Media Release March 2024

Books to Read      Earth Day      Big Sale    Meet General Meade         New Exhibit

 Eau Claire, Wisconsin—April is bringing spring showers and lots of program hours to the Chippewa Valley Museum.

Tuesday April 2,  6:30 - 7:30p. Wisconsin for Kennedy, A Reading, Conversation, and Book Release Event with B.J. Hollars.

Ever wonder about which Wisconsinites answered the call to build a more equitable future during J.F.K.s presidential campaign? B.J. Hollars will read from his new book, as well as invite conversation from those in attendance, as he presents Wisconsin for Kennedy. Discover behind-the-scenes stories of regular, everyday people from Wisconsin who were part of a political campaign that changed the course of history. With generous support from CVM members and additional donations, museum admission is waived for this event, and the purchase of Wisconsin for Kennedy at this event will further support the museum. Advance tickets and additional information can be found in the museum’s online calendar at cvmuseum.com.

About Wisconsin for Kennedy: In early 1960, presidential candidate John F. Kennedy faced an uncertain path to the Oval Office. So he did something no winning candidate had done before: he leveraged the power of state primaries, appealing directly to the people to help clinch his party’s nomination. Before JFK could win the White House, he had to win Wisconsin. Wisconsin for Kennedy shares the history-making story of the 1960 Wisconsin primary, and how Kennedy’s nail-biting win in that hotly contested race propelled him all the way to the presidency.

B.J. Hollars is the author of several books, most recently Go West Young Man: A Father and Son Rediscover America on the Oregon Trail and Year of Plenty: A Family’s Season of Grief forthcoming this spring.

Tue. April 9,  6:30p. “The Controversial Major General George Meade” presented by Colonel (Ret) Gary Carlberg.
Hear from the Union General who became known as the, “da_ned old goggle-eyed snapping turtle”, as Colonel (Ret) Gary Carlberg presents as storyteller, and in character, the story of General George Meade. From Meade’s younger years at West Point, to his achievements in command of the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War, the audience will experience an immersive retelling of events. Hear about gossip like fake news about his desire to retreat and to what happened with the “Peach Tree” incident. The program will conclude with an audience vote on whether the audience chooses to keep or fire Meade.

Reserve your FREE tickets in advance to guarantee a seat for this program. Find additional details and tickets through the calendar at cvmuseum.com. This program is made possible with ongoing financial support from Eau Claire County.

April 9-May 25. New Exhibit: Working America.
Chippewa Valley Museums is hosting a traveling photography exhibition, Working America, from April 9 – May 25, 2024. Artist Sam Comen presents American immigrants and first-generation Americans at work in the small, skilled trades as icons of the American experience. The subjects share stories of economic independence and struggle, belonging and exclusion, faith and fear, and service to both community and family.

A variety of themes are explored in the portraits and accompanying interviews, including the dignity of work, inequity among immigrant nationalities, the political relevance of labor migrants, the intergenerational legacies of inherited skills, and the learning of new skills to adapt to the new land of opportunity; and the relationship between a nation’s identity and the identities of the individuals who comprise that nation.

This body of work has particular relevance today in a political landscape where anti-immigrant and pro-worker sentiments figure prominently. Comen has revisited some of his portrait subjects more recently, to update their stories in the extraordinary context of the global pandemic and subsequently devastating economic hardship, adding new dimensions and timeliness to the project.

Working America is a meditation on American belonging and American becoming, it poetically acknowledges the lives and contributions of working men and women make as a part of our country and our collective experience.

This exhibit is included with museum admission.

Saturday April 13th, 2:30-3:30p: John Muetz of Beaver Creek Reserve presents “Changes in the Land” at Chippewa Valley Museum.
Human beings impact the landscape – Enjoy learning how the Wisconsin landscape has changed throughout history and the impact that people have had on the environment. As we approach the commemoration of Earth Day, Beaver Creek Reserve and Chippewa Valley Museums have come together to host this eco-friendly program. Register in advance through Beaver Creek Reserve online. Registration includes access to Chippewa Valley Museum exhibits following the program. General admission is $8. Triple Play members can register for FREE through the online calendar at beavercreekreserve.org (events → calendar) as part of this special program partnership. 

April 18-20. Museum Thrift and Surplus Sale. 
Mark your calendars for the granddaddy of all thrift sales. What you will find: past exhibit photos, surplus office furnishings and shop equipment, duplicate historic photographs and books, and all kinds of non-artifact things found in museum buildings.  What you will not find: any artifacts from the museum’s collection. This sale will include a special collection of autographed, sports memorabilia and books, signed by local authors, given to the museum to sell as a fundraiser. Chippewa Valley Museum members will have a special access on Thursday from 5-8p. The general public can stop in 10a-4p Friday and Saturday from 10a-4p. Don’t miss “Sell It all” Sunday from 10a-1p.

The Adventures in History Book Club Monthly Meetings
The Adventures in History Book Club meets at 6:30p the second Tuesday of every month, excluding December, at the Chippewa Valley Museum. The book club is open to everyone with no advance registration required.

Isa Small, Programming and Communications Services Manager for the LE Phillips Public Memorial Library, emphasized the importance of our local book clubs: “While the library encourages literacy and reading in all shapes and forms, book clubs are especially important as they allow folks to connect through literature and shared interests.”

Upcoming books are:
April 9 – American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Joseph Elllis;
May 14 – Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship by Robert Kurson;
and June 11: The Husband Hunters: American Heiresses Who Married into the British Aristocracy by Anne de Courcy. The books may be borrowed from LE Phillips Public Memorial Library or you can purchase your own.

For more information about this program, contact Angela at a.allred@cvmuseum.com.

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For more information contact Diana Peterson at d.peterson@cvmuseum.com | (715) 834-7871.