Happy New Year!

January is almost half way over, but this is the first newsletter of 2023. It's also the first newsletter since Wisconsin Logging Museum officially became a part of the Chippewa Valley Museum family. There are little changes happening everywhere. Great things are ahead, with some just around the corner.

Collecting the Valley:

All Aboard
Tuesday, January 17, 6:30 - 7:30

Twelve volunteers put in more than 800 hours researching and designing a model train layout to look like downtown Eau Claire in 1933. Put this program on your calendar. You will learn about downtown Eau Claire in the 1930s, the history of railroads in Eau Claire, and the process of making a model railway layout. 

Cost for program only: $10. Preregistration required.

This is the final program in Collecting the Valley Series Four. You can still register for the full series which includes access to previous recordings. All presentations are hybrid and start at 6:30 pm. Advance registration is required and available through cvmuseum.com. Member rate is $15 for all three programs or $10 for single programs.

• January 17, All Aboard with volunteers who designed the 1933 Eau Claire model railway layout at the museum. 
• Recorded program, Rosenkrans Magazine: The Truth As We See It with Archivist Jodi Kiffmeyer
• Recording program, Living in Eau Claire in 1872 with Director Carrie Ronnander.

• Full Series $25, includes access to post-presentation recordings 
• Full Series CVM Member $15, includes recording 
• Individual Presentation $10. Must attend live event either in-person or via -- no recording link.

Aerial view of downtown Eau Claire, 1937

New Exhibit Opening January 24

The 2023 Winter Art Exhibit features 3D wall-mounted art and sculptures made by eleven local artists. Dimensions & Discovery: Exploring 3-D with EMPTY WALLS ART runs January 24 - April 8.

Don Gaber • Aubrey Hogan • Ray Kaselau • Jeff Nelson • Karen Scarseth • Christy Skuban • Scott Von Holzen  • Tim Brudnicki • Kate Mclean • Terry Meyer • Kelsey Wenberg

Meet the Artists!
Artist Reception, Tuesday, January 31, 6:00 - 7:30

See the exhibit and meet the artists. Guest Curator Christy Skuban will offer a brief reflection about the show and share information about upcoming art show programming. Preregistration is encouraged but walk-ins are welcome.

CVM Members: Free | General: $10 | Senior: $8 | Youth/Student: $5

In the event of weather related closure the reception will be rescheduled for February. 7th.

New Roof for Barn

The new year also starts with a new roof for the Paul Bunyan Logging Camp barn, built in 1947. The work is being completed by log structure specialist Zoellick Home Repair and Log Staining out of Hillsboro, Wisconsin.  A gift from the Eau Claire Communication Foundation, donations to the Wisconsin Logging Museum and earnings from the US Open Chainsaw Sculpture Championship made this work possible.

New Publication

Rest in Nature: A Guide to Eau Claire's Forest Hill Cemetery

The final new thing -- a book published by Chippewa Valley Museum Press: Rest In Nature: A Guide to Eau Claire’s Forest Hill Cemetery, co-authored by Robert J. Gough and Gregory Kocken. With maps, short historical essays, and 84 biographies, Rest in Nature is an absolute must-have. It is currently available for $15 at the Chippewa Valley Museum with future plans to sell at The Local Store. 

Mid-winter is settling in. For some outdoor fun, stop in at the Chippewa Valley Museum and check out a pair of snowshoes, provided courtesy of Visit Eau Claire. 

Peace,
Carrie Ronnander
Executive Director, Chippewa Valley Museum

PS -- I started the newsletter with a comment about changes. The most important change for members is that your membership now includes both museum sites. This is true for members of Wisconsin Logging Museum AND Chippewa Valley Museum. The Wisconsin Logging Museum is closed for the season, but when it opens, museum members will have free admission to everything on the museum campus.

What does the Carson Park campus include? It's quite a list.

• Anderson Log House, 1867

• Sunnyview School House, 1882, owned by City of Eau Claire but operated by Chippewa Valley Museum

• Paul Bunyan Logging Camp:

  • Bunkhouse and Cook Shanty, 1933

  • Blacksmith Shop. 1947

  • Barn, 1947

• Chippewa Valley Museum, 1974

• Wisconsin Logging Museum Machine Shed Exhibit Hall, 1982

• Wisconsin Logging Museum Interpretive Center, 1988

Multiple short-term exhibits rotate through the Chippewa Valley Museum's Ayres Associates Gallery every year. Membership means you can pop in anytime to see one of these exhibits. The short-term exhibit schedule for 2023 includes:

• Dimensions & Discovery: Exploring 3D with Empty Walls Art, January 24 – April 8, 

• ¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and in the Big Leagues traveling exhibit, April 29 – July 23

• Playball! In Eau Claire, May 15 - December 31

• Playball! in the Chippewa Valley, August - December 31

For those with children, the $180 Triple Play membership includes a household membership to Chippewa Valley Museum, Beaver Creek, and Children's Museum of Eau Claire. The new Children's Museum is quite spectacular, and Beaver Creek Reserve has year-round activities for families. 

Members are the lifeblood of the organization. You make it possible to develop new exhibits, offer programs, preserve local history, and connect people to Eau Claire and the Chippewa Valley. Without you, there is no Chippewa Valley Museum or Paul Bunyan Logging Camp or Wisconsin Logging Museum.

Thank you. And if you aren't a member, this is the time to become one.