A seismic shift is occurring in the manner, method and media by which our nation’s rich cultural legacy is collected, cataloged and made both available and attractive to the public. The archetypical museum with its cavernous marble corridors lined with dimly lit display cases is rapidly being replaced by fully interactive “learning centers” with hands-on activities and appropriately costumed docents aimed at fully engaging the imagination and creativity of visitors. Perhaps inspired by the often misappropriated counsel of George Santanya condemning the future prospects of those who forget their past, those entrusted with preserving our cultural heritage have become markedly aware of their responsibility as profoundly influential termini from which spring the trajectories of our future.
The German-American Cultural Center in the Village of Menomonee Falls is stepping boldly into this new world of “cultural connection.” The Center will not be just another dusty depository of German-American memorabilia, but rather a living, dynamic locus of German-American life and a bridge between the state of Wisconsin and German-speaking Europe (and the nations of eastern where German is the lingua franca of education, business, science, international engagement and culture).
The German-American Cultural Foundation, Inc. recognizes that the Badger State deserves a center for its largest ethnic group (and largest single non-gender population demographic) that is an inclusive, organic, breathing and growing part of the day to day life of Wisconsin’s German-American community.
The Foundation’s focus is Culture and Connection (Unsere Kultur und unsere Verbindungen). We visualize a comprehensive educational center to include both permanent and rotating exhibits of German and German-American cultural artifacts, art, and broader cultural displays; German performance (drama, comedy, music, folklore, children’s); a youth and adult educational center; broadcast and media center; conference and symposia space to encourage economic as well as cultural connections between Wisconsin and German-speaking Europe; athletic facilities suitable for sports-exchange programs; a library and archives for research, an “open air” museum” and much, much more.
The German-American Cultural Center in the Village of Menomonee Falls is stepping boldly into this new world of “cultural connection.” The Center will not be just another dusty depository of German-American memorabilia, but rather a living, dynamic locus of German-American life and a bridge between the state of Wisconsin and German-speaking Europe (and the nations of eastern where German is the lingua franca of education, business, science, international engagement and culture).
The German-American Cultural Foundation, Inc. recognizes that the Badger State deserves a center for its largest ethnic group (and largest single non-gender population demographic) that is an inclusive, organic, breathing and growing part of the day to day life of Wisconsin’s German-American community.
The Foundation’s focus is Culture and Connection (Unsere Kultur und unsere Verbindungen). We visualize a comprehensive educational center to include both permanent and rotating exhibits of German and German-American cultural artifacts, art, and broader cultural displays; German performance (drama, comedy, music, folklore, children’s); a youth and adult educational center; broadcast and media center; conference and symposia space to encourage economic as well as cultural connections between Wisconsin and German-speaking Europe; athletic facilities suitable for sports-exchange programs; a library and archives for research, an “open air” museum” and much, much more.
