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Rural Wisconsin 2035

The twenty-four hour news cycle reports that rural communities are in decline; young people are leaving, infrastructure is aging, and there is uneven access to healthcare and broadband. Policy makers find it difficult to find solutions to these problems when they are trying to meet day to day challenges.

We must envision a successful future before we can achieve it. For this we need imagination. In fact, to quote the title of the new book by Eric Liu and Scott Noppe Brandon, we must have Imagination First. It is only when the vision is clear that we can exchange ideas, experiences, and actions to shape the public policy necessary to achieve the vision.

Join us as we drop the intellectual and data driven filters that tell us what is impossible, and unleash the imagination of creative people to envision what is. Wisconsin's Imagination Conversation will bring together artists, businesspeople, educators, government officials, and other community leaders to imagine what a successful and sustainable rural Wisconsin community looks like in twenty five years. In the process we will build awareness of imagination as a key skill in work and in life.

Wisconsin's Imagination Conversation is one of a series of Imagination Conversations to be held in all 50 states. The Imagination Conversations are a project of the Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education. Wisconsin's Imagination Conversation is hosted by Nicolet College in Rhinelander in partnership with the Wisconsin Arts Board, the Wisconsin School Music Association, and the School of the Arts in Rhinelander.

Date/Time: July 27, 5:00-8:00 p.m., July 28, 8:30 a.m.– 4:00 p.m.

Location: Nicolet Learning Resources Center, Nicolet College, Rhinelander, WI

Host Organizations: Nicolet College, Wisconsin Arts Board, Rhinelander School of the Arts, Wisconsin School Music Association, Northern Arts Council.

Moderators: Elizabeth Burmaster, President, Nicolet College; George Tzougros, Executive Director, Wisconsin Arts Board; Michael George, Executive Director, Wisconsin Center for Music Education; Miranda McClenaghan, Director, School of the Arts at Rhinelander.

Registration: $50 per person.

The Conversation Format: The program will feature three rural stories of innovation in creating sustainable communities in Wisconsin by the individuals whose imagination met with opportunity. These are real stories of existing innovation and success. Participants will then convene between each real story in "story circles" to imagine what a sustainable and successful rural Wisconsin community will look like in the future. Each story circle will share their "imaginary" community with the large group to ask the question—"Why not?" Wisconsin authors will write a culminating essay or short story to capture the essence and spirit of the story circles