From: "Seymour, Janet I - WHS" <Janet.Seymour@wisconsinhistory.org> Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 15:41:33 -0600 Subject: FW: New exhibit opening at the Chippewa Valley Museum in Eau Claire Message-ID: <C87EFD3A05470540AF76FF1E0FFEAB6B05DB80F9DB@MEWMAD0P1700.accounts.wistate.us>
________________________________
From: Elizabeth Reuter [l.reuter@cvmuseum.com]
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2014 10:53 AM
To: Seymour, Janet I - WHS
Subject: new exhibit release to share with listserve
New Major Exhibit Opens at the Chippewa Valley Museum
EAU CLAIRE – The Chippewa Valley Museum in Eau Claire’s Carson Park is
opening a new major exhibit, called Changing Currents: Reinventing the Chip
pewa Valley, on Sunday, December 7, 2014.
Imagine yourself on a river through time, stopping off at specific moments
in history where different historical currents intersected, and where diffe
rent people interacted. At each stopping place on your journey, explore the
events and meet the people who changed the course of Chippewa Valley histo
ry.
Covering more than 350 years of Chippewa Valley history, Changing Currents
brings visitors face to face with all sorts of interesting people from the
past and present, among them fur trader Jean Baptiste Perrault, lumberjack
Even Ivorson, KKK-fighting German-Catholic priest Peter Minwegen, and Hmong
refugee and craftswoman Mai Xee Xiong. “The exhibit shows that our commu
nities have always been changing and developing as new people arrive,” ex
plained Curator Carrie Ronnander.
The exhibit is full of fun activities, too. Visitors can step inside an Oji
bwe wigwam, pull the whistle on a mock steamship, and walk through the sque
aky door of a 1950s vacation cabin. Rich in historical artifacts from the r
egion, visitors can also come face to face with a birch bark canoe, a big l
umber mill saw, a Model A on its way to the north woods, and London Square
Mall’s iconic “Little Ben” clock tower.
By introducing visitors to real historical Chippewa Valley people and setti
ng them in colorful historic scenes, the exhibit opens up local history to
everyone. “We hope to show that history is not just made somewhere else,
but is made every day right here in the Chippewa Valley,” said Ronnander.
The Grand Opening will take place Sunday, December 7, from 1pm to 5pm, and
will feature a wide range of additional activities included with regular ad
mission. Visitors can sing steamboat songs and learn lumberjack lingo. They
can meet voyageur re-enactors, wool spinners, an Ojibwe artist and trapper
, Hmong textile artists, and a skilled fly fisherman who will demonstrate f
ly tying. Museum staff researched the stories of real Chippewa Valleyans fo
r the exhibit, and visitors will also be able to learn more about conductin
g similar family history research.
“Changing Currents has been a big project, but it has been a lot of fun t
o work on for both staff and volunteers over the past nine years,” said R
onnander. “We are excited to share it with our community.”
The Chippewa Valley Museum is a regional history museum located in Eau Clai
re’s scenic Carson Park. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 1
to 5 pm, with late hours Tuesday evenings until 8 pm, and early hours star
ting at 10 am on Saturdays. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children
ages 5-17. Museum members and children under 5 are free. Admission is alway
s free Tuesday evenings from 5 to 8 pm. Visit www.cvmuseum.com<http://www.c
vmuseum.com> for more information.
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0]
Changing Currents: Reinventing the Chippewa Valley has been made possible i
n part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exp
loring the human endeavor. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendati
ons expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the
National Endowment for the Humanities.
This project was also made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and
Library Services (IMLS), grant number MA-04-12-0089. The IMLS is the primar
y source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000
museums. Our mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innova
tion, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Our grant makin
g, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valu
able services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thri
ve. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov<http://www.imls.gov> and follow IMLS
on Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/USIMLS> and Twitter<http://www.twitter
.com/us_imls>.
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