As the longtime director of education at the Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum, Matlick has found a wide array of creative ways to build bridges between the past and the present, including an assortment of youth-oriented summer camps that make the region’s history exciting for younger historians.

This summer, three camps - all based around the theme of "Alice in Wonderland" - have been created for inquiring young minds, one per month during summer vacation. From Aug. 16 to Aug. 20, the final summer camp will focus on the importance of play through the ages, turning to games and toys as a conduit through which to learn about communities from different eras.

The July camp, meanwhile, is slated to run from July 19 to July 23, focusing on the historical importance of art in a program that’s being dubbed Queen of "Arts" Camp.

"The goal of all these camps is to help history come to life in an entirely different way," Matlick said. "For kids, I think it’s exciting that we’re not stuck inside a stuffy museum but we’re out exploring the world. And in the case of July’s program, it’s all about going out into our community of artists and realizing what art can say about the history of the city."

Matlick says the initial idea for an art-oriented camp was sparked when it was announced that the museum would be hosting an exhibition of world-class sculptures by Marc Sijan (which runs through Sept. 6) this summer.

Across the various days, the program will touch on pottery, folk art, painting, photography and found object art, alternating between lessons of how the artwork came to be, what these works can teach us about their makers and also allowing children a hands-on experience that helps history to come alive.

"That’s really the object of any museum. What we want is to inspire a passion for history and being hands-on really allows us to go deeper," Matlick said. "Sometimes history is not just about a single fact but about a period of time, or a way of living, and artworks help you to see the bigger picture."

Matlick says that students will get the opportunity to visit with local artists, take part in an array of crafts, activities and games and gain a wider appreciation of the ways that art can shine a light on the ways of the past.

And, who knows: It might not just be the kids who are learning a little something these storied artworks.

"Putting this together, we’ve actually turned our attention back to one piece of found art that is in our collection," Matlick said. "It’s this jug that’s quite a mystery, a jug that’s filled with little knickknacks from coral to silverware and it’s cemented all over the outside. It’s absolutely fascinating, but we have no idea where it came from; that’s part of the fun."

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