Art, Sport & Entertainment

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / Curators' Favorites / Global Connections / 1945-1965 / 1965-1987 / 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

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Pulaski / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Object Histories / Ethnicity & Identity / Oconto County / Region 2 - North East / 1965-1987 / Polka Rhythms Bandstand

OBJECT HISTORY: Polka Rhythms Bandstand

This bandstand, used by Chad Przybylski and his band the Polka Rhythms, represents Wisconsin's polka tradition.

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May 10, 2020

Art & Design / Home Furnishings / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Ethnicity & Identity / 1848-1877 / Everyday Life / Global Connections / Transportation & Tourism / Norwegians

OBJECT HISTORY: Norwegian Trunk

In the 1800s, European immigrants coming to America had to find a way to preserve the objects indispensable to their lives, bringing their most precious belongings on an ocean voyage to a far-away new home. Most families were only able to bring…

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April 6, 2020

Art & Design / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Home Furnishings / Object Histories / Lake Koshkonong / Ethnicity & Identity / Everyday Life / Jefferson County / 1877-1900 / Global Connections / Region 7 - South Center / Norwegian Genealogical Plaque

OBJECT HISTORY: Norwegian Genealogical Plaque

Created in 1879, this beautiful plaque features the genealogy of Sara Magelssen's family, including the story of her and her husband's immigration to Wisconsin in the 1860s.

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July 1, 2019

Home Furnishings / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Everyday Life / 1877-1900

OBJECT HISTORY: Graphophone

The graphophone was one of the first ways to record and play sound. And without this invention we would not have things like voicemail, iTunes, or Spotify.

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May 1, 2019

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Grant County / Ellenboro / Industry / Wisconsin Made / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / Transportation & Tourism / Region 6 - South West / Sterling Safety Bicycle

OBJECT HISTORY: The Crab Tree Special

In the 1890s, mass-produced safety bicycles sparked a bicycle craze across Wisconsin. However, despite the lowered costs associated with mass production, not everyone could afford this new luxury. Walter Atkinson of Ellenboro, Wisconsin, was not going to let a $100 price tag deter him from experiencing the liberating power of bicycle transportation. Tapping into the…

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February 10, 2019