During Community Foundation Week week, the Kenosha Community Foundation sponsors one or more public events that promote #GiveLocalKenosha – our effort to inform the public on ways to contribute to the civic, social and cultural betterment of Kenosha County and its residents.
Plans for 2020 Community Foundation Week
To celebrate the week, the Foundation has planned a number of events to take place November 12-18:
A “Courageous Conversation” on building diversity in local government, organized by the Coalition for Dismantling Racism – on November 12.
A virtual performance by the Fleeing Artists Theatre to be performed November 13, 14, and 15 on the Fleeing Artists’ social media platforms.
Sponsorship of the Wisconsin Prints 2 virtual and curbside exhibition of works by printmakers from Wisconsin’s colleges and universities. The exhibition, which runs the month of November, is organized and curated by Anchor Press, Paper, and Print and is supported by a 2020 grant from the Foundation’s CBK Small Grant program. The curbside exhibit will take place at the Walk, Bike or Drive By Gallery, 5603 7th Ave, in Kenosha.
Opening the application period for the second year of the CBK Small Grants Program.
Other announcements and activities to come – stay tuned for details.
Past Community Foundation Week Events
2019 – We once again asked the community to share their views on the priorities, opportunities, and challenges in Kenosha and Kenosha County through the #WhatKenoshaNeeds2019 survey – the survey was designed to help the Foundation identify issues and areas where grant funding may be needed are most.
2018 – Sponsored a free double music event at the Kenosha Creative Space that featured two of our musical passions performed by artists with UW-Parkside (UWP) connections:
2017 – We asked the community to share their ideas with us on how to #GiveLocalKenosha by participating in our Community Assessment Survey – find the results at the #GiveLocalKenosha page on our website.
2016 – Sponsorship of Music at the Kenosha Commission on the Arts’s Annual Arts Recognition Awards ceremony at UW-Parkside’s at Bedford Hall – this included a performance of “Idea Rise” – a composition by Wisconsin-native Zachary Green by members of the Kenosha Kenosha Symphony Orchestra. The Kenosha Community Foundation commissioned “Idea Rise” – watch a video of the Kenosha Symphony ensemble’s performance:
2015 – Kenosha Rising – held in collaboration with UW Extension and the Kenosha Commission on the Arts presented findings of a survey of local artists and analyze economic impacts of the arts with the community and engaged participants on next steps cultural planning.
2014 – Kenosha Creative Conversations – held in collaboration with the Kenosha Commission on the Arts, a community-wide discussion of the present and future of the arts and culture in Kenosha held at Kenosha’s Fusion.
2013 – Kenosha Unconference – held in collaboration with the Kenosha Commission on the Arts, arts enthusiasts gathered together and broke into interest groups to do brainstorming held at Gateway Technical College. Unconference outcomes included: the development of plans for the celebration of Kenosha native Orson Welles’s 100th birthday and the creation of the hashtag #KenoshaArts whose use is to promote/encourage area artists.
Each November 12-18, the Kenosha Community Foundation and the 700 plus other community foundations in the United States mark Community Foundation Week.
Established in 1989 by President George H. W. Bush, the focus of Community Foundation Week is to raise awareness of the increasingly important role of public charities and philanthropic institutions in fostering local collaboration and innovation to address civic and economic challenges.