History
Hear, Here
Help expand Hear, Here in Fall 2026!
Hear, Here is offering a new public class with a special focus on queer stories. Join us in expanding UWL's award-winning community oral history project.
"HIS 318: Exhibition Development and Design I" will be offered to both community members and UWL students. Taught by UWL History Professor Ariel Beaujot, the class is 15-weeks long.
Class dates
- Sept. 8 - Dec. 16
Class times: Thursday evenings from 5:30-8:15 p.m.
Location: The Pride Center, and UW La Crosse
Cost to audit
Audit means taking the course not-for-credit. This class is available to audit. Seniors citizens age 60 or older who are Wisconsin residents can audit for free or a minimal fee, depending on materials needed. Other auditors will pay $246 (Wisconsin resident), $324(Minnesota resident) or $1,062 (non-resident) for the three-credit class.
Registration information
Registration information is located in the orange information box on the right of your browser.
What will we do in the class?
The aim of this course is to learn about and tell untold local history of queer people in La Crosse. The classes will listen to stories recorded with La Crosse drag queens and other queer community members. In these recordings we will identify location-based stories, edit stories to 2 minutes or less, and write transcripts for each story. We will then assign each story to a location, mount them on signs in public spaces, and add the stories to our website and brochures. Every student will edit two interviews which may result in multiple stories. It is anticipated the project will include a total of about 30 new stories when it launches in December 2026.
What is Hear, Here?
Hear, Here is based on the concept that everyday people can share their location-based stories, providing a unique way to communicate history through multiple narratives, including voices that are normally overlooked.
The original Hear, Here project was developed by UWL History Professor Ariel Beaujot and her students in 2015. The project provides audio recordings of stories from people of all backgrounds at specific downtown and Northside La Crosse locations. Stories are accessed by dialing a toll-free number at orange street signs.
Since 2015, the Hear, Here project has become international, being replicated in London, Canada (2018); Luxemburg Europe (2022); and Guelph Canada (2023). It includes not only stories from the past but poetry and partnerships with other UWL departments, K-12 education and community organizations. Hear, Here has won four major awards in the U.S. and Canada, as well as a provincial award in Ontario.
“For me the most exciting part is that we get to keep expanding the project worldwide while keeping the original project in La Crosse,” says Beaujot. “We can take pride in such a successful international project originating in La Crosse, Wisconsin.”