Students (local, regional, national and international) arrived in Milwaukee in early June, spent five intensive weeks measuring homes and businesses, conducting oral histories with new and long-term residents and producing documentaries based on their fieldwork. It’s the first of a three-year program exploring the neighborhood of Washington Park. Consider this project as a beginning of a conversation. More precisely, a three-year long conversation exploring enduring values, themes, dreams and practices that capture the spirit of the Washington Park neighborhood. This conversation will involve local residents, businesses, organizations, community scholars, students and faculty and engage them in a collaborative dialog.