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Read more about the article Earlene Fuller and the African American Bowling Scene in Milwaukee

Theodore Henderson, Earlene Fuller, Louise Westbrooks, and Taylor Richards wear African-inspired bowling shirts designed and made by Earlene Fuller, Milwaukee, April 1995. Source: Image courtesy of Pauline McCollum

Earlene Fuller and the African American Bowling Scene in Milwaukee

Earlene Fuller designed and made bowling outfits for numerous black and white teams in Milwaukee and elsewhere from 1970 through the mid-1990s. She was a member in two African American bowling organizations — the National Bowling Association and the Milwaukee Bowlers Guild, Inc. — and in the 1990s began incorporating kente cloth and other African-inspired fabric patterns into the shirts she made for her own teams.

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May 27, 2020

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Pulaski / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / Curators' Favorites / Oconto County / Region 2 - North East / 1960-1980 / Polka Rhythms Bandstand

Pulaski – A Polka Town

Pulaski, like some Wisconsin communities, possesses a disproportionate number of polka bands, and some have boasted that the town of 3000 has more bands per capita than even Nashville. The strongly Polish community located just outside of Green Bay is still a thriving locale for the polka tradition.

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May 18, 2020

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / Curators' Favorites / Global Connections / 1840-1860 / 1860-1880 / 1880-1900 / 1900-1920 / 1920-1940 / 1940-1960 / Polka Rhythms Bandstand

Polka’s Popularity in the United States

After World War II, polka made its first mainstream American appearance thanks to Cleveland, Ohio’s celebrated “Polka King,” Slovenian-American Frankie Yankovic. The genre remains popular today, especially with the older crowd in the Midwest.

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May 17, 2020

The Rise and Fall of Shoe Fitting Fluoroscopes

Shoe-fitting fluoroscopes were invented almost simultaneously in the United States and England. Milwaukee quickly became a center of the new technology.

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May 11, 2020

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Ethnicity & Identity / Clothing & Fashion / Related Stories / Curators' Favorites / 1940-1960 / Racine Belles Movie Costume

Gender Norms and The All-American Girls’ Professional Baseball League

Philip Wrigley, the gum manufacturer and owner of the Chicago Cubs, conceived of the All-American Girls' Softball League in 1942 as World War II and its drain on manpower threatened to shut down Major League Baseball. Wrigley's ideas about gender norms helped shape the league, from its strict rules to its uniform policies.

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April 25, 2020

Women in the American Art Pottery Movement

Home Furnishings / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Ethnicity & Identity / Curators' Favorites / 1860-1880 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1880-1900 / Pauline Pottery Covered Jar

Women in the American Art Pottery Movement

Women played a central role in the American Art Pottery movement, both as leaders like Pauline Jacobus and as workers like Lulu Deveraux Dixon.

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April 20, 2020