Join Wisconsin Veterans Museum Director Chris Kolakowski and Curator of History Kevin Hampton for a discussion of the end of World War II. The staff will share stories of Wisconsin Veterans involved in the earth-shattering end of the war in the Pacific and examine how those events still matter today. This event is free and presented by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation. REGISTER HERE
Our artist-in-residence, Yvette Pino, will lead you through a delightful drawing experience inspired by images from the Wisconsin Veterans Museum collection. Gather your supplies, pour yourself a beverage, and bring your artistic energy as we spend the evening together stretching our creative muscles. This event is free of charge and open to anyone who registers.
Join us for trivia night and test your historical knowledge. Sign up as individuals or as a team and go head to head with other players from around the state. This free event will be based on 4 rounds of trivia, with each round focusing on topics associated with Wisconsin military history, to include: history, pop culture, names and places, events, and fun facts. For this virtual trivia night, we will be using the Kahoot! app. This app will allow for the multiple choice questions we will use during each round. Simply log onto Kahoot the night of the event and we will provide the access code…nothing to download and easy to use. Lots of fun will be had by all and prizes are given to the top 3 players/teams. This event is an educational component of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and is sponsored by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation. REGISTER
Grab some popcorn and a seat in your favorite chair, and join us for a Movie Night and Virtual Discussion with the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Staff. While we can’t all be together, we can share discussion on major motion pictures that deal with the hardships, humor and horrors of combat. For our third virtual discussion, we will look at the 1989 film Glory, starring Denzel Washington and Matthew Broderick. This is the inspiring story of the Massachusetts 54th, the first Black regiment to fight for the North in the Civil War. (mature subject matter) Your mission is to watch the movie, which is available from most libraries or on streaming services, while thinking about the discussion questions we will provide you. On August 28th, at 7:00 pm we’ll all meet via Zoom for a discussion led by museum staff. We will cover themes such as conflict, politics, pop culture, the military, and movie-making. After you register, we will email you the discussion questions and a link to join the virtual discussion via Zoom. This event is free and open to the public. REGISTER
In 1944 the U.S. Joint Chiefs predicted "a world greatly changed" by Allied victory. World War II left a towering legacy on the world, one still relevant and apparent 75 years after the guns fell silent in 1945. This conversation will explore the war's impact on the world and its people over the past 75 years. This is a free virtual panel discussion presented by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation via Zoom. REGISTER
Grab your pens, pencils and paper, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum is giving you a lesson in drawing cartoons. Hannah Sandvold, will lead you through a delightful cartooning experience inspired by images from the Wisconsin Veterans Museum collection. Gather your supplies, pour yourself a beverage, and bring your artistic energy as we spend the evening together stretching our creative muscles. This event is free of charge and open to anyone who registers. REGISTER HERE
Join us Tuesday, September 15th for Trivia Night and test your historical knowledge. Sign up as individuals or as a team and go head to head with other players from around the state. This free event will be based on 4 rounds of trivia, with each round focusing on topics associated with Wisconsin military history, to include: history, pop culture, names and places, events, and fun facts. For this virtual trivia night, you will need to download the Kahoot! app. This app will allow for the multiple choice questions we will use during each round. Simply log onto Kahoot! the night of the event and we will provide the access code. There is nothing to download and it's easy to use. Lots of fun will be had by all and prizes are given to the top 3 players/teams. This event is an educational component of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and is made possible by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation. REGISTER
Join Wisconsin Veterans Museum staff Greg Lawson and Mike Olson for an erudite discussion about the evolution of military toys in the American childhood from the tin soldiers of the 19th Century to the video games of the present. How military toys have affected the play of children, and how the play of children has affected the toys available. This event is sponsored by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation. REGISTER
Grab some popcorn and a seat in your favorite chair, and join us for a Movie Night and Virtual Discussion with the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Staff. While we can’t all be together, we can share discussion on major motion pictures that deal with the hardships, humor, and horrors of combat. For our fourth virtual discussion, we will look at the 1998 film Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Vin Diesel, and Tom Sizemore. In this fictional account of a Ranger unit sent behind enemy lines to locate a soldier, the humanity and perilous nature of war is brought into full view. This movie also includes one of the most accurate and realistic recreations of the D-Day landings captured on film. This event may not be suitable for younger audiences as this film contains graphic war violence, language, and is of a mature subject matter. Your mission is to watch the movie, which is available from most libraries or on streaming services, while thinking about the discussion questions we will provide you. On September 25th, at 7:00 pm we’ll all meet via Zoom for a discussion led by museum staff. We will cover themes such as conflict, politics, pop culture, the military, and movie-making. After you register, we will email you the discussion questions and a link to join the virtual discussion via Zoom. This event is free and open to the public. REGISTER Sponsored by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation
Join the Archives Department at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and find out how WVM can help you learn more about the veterans in your family tree. This is a free virtual panel discussion presented by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation via Zoom. REGISTER
The world is turned upside down so let's draw it that way! Drawing upside-down is an easy exercise to help you develop your ability to recognize shapes and lines in a picture. Here’s your opportunity to be an “artist-in- residence” at our virtual Drink and Draw. We will lead you through a delightful drawing experience inspired by images from the Wisconsin Veterans Museum collection. Gather your supplies, pour yourself a beverage, and bring your artistic energy as we spend the evening together stretching our creative muscles. This event is free of charge and open to anyone who registers. We will send you a link to join the event after you register. REGISTER
CEMETERY TOURS GO 360 THIS YEAR Because we want to keep everyone safe and healthy during the pandemic, we will not be presenting in-person cemetery tours this year. While we agree that this change is a disappointment, the museum staff will present Talking Spirits Cemetery Tours: Myths and Realities through a 360-degree virtual tour of Forest Hill Cemetery on Madison’s near west side. Click here to take the tour. All you need to view the tour is internet access, and a computer, tablet, or smart phone; no special applications are required. You can view the tour at any time and as many times as you like. Access is free.
