I wrote earlier this year about photographer Alec Soth. As occasionally happens I was alerted to new Alec Soth news by someone asking me if I'm related. I am, distantly.

The question arose from a colleague who'd seen a profile of Soth on the Newshour. It's a well done piece adapted from stories done by Twin Cities Public Television and showing Soth as he prepares for a major exhibit of his work at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.

I was in my home state of Minnesota and had the chance to see the exhibit. The photography was fascinating. But I've never gotten a sense of Alec's own personality through his work, so I enjoyed this story to get a better sense of my distant cousin/artist. And I was happy to see him sporting a Twins cap.

After being on hiatus for the month of December... "In Wisconsin" returns tonight at 7:30p right after Wisconsin Foodie.

One of the highlights - the Middleton High School Marching Band's performance in London's New Years Day Parade. More than a half-million spectators on the ground and a worldwide audience. It took a little bit of juggling for us to get the video recorded off a satellite starting at 5:30 a.m. New Year's Day. We hope you enjoy it.

Liz Koerner delivers an all new report as she visits two Manitowoc artists for a look at studio-portrait postcards. They represent a time when few people had cameras. Discover how a current revival of the art merges old with new as people enjoy the fun of being photographed in outlandish dress or by not dressing at all.

In Wisconsin Reporter Frederica Freyberg looks at how local businesses are navigating Chinese business etiquette. Be warned leave the Packers hat at home. Discover why this is an insult in China. And we'll visit a eco-friendly dairy farm near Waterloo.. where nothing is wasted. In Wisconsin Reporter Art Hackett visits the Crave Brother's farm near Waterloo for a look at value-added agriculture

The newsmagazine airs 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6 on WPT and is available in high definition. WPT will broadcast an encore of the program at 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9. The program also will air at 11:30 a.m. on Milwaukee's MPTV and on WDSE-TV in Duluth at 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9.

I can't help thinking about change this time of year when the leaves are turning colors and falling down like rain. There's another change coming to the WPT family and those who follow our work on television. In about a month we'll be saying goodbye to our long time friend and colleague Art Hackett--retirement rears its ugly head.

His office is next to mine so I hear his booming voice and explosive laughter almost every day. He's also just a few steps away every time I have a question about 1) state politics, 2) education history and policy, 3) energy and environmental policy and initiatives, well, you get the idea. There isn't much Art doesn't know or remember. And, he'll gladly drop everything to help. We'll all miss this one-of-a-kind character. And, since he LOVES this work, the question I have is, Can he really can walk away?"

It's not often I have the chance to go 'behind-the-scenes' with creative artists. The feature I'm working on now gave me that chance. Julie Lindemann and John Shimon are photographers in Manitowoc. They're working on a wonderful project that looks back at the photo postcard from a century ago. They're creating contemporary studio portrait photographs that "consider the evolution of the individual and self-presentation from the 20th to 21st century." It's fascinating how similar some aspects are and informative to look at how we, media savvy people, have changed.

The Real Photo Postcard Survey is currently on exhibit through October 2nd at the Portrait Society Gallery in Milwaukee.

A college friend contacted me through Facebook today to ask if a photo feature on the New York Times Web site was by my brother. It's not, the photographer Alec Soth is a more distant relative. But my friend's query did send me to the NY Times site to check out the slideshow.

The subject matter is Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday in New Orleans. Soth's work, while taken from real life, is typically seen on art gallery walls. The Times setting implies a more journalistic approach. But it always fascinates me to see how an artist covers an event differently from a reporter.

For one thing, Soth doesn't even leave his hotel room until after the Mardi Gras party ends, then documents the mess left behind. My personal favorite is a passed out reveler largely out of frame but for stockinged feet that evoked for me the wicked witch crushed by Dorothy's house.

Soth, presumably having stayed up through the night, then captures seemingly repentant early morning churchgoers with the traditional ash mark upon their foreheads.

To what I think of as journalism, or even story telling, the photo series (mixed with a sound track) feels unsatisfying. But as a record of a singular artist's subjective experience I find it no less true. In some ways more so.

Our WPT offices are across the street from the Chazen Museum of Art. There's even a bridge from our building to it. You would think as a former Art History major, I'd get over there more often. But I've just returned and am glad I went.

I went to see "Back in the World" an exhibit of portraits of Vietnam veterans by James Gill. Jim is our WPT staff photographer and the subjects of his exhibit were also videotaped for a documentary project, "Wisconsin Vietnam Stories" coming in the spring of 2010.

Life size and larger photographic portraits are always compelling. And when it's someone you know in the picture --another WPT colleague, Butch Soetenga, a veteran and the videographer for the documentary is in the exhibit--it's almost eerie.

The pictures are also accompanied by excerpts from subject interviews, many of which are haunting.

Tune in to "Here & Now" Friday night for a short tape piece on the exhibit.

At this point in the year I shift gears. I've begun pre-production for our annual special, 'Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte'. This program features the final round of a state-wide music performance competition featuring high-school students backed up by John DeMain and the Madison Symphony Orchestra. The final round is open to the public and held in Overture Hall on January 12 at 7pm. But, before the 4 finalists get to the stage, they must win 2 preliminary rounds of competition. The first round took place November 7 and saw more than 30 students whittled down to only 8. On November 10 that group was cut in half. In the coming weeks I'll give you a behind-the-scenes look at each of these 4 exceptional young musicians.

If you'd like to know more about the competition check out the Madison Symphony Orchestra's web site here.

Ah spelling....Spelllling, speling, spell-ing, spilling, whatever.

I'm working on a report about one of Wisconsin's newest Wild Rivers, the Totagatic. Uh...make that the Totogatic. (Many do) Or is it the Totogetic??? How do you spell that again?

Well, that's part of the report about this watery jewel. Gorgeous place, incredible but man, this river is a spelling abyss.

(attention Wisconsin State Spelling Bee – Here's your next stumper!)

So we're incorporating that "spelling" element into our report. We've called upon our talented graphic designer, Jennifer Hadley, to figure out how to "swim" a current of the many spellings of the Totagatic into a close-up shot of the river's lovely, swirling waters.

This is one of the fun things we get to do on this series, we get to call the graphic designers and request items like this.

"Hey Jen, it's Jo. Can you make these words 'swim' over this shot or in this shot or you know, somehow make them come out of the water, all swirly-like. I need something that says 'swim'?"

"Sure," Jen replied.

I have no idea how exactly this effect will look and that's the enormous fun of it.

Here are the spellings that Jen will "swim". These are spellings that have been to the "Toto", the spelling abyss.

Totagatic

Totogun

Totokitig

Totogatic

Totogitick

Totgetic

Totogatig

Totogetic

Totes

This wonderful list came from a wonderful website about the Totagatic produced by Herbert Wagner. You'll find lots of history and stories.

This report will air in the new year. Stay tuned to see how Jennifer met the "swim" challenge.

For a look at how Jennifer met another graphic challenge, my all-time favorite request of a designer, check out this report with Northwoods author John Bates.

My request of Jennifer?

"I need spring peeper frogs in ice cubes."

She did it, brilliantly.

We're finishing up the edit of the "Wood Wind" report. That's the title of Door County artist Dan Engelke's environmental sculpture that graced the waters of Tennison Bay in Peninsula State Park this past summer. (the sculpture's down now. You wanna see it? You gotta watch In Wisconsin! Next January!)

"Wood Wind" was part of an exhibit sponsored by the Peninsula School of Art in Fish Creek. While we were shooting there in September I noticed that one of the upcoming exhibits focused on the "Day of the Dead", here's the description from the Peninsula School of Art web site:

"The oftentimes moving, yet whimsical, celebration of this traditional Hispanic festival comes to life with meaningful altars festooned with sugar skulls, marigolds and mementos. Remembrance of social heroes, loved ones and even beloved pets is brought forth in the Guenzel Gallery. A sizable community altar welcomes public input."

The exhibit runs from October 2 - November 14. I wanted very much to travel to Door County to view it but it doesn't look like I'll be able to swing it.

Wondering, if you've viewed the exhibit or even added to their "community altar", I'd love to know what you thought of it all or even what you contributed. Got a photo? A story?

Let me know!