University of Wisconsin - Extension

Wisconsin''s leading arts and culture Web site, Portalwisconsin.org ( http://www.portalwisconsin.org ), celebrated the second anniversary of its launch Jan. 14.

A nonprofit project of the Cultural Coalition of Wisconsin, the site has become the premier online resource for information about the state''s rich arts, culture, humanities and history.

More than 30,000 Internet users visit the Web site each month. The site includes a statewide events calendar, feature stories, cultural news, discussion forums, virtual tours and much more.

More than 500 cultural groups around the statesuch as museums, libraries, theaters and music groupsparticipate in the site by posting their events on Portalwisconsin.org. The site is available to them as a free public service, and it helps them connect with thousands of "culture vultures" who visit the site each month.

One such cultural entity participating in Portalwisconsin.org is Wausau''s Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. Says Marcia Theel, the museum''''s associate director and public relations coordinator, "Portalwisconsin.org is an example of the Internet at its best. It has helped us get the Woodson''s word out and provides exemplary service to so many entities throughout Wisconsin."

The site also features an online gallery that currently showcases the work of more then 100 contemporary artists from around the state. Work runs the gamut from painting and photography to ceramics and fine art furniture. The gallery is juried by a panel of respected curators, artists and art educators.

Wisconsin artists may apply to the gallery free of charge; there is also no cost to display their artwork if they are selected by the panel.

A special area of the site is designed just for Wisconsin teachers. Through Portalwisconsin.org''s partnership with the IDEAS Web site hosted by UW-Extension ( http://ideas.wisconsin.edu/ ), teachers can search for Web-based curriculum resources in a variety of subjects, such as literature, music, theater and history. Hundreds of resources are available, and all have been rated by their fellow Wisconsin educators and linked to the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards.

The site, through funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), serves as a national model for public broadcasting stations across the country that are interested in creating Web portals for the arts and culture in their own states.

Portalwisconsin.org''s organizers can provide resources and technical assistance so that other states can replicate the site.

Portalwisconsin.org is a project of the Cultural Coalition of Wisconsin, which is made up of seven statewide partners: Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters; Wisconsin Arts Board; Wisconsin Historical Society; Wisconsin Humanities Council; Wisconsin Public Radio; Wisconsin Public Television; and University of Wisconsin Extension-Continuing Education.

In addition to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Endowment for the Arts and University of Wisconsin-Extension have provided funding for the site.