Arthur Kohl-Riggs watches the sunset and practices handstands on an oak tree in this double exposure photograph on Nov. 12, 2024, at James Madison Park in Madison, Wis. Kohl-Riggs has lived an eclectic life that includes running in the 2012 Republican gubernatorial primary as a protest candidate against Scott Walker. (Joe Timmerman / Wisconsin Watch)
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Today we’re launching Public Square, an occasional photography series introducing your neighbors from across Wisconsin. 

The project aims to highlight the roles people play in their communities throughout the state. In one story, we might profile residents finding solutions to issues facing their cities and towns. In another, we may share someone’s unique perspective on where they fit into their community. 

Throughout the project, we’ll ask people the same questions and make photographs in a similar style — taking something of an informal visual census of the state. We’ll ask:

  • What do you love about Wisconsin, and what might you want to fix? 
  • What issues do you care about, and how do they impact your life? 
  • Where do you find community, and how do you feel about the future? 

Finally, we’ll ask who else we should talk to and where we should next travel so our project can continue fostering connections across the state. At Wisconsin Watch, we want to do more than tell stories of people facing challenges. We want to share your everyday moments of joy, reflection and curiosity. It’s what makes this state great.

Meet your first neighbor here: Arthur Kohl-Riggs, an optimistic practitioner of handstands who works as a legal investigator and once earned thousands of votes as a protest candidate for governor. 

If you know of anyone in your community who we should feature in this visual project, please email me at jtimmerman@wisconsinwatch.org.

Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup.

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Joe Timmerman is Wisconsin Watch’s staff photojournalist via Report for America. Previously, he interned at the Indianapolis Star, The Texas Tribune and the Cincinnati Enquirer. A native of Loveland, Ohio, Timmerman graduated from Ohio University in 2023 with dual degrees in visual communication and journalism. His work has been recognized by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, the National Press Photographers Foundation, the Ohio News Photographers Association and the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences.