November 7, 2019
GOV. TONY EVERS, WISCONSIN VETERANS MUSEUM UNVEIL
‘I AM NOT INVISIBLE’ EXHIBIT HIGHLIGHTING WOMEN VETERANS
MADISON, Wis. – On Thursday, November 7th, The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs’ (WDVA) Wisconsin Veterans Museum and Gov. Tony Evers today unveiled a unique educational exhibit highlighting the military service of dozens of Wisconsin women veterans.
The “I Am Not Invisible” (IANI) exhibit, featuring 32 banners measuring 6-feet tall with portraits of Wisconsin women veterans, was unveiled during a formal ceremony at the Wisconsin State Capitol.
“Women military veterans deserve equal recognition for the bravery and sacrifice they have demonstrated in their service to our country,” Gov. Evers said. “This exhibit not only showcases the diversity in Wisconsin’s women veterans, but it also highlights the unique stories many of them experienced in the military and afterward.”
There are about 30,000 women veterans living in Wisconsin, or about 12 percent of the state’s veteran population. With the new exhibit, Wisconsin becomes the latest state to participate in the IANI project, which was initiated by the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs in February 2017 as a way to increase awareness and dialogue about women veterans. Since then, the project has grown to include nine states and 14 cities.
“Women are the fastest-growing group of military veterans in our country,” WDVA Secretary Mary Kolar said. “Despite that, women veterans still face some significant barriers and challenges. By spotlighting the faces of this diverse segment of Wisconsin’s veterans’ community, we continue an important conversation about their contributions to our country, as well as some of the challenges they may face.”
Wisconsin’s IANI exhibit is a result of a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Center for Women Veterans and the WDVA’s Women Veterans Program.
“There could not be a more appropriate location for us to unveil and have this exhibit on display than at the Wisconsin State Capitol,” Gov. Evers said. “With a motto of, ‘Forward,’ Wisconsin has a continuous drive to be a national leader, and partnering to create this exhibit is yet another way we stay true to that.”
The interactive exhibit will be on display inside the Capitol’s rotunda through Nov. 15, at which point it will join the Wisconsin Veterans Museum’s collection of traveling exhibits. The wide range of traveling exhibits are available upon request from the museum.
About the Wisconsin Veterans Museum
The Wisconsin Veterans Museum dates to 1901 when it was established as the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall in the Wisconsin Capitol. It is an educational activity of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs and a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate since 2014, one of only three in Wisconsin, which gives it access to the Smithsonian’s unparalleled collections and scholarship. For more on the museum’s exhibits, collections, and events, log on to www.WisVetsMuseum.com.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Karen Burch | WVM Senior Marketing Specialist |608-264-6086 | Karen.Burch@dva.wisconsin.gov
Wisconsin Veterans Museum · 30 West Mifflin Street, Madison, WI 53703