This German Bible, as well as other German books and artifacts, will be on display at UW-Stevens Point’s Edna Carlsten Art Gallery as part of this fall’s “Coming to a New Homeland” series of events focused on German immigration. (Contributed)

Events to feature German immigration experience during WWI

September 6, 2018

For the Metro Wire

The German immigration experience in America during the 19th century leading up to World War I will be examined through a series of events at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point this fall.

“Coming to a New Homeland: German Migration and the American Midwest” begins Monday, Sept. 10, with an exhibit in the Edna Carlsten Art Gallery of the Noel Fine Arts Center. It continues through Oct. 21.

An opening event features performances of German folk songs by voice students from the Aber Suzuki Center and traditional German folk dances by Danz Gruppe (Pommerscher Verein Central Wisconsin). It is set for 5 to 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 13, in the Noel Fine Arts Center Courtyard.

Other events, all free and open to the public, include:

-Saturday, Sept. 15, 2 to 4 p.m., Edna Carlsten Art Gallery: Workshop on old family documents and genealogy. Learn about your family ancestry and how to care for old documents.
-Thursday, Sept. 20, 6 to 8 p.m., NFAC 221: “The Migration of Peoples and the Invention of European Ethnicity,” by Stephan Carey of the University of Minnesota-Morris.
-Tuesday, Sept. 25, 6 to 8 p.m., NFAC 221: “Immigration and Religious Freedom in America,” a discussion with participants from various religious backgrounds.
-Thursday, Oct. 4, 6 to 8 p.m., NFAC 221: “Reformation, Radicals, and their Refuge in the United States” by Brian Hale of UW-Stevens Point History faculty.
-Monday, Oct. 8, 6 to 8 p.m., Dreyfus University Center Laird Room: “The Impact of Migration on Germany and the EU,” by Herbert Quelle, German Consulate General.
-Thursday, Oct. 11, 6 to 8 p.m., Edna Carlsten Art Gallery: Book launch of “Foreign Born,” with Ross Tangedal of UW-Stevens Point English faculty.
-Tuesday, Oct. 16, 6 to 8 p.m., NFAC 221: “Anti-German Sentiment in Stevens Point and in Wisconsin Pre-World War I,” by Tim Siebert of the Portage County Historical Society.
-Saturday, Oct. 20, 10 a.m. to noon, Edna Carlsten Art Gallery: Workshop, Making Frömmelsterne, German Christmas ornaments. The Carlsten Art Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, 7 to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 1-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

For more information on “Coming to a New Homeland” contact the UW-Stevens Point Department of World Languages and Literatures at 715-346-3036.