Pat Wisniewski – steel worker and documentary film maker

Two years ago, I wrote about Pat Wisniewski: mother, grandmother, steel worker, and documentary film maker. Patty has been doing the right thing for workers, artists, and the environment for decades. Now is a good time to re-share her story. (Wisniewski is 3rd from left in image above)

Patricia Wisniewski held her camera as she stood among a group of big, burly guys and one woman holding guns at a firing range. The woman asked her, “Do you shoot?”

“My Canon,” Wisniewski replied.

A short time later, the group crowded into a room and Wisniewski stood before them and made her sales pitch. She asked for $80,000 and official sponsorship so she could make a documentary film. The group deliberated. She was nervous. Then a man stood up and said, “I think we should do this.” The group was the Diana chapter of the Izaak Walton League and those words of support launched “Everglades of the North,” a documentary about the Grand Kankakee Marsh. Momentum from that film rolled to “Shifting Sands: On the Path to Sustainability,” about the Indiana Dunes. Read More