart from other fliers to the annual event. Nor was it because he was an African American. No, what set Neal Loving apart was that he was an amputee pilot, having lost both legs below the knees in a glider accident. Neal's story is one you do not want to miss, as he was also one of the first 300 members of EAA.
These are just a few of the many exciting exhibits at the EAA AirVenture Museum, located just off Highway 41 at the Highway 44 exit in Oshkosh. The Museum is open Monday through Saturday 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, call (920) 426- 4818 or visit www.airventuremuseum.org.