This collection of stories from people sharing their “Wisconsin Life” includes the story of Tia Richardson, a Milwaukee artist who focuses on community-centric artwork. Her latest project involves painting a mural at Black Cat Alley, a street art destination on the east side of Milwaukee.
Then Wisconsin Life travels to Prairie du Sac to meet Philippe Coquard, a native Frenchman who was hired to bring his family’s French winemaking techniques to Wisconsin. Coquard arrived in 1984, and his work ethic and winemaking abilities quickly caught the attention of Bob Wollersheim and his daughter Julie, who later became Coquard’s wife. Three decades later, the Frenchman is helping run one of Wisconsin’s leading wineries.
Next, it’s over to Rosendale to meet Joel Schultz, a grandfather who began filming his grandson Ben’s basketball games in middle school to preserve the memories. After capturing a game-winning shot from a player on an opposing team, Schultz sent the video to the player’s parents who couldn’t attend the game. The gratitude he received motivated Schultz to film the rest of Ben’s basketball games until he graduated from Laconia High School. Not even a dramatic health crisis and lasting condition has prevented him from filming every game for his grandson.
Finally, Wisconsin Life heads to the St. Croix River in Interstate Park to meet Dave Beck, a UW Stout design professor who loves the St. Croix River area. Beck also loves history – and is an artist with a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin. All of his loves came together when Beck created a computer game based on history that allows players to explore the St. Croix region.
