Fiscal Year 2013 - Chippewa Valley Museum

SPECIAL SECTION:
YOUR COMPLETE FY13 CVM ANNUAL REPORT
Currents
Betty’s Bequest • 2
Long Live the Story • 3
A Stranger in his
Hometown • 5
AUTUMN 2013 • v40:n1 • FREE TO MEMBERS OF THE CHIPPEWA VALLEY Museum
Thnking, Local • 6
Events Calendar • 7
Annual Report
CVM Board • 8
Volunteers • 9
Education • 10
Administration
& Development • 11
Research &
Development • 12
Exhibits • 15
Programs/Events • 16
CVM Staff • 20
Personnel,
Professional
Development
& Community
Service • 20
Long live the story
The sun sets on two major, long-term, Main Gallery exhibits
Yes, more culture, please! Thanks!
A $150,000 grant will help spread public history and local culture
Unseen and historic Eau Claire
A local boy looks at our city as an outsider — with spectacular results
Glenn Curtis Smoot
Library & Archives • 21
Retail, Rentals &
Private Events • 21
Publications • 22
Marketing & Public
Relations • 22
Curatorial • 23
Balance Sheet • 24
Income • 24
Expenses • 25
FY13: OCTOBER 1, 2012 – SEPTEMBER 30, 2013
Foundation • 26
Data • 27
Betty Rogstad’s Bequest
Remember this news? On February 14, representatives of 10 Eau Claire
non-profits gathered to meet friends of Betty Rogstad, who created an estate
that will have a great impact on these groups and their services to the region.
Just the week before, each organization received a check for $75,000. That
made for quite a day at the Chippewa Valley Museum! (The other Eau Claire
organizations are: Bolton Refuge House, Feed My People, the Free Clinic,
Habitat for Humanity, Interfaith Hospitality Network, L.E. Phillips Senior
Center, Literacy Volunteers, Sacred Heart Hospital and Salvation Army.)
Dragon with
Jeweled Eyes. Artist:
Vincent Petrick. Carved
wood, glass, felt.
Art Lives On
This summer, the Chippewa Valley
Museum joined with the L.E. Phillips
Memorial Public Library for a collaborative exhibition of artworks created by
a number of regional artists from our
past. The valley has a long, rich tradition of fostering the visual arts. As this
exhibition — called And Art Lives On
— demonstrates, many artists who lived
and worked in the Eau Claire area have
contributed to this impressive history.
CVM holds a collection of historical
fine art. And Art Lives On, in the museum’s LE Phillips Memorial Auditorium,
presents works by seven artists from the
mid-19th and early-20th centuries. The
exhibit is currently on display and will
probably remain so all through autumn.
Vincent Frank Petrick (1913-1995),
whose dragon is featured above, made
more than 700 paintings, carvings, and
other artworks. But his work remained
little known until 1995, when Mike
Christopherson, an Eau Claire sculptor,
and his wife Debbie, a photographer,
drove past a display of Vincent’s work on
a pair of intricately carved garage doors
at his log home at Lake Hallie.
2 • Currents
Betty Rogstad taught kindergarten at Longfellow for a very long time. Some
years, she had 33 children in the morning and 33 in the afternoon. You
probably know someone who was her student. She loved chocolate so much
that she and a friend once traveled to Pennsylvania to see the Hershey plant.
Betty Rogstad had been a member of the Museum since 1984. We did not
know of her intent to make the Museum a beneficiary of her will but will do
our best to deserve it. Unless the donor has specified another specific use,
we send bequests to the Museum foundation for investment. As a result, the
donor’s generosity lives on.
In August, CVM received the second and final installment of Betty Rogstad’s
bequest: $29,692 for a total gift of $104,692. What difference could that
make as an endowment? As it happens, in recent planning, we studied the
average amount needed annually for maintenance or replacement of major
equipment. Not a big project. Just the constant effort required to keep up
with wear-and-tear. In the past ten years, those costs had averaged $6,000
per year. A well-invested $100,000 endowment would go a long way towards
meeting those yearly repair-and-replace costs. And, there would always be
source of income to cover such expenses, increasing the stability of the
Museum.
That’s just one possibility. The average return on a $50,000 fund would cover
all the supplies and materials used in taking care of the Museum collections
for a year. Investment of a $10,000 fund could support most of the summer
Kaleidoscope programs.
Have you thought about supporting the Museum with an endowment
gift, either now or as a part of your estate planning? There are a variety of
possibilities, including life memberships and named funds. If you would
like more information about that, please contact me at 715-834-7871 or
[email protected] for more information.
On the cover: A view of the dual entrances to CVM’s two Main Gallery exhibits, 2013.
Long live the story
Two great friends are moving on after more than twenty years, and we welcome a new friend in their place
In late October 1991, 22 years ago,
Paths of the People: The Ojibwe in the
Chippewa Valley opened at CVM after
30 months of planning, design, and
construction. More than 400 people
attended the opening and heard writer
Denise Sweet (White Earth) and musician Frank Montano (Red Cliff). Eugene Begay (Lac Courte Oreilles) and
Ernest St. Germaine (Lac du Flambeau)
conducted a pipe ceremony, explained
in English and conducted in Ojibwe.
A little over 13 months later, early
December 1992, CVM held another
big reception for Settlement and Survival:
Building Towns in the Chippewa Valley,
1850-1925. The Associated Press noted
that the work of CVM staff and volunteers “shines through in great detail.”
Those two exhibits have been the
bedrock of CVM’s interpretive program
for more than two decades now. Almost
500,000 visitors, including more than
115,000 children in school groups have
had the chance to see Paths, awarded
grants by the Wisconsin Humanities
Committee, and Settlement, awarded
grants by the National Endowment for
the Humanities.
But, as solid and lovely as they
are, the exhibits are only platforms to
illuminate history. As our understanding of history improves and our ability
to tell stories advances, the Museum
has a responsibility to the public to
build new bedrock platforms for our
regional story to rest upon. And so,
this November, the sun will set on Paths
and Settlement, and by next year -- as our
members should know by now -- Intersections will be the place under CVM’s
roof where we tell these stories.
Why this change? Often Museum
exhibits, while taking up large themes,
define themselves topically, both
in their physical spaces and logical
structures. This is currently the case
in Paths, which tells the story of the
Ojibwe Indians from their arrival in
the Chippewa Valley in the 1700s on
into the 1990s, and Settlement, which
presents transformations from 1850
to 1925. The savvy visitor knows these
histories overlap, of course. But in
separating them, by space and topic,
we suggest intuitively that these are
separate stories rather than strands
in a single braid. Both exhibits leave
much of the recent past unexplored
even though some Paths content came
to within a few months of the date the
exhibit opened. Through Intersections,
we will place these stories face-to-face,
re-defining the narrative for students of
our history, whether they are weekend
visitors, third graders on field trips, or
web surfers across the globe.
We can honestly say to our members and public that these two major
exhibits, our friends for twenty years,
represented our best efforts at telling
our story than. We hope and trust we
can say the same about the new kid.
Richard St. Germaine, former
tribal chair at Lac Courte Oreilles and
UWEC professor of history, said, “Paths
of the People represents much more
than another exhibit of another Indian
people. It is a national model, a sensitive demonstration of a preservation of
Indian history told from the voices of
the people themselves.”
Writing in the Journal of American
History, Benjamin Filene called Settlement and Survival “poignant,” “broad,”
and “a coherent historical argument,”
which he noted was “a significant
departure” for the Museum from the
work it had done in previous exhibits.
This photograph appears as a photomural in both Paths of the People and Settlement and Survival.
Wisconsin Historical Society, WHi(H43)123.
Fall 2012 • 3
Intersections Campaign
Wisconsin Historical Society
Goal: $851,939. Available to date: $754,652. Needed: $97,287.
Norb and Helen Wurtzel
Dave and Becky Wood
Matching Grants
Thomas and Jill Barland
Richard Ziemann
National Endowment for the
Humanities
Dick Cable and Family
$250-$499
Institute of Museum and Library
Services
Cascade Tissue Group
Susan Bruce
Bertha Chatterson
Mary H. Genz
Amy Alpine and John Grump
Jack and Sally Kaiser
Karen and Dick Hebert
Al and Peggy Jones
Wisconsin Arts Board
Historic Preservation Foundation-Eau
Claire
Jeff and Karen Jones
$5,000-$9,999
Marvin Lansing
Adeline Owen Bequest
Jean Tibbitts
Eau Claire Community Foundation
Xcel Energy
Wisconsin Humanities Council
Sheila and Tom Zahorik
$1,000-$5,000
$500-$999
AnnMarie Foundation
James and Kathleen Bartl
Owen and Janice Ayres
Bill and Amy Benson
Richard and Sara Baer
Thomas and Joyce Bruckner
Laverne and Beverly Ausman
Bill and Mary Kell Cayley
Barb and Bruce Bayley
Duane Dingmann
Bernice Blomquist
Donald L. Ellickson
Jack and Leanne Blume
Don and Jan Etnier
John Bowman
Jeff Halloin
Jeff and Kristen Brown
Daniel and Carolyn Johnson
Sue Patrick and Oscar Chamberlain
$10,000 and Above
L.E. Phillips Family Foundation
Follow us on Facebook!
We put stuff like this there:
John and Jane Lokken
Thomas H. Luepke, DDS
L. Johnson and Terry Marshall
Susan McLeod
Object of the week! This deck of playing cards is a
souvenir of the Chicago World’s Fair: Columbian
Exposition, which was open to the public from May
1 to October 30, 1893, one year after the 400th
anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in
the New World in 1492. More than 27 million
people visited the fair, which featured Beaux-Arts
architecture clad in white stucco, and extensive use
of streetlights that lit the boulevards and buildings at
night, leading to the nickname “The White City”.
One of the major attractions of the fair was the
original Ferris Wheel, which was 264 feet high and
had 36 cars, each holding 60 people.
4 • Currents
Ron Mickel and Jane Pederson
Daniel and Karen Mittag
Joseph and Joy Motto
Dean and Sue Olson
Glenn and Judy St. Arnault
Deb Swan
$100-$249
David and Joan Angell
John and Marsha Arnette
Bertha Chatterson
Floyd and Catherine Davis
William and Lorraine Dresden
Mr. and Mrs. Donald F. Durch
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Etnier
Rolland Freid
Pat and Sue Quinn
Melodie and Larry Glenn
Royal Credit Union
Robert and Deborah Gough
Sam and Alice Retallick
Thomas and Marianna Greenlee
Dave and Sue Rowe
Ruth Harden
John and Tami Satre
Stanley G and Ann Heywood
Peter and Randi Scobie
Jeanette Hubbard
Barb and Marlow Wathke
Ralph and Peggy Hudson
Karen and Kurt Jacobson
A stranger in his hometown
Elizabeth A Jones
Jeff and Karen Jones
Rachel Kaeding
Donald R. Knutson
Evelyn A. Krigsvold
Patrick Kurtenbach
Lasker Jewelers
Sharon Leppert
Mary Ann Lynnes
John and Shyre Mann
Kathleen and Richard Matter
Lawrence F, and Dawn M. Menard
David and Jean Mickelson
Helaine Minkus
Mark and Janet Nelson
Vinay and Angela Nijhawan
James and Margaret Olson
Ralph III and Carolyn Owen
Power2Give Gifts
Kathy Prentice
George and Trudy Reinbacher
Jeanette Scheuermann
Susan and John Schomburg
Tony and Nancy Schuster
Kate Shannon
Photographer Travis Dewitz wanted to see Eau Claire with new eyes.
Now he’s taking us along.
Early in spring of 2013, local
photographer Travis Dewitz set
out to photograph the city of Eau
Claire much in the way he photographs other places across America
– through the eyes and camera lens of
an outsider.
explored neighborhoods off of his
normal routes. The broad range
of represented structures includes
bright and bustling businesses; somber, closed-up commercial buildings;
cheerily painted homes; and dignified historic houses alike.
A selection of images from the
series will be on exhibit at the Chippewa Valley Museum from October
2013 through February of 2014.
Dewitz’s latest work is getting
at a very particular emotional response: “Have you ever been driving
down the road in the city where you
live and saw something that caught
your eye? You think to yourself, Is
that new? I’ve never seen that before. When did that change? ... So I
set out to photograph that feeling.”
Called “Unseen & Historic Eau
Claire,” the photo series beautifully
captures Eau Claire’s built environment — iconic and every day, historic
and contemporary. “I went out with
my camera to capture Eau Claire like
it was my first day there,” explained
Dewitz in a blog post on the photo
series. “I found and photographed as
many unique areas, homes, businesses, and buildings as I could.”
In an effort to present the city
in a new light to its citizens, Dewitz
Images included in the exhibit
will be available for purchase, and a
portion of the proceeds will support
programs and exhibits at the CVM.
Visit www.dewitzphotography.com
to view additional photo projects,
portfolios, and booking information.
Cora R. Shiffer
Birdell and Judy Snudden
Cathy and Michel Sultan
Jane and Mark Tafel
David Tank
Marny and Walter Tibbitts
Barbara A. Tischer
Tom and Pat Tompkins
John and Barbara Vodacek
Johanna and Ronald Warloski
Gladys M. Webb
Ben and Lori Whitis
Carol and Marshall Wick
Anonymous
as of 9/30/13
Fall 2013 • 5
Thinking, Local
CVM Awarded Federal Grant for Community Engagement Project
Wish List
We need to collect a few specific
objects to tell the story well in our new
Intersections exhibit. We’re looking for
a donation or a loan. If you have any
of these objects, or know where we
could find them, please let us know
– Carrie Ronnander, 715-834-7871,
[email protected].
• Gasoline pump – 1920s – 1950s,
the earlier the better. Also, gasoline
memorabilia.
• Luggage, 1930s-1950s
• Treadle sewing machine – for handson use (without a needle)
• Items bought at London Square
Mall, 1970s-80s: LP records, clothes,
electronics from Radio Shack,
makeup, toys, small appliances….
• Souvenirs purchased while vacationing up north, 1920s.
•A 1970s bicycle
6 • Currents
The Institute of Museum and
Library Services (IMLS) recently announced nearly $30,000,000 in grants
to 244 Museums across the nation. The
Chippewa Valley Museum is receiving $150,000 through the Museums
for America program for a project to
enhance the cultural life of Eau Claire
County and create more ways for residents and visitors to engage in it.
IMLS Director Susan Hildreth
presented a workshop and ceremony
on Capitol Hill, on September 18, to
recognize the 2013 Museum winners
and to highlight successful applicants
and awards. The event showcased the
many ways museums support learning
experiences, support their communities, and protect heritage through the
preservation of their collections.
“IMLS recognizes three valuable
roles museums have in their communities: putting the learner at the center,
serving as community anchors, and
serving as stewards of cultural and scientific collections,” said Hildreth. “It is
exciting to see the many ways our newly
announced grants further these important museum roles. I congratulate the
slate of 2013 museum grant recipients
for planning projects that advance innovation in museum practice, lifelong
learning, and community engagement.”
In 2012, the Chippewa Valley
Museum in partnership with other
community organizations produced The
Good Life: A Cultural Direction for Eau
Claire County, a study that focused on
the community’s cultural identity and
made recommendations for its future.
The Museum is now leading an effort
to act on the report’s recommendations, again working with other groups
to increase the visibility of local history
and culture and build a sense of place
tied to the county’s water heritage.
The project, dubbed Thinking, Local, will develop publications, websites,
and new digital programs; create
resources that serve residents and attract visitors; and study issues of access
identified in The Good Life study. Other
partners to date include the Eau Claire
Regional Arts Center, L.E. Phillips
Memorial Public Library, Visit Eau
Claire, Downtown Eau Claire, Inc.,
and Western Dairyland Community
Action Agency.
“The Chippewa Valley Museum
is honored not only to work again
with our community partners for the
benefit of Eau Claire and Eau Claire
County but also to have the support of
the Institute of Museum and Library
Services,” said CVM director Susan
McLeod. “In the
past, IMLS
support has
often made
a significant
difference
in the scope
and level of
CVM’s program,
letting us work at the top of our capabilities.”
IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000
libraries and 17,500 Museums. Its
mission is to inspire libraries and Museums to advance innovation, lifelong
learning, and cultural and civic engagement. IMLS grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and
Museums deliver valuable services that
make it possible for communities and
individuals to thrive.
programs and events
autumn 2013 • chippewa valley Museum • (715) 834-7871 • www.cvMuseum.com
October
1, 8, 15, 22: Tuesday Night Tribal Art Classes, 6:30-7:30 pm.
Tribal artist and Lac Courte Oreilles member Dick Mindykowski returns to share his knowledge of Ojibwe culture
and traditions, during each of these engaging, project-based
sessions. Participants will choose a hand-crafted walking stick
to suit their taste and height and leave with a finished and personalized piece, signed by both themselves and the artist. Cost:
$15 per kid-sized walking stick (4 feet and under) or $25 per
adult-sized (over 4 feet). Advance registration is encouraged,
as there is a limit of 25 projects per session. Enrollment is open
to those 13 and older, or 12 and under with adult supervision.
Families are welcome.
Wednesday, 16: Chippewa Valley Book Festival’s “Lore
and Locality: Where Stories Come From,” 12:00 noon.
Relax with a tasty sandwich accompanied by a selection of
fruits and desserts and listen to Tom Maltman talk about his
book Little Wolves. Maltman’s essays, poetry, and fiction have
been published in many literary journals. Little Wolves, his
second novel, made the January 2013 Indie Next List and is
an Amazon Book of the Month. Call, email or stop by the
L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library’s Reference Desk, 715839-5004, [email protected], to make reservations
by October 11. Reservations are required for lunch, but the
programs is free and requires no reservations.
Saturday, 19: Chippewa Valley Book Festival’s Writing
Workshop for Families and Young Writers, 10:45 am.
Join John Coy, author of many books for young readers and
teens, for a writing workshop at CVM. He is a member of the
NBA Reading All-Star Team as part of the Read to Achieve
program. John has received numerous honors for his work
including a Marion Vannett Ridgway Award, a Bank Street
Best Children’s Book of the Year, and a Notable Social Studies
Book for Young People. A native of Eau Claire, he now lives in
Minneapolis. Free, and registration is not required.
Sunday, 20: Wool Extravaganza, 1-4 pm. Do you enjoy upcycling projects like sewing, felting, rug braiding, or rug hooking?
Join us on October 20th for an afternoon of wool and camaraderie in memory of Nelva Dykema, award-winning wool rug
braider and CVM instructor. We’ll have over 1,200 pounds
of recycled woven wool clothing items (thrift store coats,
trousers, etc.) ready for your next upcycling project for sale at
only $1 per pound. Chat with experienced rug braiders and
rug hookers and find out about social project work groups and
learning opportunities at CVM. Wool sale proceeds benefit
Chippewa Valley Museum programs and exhibits.
Saturday, 26: Pancake Breakfast & Family Fun Day in
conjunction with the 45th Annual Carson Park 5 & 10,
8:30–11:30 am. Join us at the Museum for a family fun day
filled with activities. Start with a pancake breakfast from 8:3011:30 a.m. Activities include a kids’ Boo-gie Run at 10:30 a.m.
and an exhibit scavenger hunt. The whole family can join in a
costume contest at 11:00 a.m., with awards for kids and adults!
There will also be a separate award for best Paul Bunyan lookalike. To register for the kids’ Boo-gie Run, the Carson 5k, or
the Carson 10 mile run/walk, go to www.active.com. Admission to CVM and the Paul Bunyan Logging Camp Museum as
well as kids’ activities are all FREE! Pancake breakfast: $5 for
adults, $3 for kids. Contact Liz Reuter at 715-834-7871.
Monday, 28: Volunteer Recognition & Annual Meeting, seatings at 4:00, 5:15, and 6:30. Call (715) 834-7871 for
reservations.
Tuesday, 29: 8th Annual National History Day Kick-Off
Event, 6-8 pm. Drop in for History Adventures featuring the
NHD 2014 theme, “Rights and Responsibilities in History.”
This year’s keynote speaker will be Sarah Klenz from the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison. Get ideas, free resources
and refreshments, and sign up for many fun door prizes! Start
your research early by touring CVM’s library and archives, and
investigate our History Kit collection, containing over 25 fascinating choices, each overflowing with authentic documents,
artifacts, and visual inventory guides. Admission is free. For
more, conctact Karen Jacobson at 715-834-7871.
November
Monday, 4: De-installation of the CVM exhibits Paths of the
People and Settlement and Survival begins.
Tuesday Night Tribal Art Classes continuing, 5 & 12: 6:307:30 pm. See October listing for details.
Saturday, 9: Dye & Apply Workshop with Dorothy Huse, 10
am – 4 p.m. Join McGown Certified instructor Dorothy Huse,
as she demonstrates wool dyeing methods used for creating
rug-hook art. All participants will get to dye the wool they
will use in an autumn-themed project for the day. Advanced
registration is required, as space is limited to 10 people. Cost
for CVM members is $50, or $55 for non-members. Please
contact Karen Jacobson at 715-834-7871 or k.jacobson@
cvMuseum.com for details or to register.
Thursday, 28: CVM closed for Thanksgiving.
December
Sunday, 8: Holiday Harp Concert, 2-4 pm. A favorite
holiday tradition at the Museum, this concert fills the galleries
with festive holiday music! Serena O’Meara is a well-known
Menomonie harpist and conductor of The Harp Ensemble.
The ensemble presents this music each year as a fundraiser for
the Museum. Enjoy hot cider and cookies in the Ice Cream
Parlor following the concert!
Calendar sponsored in part by
Fall 2012 • 7
Chippewa Valley Museum
FY13 Annual Report
BOARD
MEMBERS
Museum Board
2012-2013
Foundation Board
2012-2013
Dr. Larry Annett, secretary
Stephen Driever
Cooperative Educational Services Agency 10
Administrator, retired
Linda S. Clark
Xcel Energy, retired
Lynn Frank
Mayo Health System, retired
Pieter Graaskamp
Eau Claire Press Company
Karen Hebert, president
Spectrum Insurance Group
Gretchen Hutterli
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Assistant Dean-External Affairs, College of Business
Phil Johnson
Ayres Associates
Al Jones
Jones Financial Consulting, LLC
Caitlin Mai Chong Lee
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist
Ron Mickel, Ph.D.
John Frank
Chippewa Valley Technical College
James Hanke
Xcel Energy
Karen Hebert, president
Spectrum Insurance Group
Al Jones
Jones Financial Consulting, LLC
Donnie Magadance
Peoples Bank
Ron Mickel, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
History Department, emeritus
Dave Pokrandt
Charter Bank
John Satre, secretary/treasurer
Bauman Associates, CPAs
Sue Tietz
McDonough Manufacturing
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
History Department, emeritus
Paul Weinke, vice president
Dave Pokrandt, vice president
Shannon Young
Charter Bank
Shari Radford
The Florian Gardens
Wayne Wille, treasurer
US Bank
Shannon Young
Eau Claire Area School District
8 • Currents
Wells Fargo
Weld, Riley, Prenn & Ricci, Attorneys at Law
Eau Claire Area School District
CVM has a corps of 457 volunteers, and of that number, 203 individuals from middle school
students through adults volunteered 9,966 hours at the Museum in FY13. This service has a
minimum value of $77,780 to CVM.
VOLUNTEERS
We welcomed 77 new volunteers to our ranks this year (36 adults and 41 teens). The volunteer
areas include programs, curatorial, design, education, docents, front desk, ice cream parlor, library,
Museum store, Schlegelmilch gardeners and house tours, special events, craft group and the
workshop. Their contributions benefited the Museum in the following ways:
•92 Visitors Services volunteers (front desk, Museum store, ice cream parlor, school house and
log house) spent 4,672 hours providing assistance to visitors.
•95 volunteers worked 430 hours on their Independence Day holiday to ensure the success of our
Annual 4th of July Family Fair.
•24 docents provided 315 hours of history education and interpretation to school and other tour
groups.
•6 volunteers provided 667 hours in the Education Department.
•21 volunteers spent 328 hours assisting with children’s programs, special events and scheduled
Museum programs. Special projects included our Irish Heritage festival, the Shamrock Shindig.
•10 volunteers worked in the shop 335 hours.
•1 volunteer worked 3.5 hours in our design department. •20 volunteers provided 1,857 hours of service in our curatorial department. Special projects
included working on the Going Deeper and Intersections exhibits.
•8 women in the Thursday Circle Craft Group volunteered 379 hours making a variety of
crafts sold in the Museum Store, and at the group’s Annual Holiday Sale the first weekend of
November at the Schlegelmilch House. Their profit benefited Museum programs.
•8 volunteers helped in the library for a total of 638 hours. Special projects included the
digitization of our photo collection.
•7 volunteers helped with research for a total of 220 hours. Special projects included work on the
Intersections exhibit.
•2 volunteers helped with office support and mailings for 111 hours.
Also this year. Master Gardeners and the troop leader and members of Boy Scout Troop #31
volunteered at the Schlegelmilch House, planning, planting, and maintaining the gardens.
Our 41 new teen volunteers included 10 Teen Guides. Teen Guides provided 859 hours of assistance
in visitor services and program areas as well as our 4th of July Family Fair. All of the teenagers’
energy, enthusiasm and dedication were a huge help to the Museum in the busy summer months
and during the school year as well.
A total of 20 UWEC students volunteered at the Museum this year. Twelve of those students
completed internships in various areas, including the library, curatorial, design, education and
marketing. Two UWEC students finished their service learning requirements at CVM.
Fall 2012 • 9
VOLUNTEERS
(CONTINUED)
Of our volunteers, 35 worked over 100 hours at the Museum this year. Of these generous
individuals 22 volunteered between 100-150 hours; 7 volunteered between 150-200 hours; 6
volunteered between 200-250 hours; 1 volunteered between 250-300 hours; 1 volunteered between
300-350 hours. In addition, 1 very dedicated person volunteered his time and talent for 553.5 hours.
EDUCATION
In FY13, 5,067 learners, preschool through adults, visited CVM in 138 groups. In total, CVM
provided 8,081 hours of education services. CVM docents (Museum teachers) led more than 5,000
of these hours.
ECASD third graders returned for year six of their “Adventures in History” Field Trip experience.
731 students along with 120 teachers and parent chaperones came during March until early April.
Other groups visited throughout the year as follows:
Memorial High School
theater students with
instructor Amber
Dernbach (front row,
right) in a group photo
following their Spoken
Word Performance at
CVM in conjunction
with our Civil Rights
Community Day.
• 1 Preschool group (16 students and 15 chaperones)
• 51 Elementary groups (2,586 students and 359 chaperones)
• 5 High School groups (89 students and 7 chaperones)
• 7 College groups (107 total)
• 20 Multi-age / multi-grade groups (382 students and 112 chaperones)
• 12 Youth groups: Scouts, 4-H, Parks and Rec, and others (227 children and 72 chaperones)
• 2 Summer School groups (76 students and 10 chaperones)
• 4 Childcare Centers (110 children and 16 chaperones)
• 2 Adult groups (55 total)
The education department had six interns this last year:
In Fall 2012, Margaret (Maggie) Krohn and Erin Hauer completed assignments to aid middle and
high school students and teachers participating in National History Day, along with facilitating
learning opportunities for families and children
attending community day events.
In Spring 2013, Heidi Heideman, Craig Ferries,
and Kathleen (Kat) Wendell worked on projects in
conjunction with the traveling exhibition For All the
World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil
Rights.
In Summer 2013, Lauren Anibas assisted with weekly
Kaleidoscope classes for preschoolers and schoolage children and administered our corresponding
Facebook postings for each series.
10 • Currents
Stable sources of community-based income, such as local government support and member contributions are particularly important to CVM. They can be used wherever needed,
unlike most outside funds, which are restricted to particular projects. But, local sources are also
critical to CVM’s ability to compete for outside funding, ensuring the presence of qualified staff and
providing matching funds.
ADMINISTRATION
& DEVELOPMENT
In 2013, our city allocation from the room tax increased 1% to $64,000. County funding remained
stable at $22,250.
Membership income declined this year. The high point was FY08 when income from life and annual memberships rose to $116,433. Although there have been some signs of recovery, our membership income fell to $90,286 in FY13.
CVM produced four fundraising events during the year: a pancake breakfast and family activities
during the Indianhead Track Club’s Halloween run, sales of crafts made by our own Thursday Circle
group, our Fourth of July Family Fair and the Shamrock Shindig. These brought in $25,151 and netted $14,869 for exhibits and programs.
In 2011, we established a major new fundraising event: the Heritage Celebration in September.
Each year we plan to highlight an aspect of regional culture. For 2013, Shamrock Shindig turned
the spotlight on Irish heritage by combining regional immigration history with fun music and
elegant food at The Florian Gardens. Hours of planning and work by the Heritage Celebration
committee — made up this year of Donnie Magadance, Shannon Young, Shari Radford, Gretchen
Hutterli and CVM business manager Dorie Boetcher — made this event possible.
Moving Ahead: CVM creates long range plans in five-year increments, reviewing progress each
year and then revising the entire document. In FY13, we continued to work towards the goals of the
2012-16 Long Range Plan. The plan is comprehensive and sets directions for every area of CVM
operation and programs. Some of the accomplishments:
•For ten years, curatorial volunteers Norma Pire and Kathy Matter have worked on taking a
digital photo of every artifact in the collections. These images are then incorporated into our
collections management database. This long-term project is now 95 percent finished, which
means only recent acquisitions and a few difficult-to-photograph objects remain.
•Preparing for Main Gallery structural improvements and the new long-term exhibit Intersections. Renovating gallery infrastructure can only happen when galleries are empty, which
isn’t often for long-term exhibits. The preliminary research, planning and funding for such
projects take a long time but during FY13, we came closer and closer to construction for this
4,200-square foot project. As the fiscal year ended, Ayres Associates was assisting Museum staff
with bid documents. De-installation of current exhibits will begin in November with demolition and construction to follow.
Total cost for the four-year project is estimated at $850,000 of which $264,000 is expected to
come from operating sources that support the work of Museum staff and contributed services.
We have competed successfully for two major matching grants: $250,000 from the National
Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and $149,784 from the Institute of Museum and Library
Services (IMLS). For the NEH grant, $50,000 required an equal amount of gifts specific to
the project. In FY13, gifts from residents, businesses and foundations completed this goal and
moved beyond. The balance of funds still to be raised for the Main Gallery renovation is about
Fall 2013 • 11
ADMINISTRATION
& DEVELOPMENT
(CONTINUED)
$97,287. You can find out more about Intersections and a list of current donors elsewhere in this
issue of Currents.
•In 2012, CVM and other community groups completed a cultural strategic planning process
that resulted in a report The Good Life: A Cultural Direction for Eau Claire County [www.eauclairegoodlife.com]. In our 2012-2016 Long Range Plan, CVM committed to acting on ideas
from The Good Life in as many ways as possible. To begin, members of the original planning
group (in addition to CVM: the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire, Clear Vision, the Eau Claire
Regional Arts Council and the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library) began to work with
Visit Eau Claire. Our goal: to create a more vibrant cultural life and more ways for residents
and visitors to engage in it. As we began to seek resources for the next steps, Downtown Eau
Claire, Inc., (DECI) and Western Dairyland joined in the process. In September 2013, IMLS
announced a $150,000 grant for Thinking, Local, a three-year project to ...
•Create educational and recreational resources using the theme “water + culture / understand + celebrate,” including a model for a signature festival or series of events with original
programming related to and carried out at key river locations.
•Increase the visibility of local history and culture in regional publications, websites, and
new digital programming, such as programming for mobile devices.
•Study issues of access more deeply so that cultural resources intended for all are actually
available to all.
•The CVM Foundation Board completed its own section of the Long Range Plan. As a first step,
the Foundation committed $100,000 of unrestricted funds from the Betty Rogstad Bequest to an
endowment for maintenance and operations. The intent is to keep Museum facilities and equipment in good operating order and head-off unexpected failures. The main project for this year:
replacement of the Museum server.
RESEARCH &
DEVELOPMENT
Intersections: An Update and a Sneak Peek
This year, CVM staff worked with consulting designer Jeanne Nyre to establish a final design for the
Intersections exhibit. The de-installation of much-loved but aging Paths of the People and Settlement
and Survival will begin on November 1, making way for Intersections.
Rivers define the Chippewa Valley, of course — so Nyre designed the exhibit as a journey down a
winding river. At stops along the way, visitors will meet people from the Chippewa Valley. They
will learn how regional communities formed in response to outside pressures and interactions between different groups. Here’s a sneak peek at one of the nine sections…
Upon entering “Vacationland,” visitors immediately see a 1930 Model A car. Before they can reach
it however, they are stopped by an exhibit case with a visitor-powered electricity activity that helps
visitors think about Winter Dam. Constructed in 1923, the dam was built as part of an effort to
bring electricity to the region, but there were disastrous consequences for the people and village of
Pahquahwong (also known as Old Post for its role in the fur trade). Pahquahwong, the second largest village on the Lac Courte Oreilles reservation, was flooded by the hydro-electric dam despite the
wishes of its residents. A large format photo of Ojibwes moving a mill wheel by canoe from flooded
Post hangs above the subsection. A multimedia show set within the case follows the construction of
12 • Currents
the dam and ends with the flooding of the area and the creation of the Chippewa Flowage.
The next stop in Vacationland takes its name from the advertisements of the era. “Indian Head
Country” begins with a large-scale greeting, courtesy of a period postcard announcing “Welcome to
Indian Head Country, Chippewa Falls.” The north woods vacation scene continues with the Model
A drawing visitors’ eyes as they enter the space. Exhibit elements illustrate different ways north
woods people made a living after the lumbering economy declined.
RESEARCH &
DEVELOPMENT
(CONTINUED)
Near the car is a large photograph of a Ho-Chunk roadside stand with a case of Indian-made tourist souvenirs and a collection of “postcard people”—tribal members who allowed themselves to be
photographed for postcards. Visitors meet Big George Skye with a life-size (near seven feet tall)
photograph cutout of him dressed in traditional clothing for tourist pictures or a pow wow; Skye can
also be seen wearing his fishing guide clothing—hat, shirt, jacket, and pants. Smaller photos show
another major attraction in the north woods—the tourist pow wow.
Next, a walk-in cabin sets a new scene. Adirondack chairs near a campfire welcome visitors to sit
awhile in their journey through the exhibit. A pair of fabric scrapbooks lay about on a table. One
features enlarged postcards of area attractions, with cursive scrawl of vacationers past captured (and transcribed) on the back of each postcard page. Another records relaxing and
often humorous stories of musky fishing, boating, and other tourist pastimes. Overhead is a
canoe boat stored upside down, an artifact once used at a northern cabin. The tourist cabin
includes a multimedia show about Chippewa Valley people who worked in Indianhead
Country and a case features some of the tools used and products made by regional people.
Sounds of summer fun draw visitors to a fishing hole to catch some prize winning muskies – including one the size caught by angler Louie Spray. A photo stop spot is set-up for visitors to snap their
“Catch of the Day,” and weigh their fish. A case of swimming artifacts is built into the wall. Near
the scene a map pinpoints northern Wisconsin resorts.
The third subsection, “A War Intrudes” takes a look at World War II and how it changed the lives
of vacationers and residents. Visitors can listen to radio clips related to the war era, read about the
sacrifices of soldiers and their families, and see many war era artifacts from CVM’s collection.
Intersections is funded in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the
Institute for Museum and Library Services, the Wisconsin Arts Board (WAB), with funds from the
National Endowment for the Arts, and the Wisconsin Humanities Council (WHC), with funds
from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the State of Wisconsin.
Folk Art in Intersections
In July, CVM received word of a new grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board.
This Creative Communities project will help CVM illustrate how folk arts are
integral expressions of community identity.
First, CVM will document local folk artist Mai Xee Xiong’s traditional Hmong
needle-working and sewing skills. We will produce a short video showing how
she creates an adult woman’s New Year hat. The Xiong video as well as documentation of two other regional folk artists will appear in Intersections. The two
other folk artists are Wayne Valliere of Lac du Flambeau and Scott Wilhelm of
Chippewa Falls. Valliere is a master Ojibwe canoe builder and Wilhelm is the
A “phuam paj” (flower hat) created by Mai Xee
Xiong. It is an adult woman’s White Hmong style
hat, and is worn to Hmong New Year celebrations.
Fall 2013 • 13
RESEARCH &
DEVELOPMENT
(CONTINUED)
national turkey-calling champion. Consulting folklorist Tim Frandy recently documented some of
their skills for the CVM research collections.
The presentation of these artists’ work will open with the Intersections exhibit in the summer of
2014. The video will also be posted to CVM’s website, online encyclopedia ChippePedia, and YouTube channel. We will promote these resources throughout the regional community and directly to
teachers in the area.
Going Deeper Project
Going Deeper brings community members and visitors into the historical inquiry process, allowing
them to participate in exhibit development in a new way. In the past, CVM volunteers, interns and
other students have been able to complete research projects related to developing exhibits, conduct
oral histories with community members, and write articles on regional history. Going Deeper goes …
deeper, bringing them into a major research project, content development, and formative surveying and evaluation. CVM received a grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Council to develop the
three 800-square-foot Going Deeper exhibits.
In January, four interns from the UWEC — Robin Kintner, Wendy Guerra, Ben Niles, and Jessica
Riege — began developing the first exhibit using CVM’s folk arts collections as a starting point.
CVM staff followed up by installing Art All Around for
an early July opening. In July, CVM staff advertised
openings on the next exhibit team to its corps of volunteers. The new team consists of Amy Alpine, Kate
Edenborg, Al Geiss, Gretchen Seidling, Joe Orser,
and Angela Ziel. The exhibit, Here’s to Your Health, is
based on health and wellness in the Chippewa Valley
and will open September 2014. For the third exhibit
— On the Move — about transportation in the Chippewa Valley. A team of students from Chippewa Falls
High School will work with teacher Todd Kornack
and CVM staff to develop a panel exhibit and a gallery
exhibit over the course of the next year and a half.
Produce from La Misma
Luna market, 2013.
Photo by Wendy Guerra.
This photograph appears
in Art All Around Us.
14 • Currents
Going Deeper exhibit teams will also create articles for
ChippePedia and contribute to a social media site for
visitors to share photographs related to exhibit content.
The Wisconsin Humanities Council receives its funds from the National Endowment for the
Humanities and the State of Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Humanities Council supports and creates
programs that use history, culture, and discussion to strengthen community life for everyone in
Wisconsin. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this project do not
necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
EXHIBITS
Long Term Exhibits
Main Gallery
Paths of the People: The Ojibwe in the Chippewa Valley (1991-ongoing)
Settlement and Survival: Building Towns in the Chippewa Valley (1992-ongoing)
Rural Heritage Wing
Farm Life: A Century of Change for Farm Families and Their Neighbors (2004-ongoing)
Farmhouse Object Theater
This Day (2005-ongoing)
Short Term Exhibits
Ayres Associates Gallery
In the Neighborhood (2007-March 2013)
For All the World to See (April-May 2013)
Art All Around Us (June 2013-ongoing)
History Lab
My House / My Family Story (2003-ongoing)
Object Lessons (September 2010-ongoing)
Children’s Gallery
History Quest (June 2010-ongoing)
An image from For All the World to See, at CVM April and May 2013. Ernest C.
Withers, Sanitation Workers Assembling for a Solidarity March, Memphis, March 28,
1968, Gelatin silver print, 8 1/2 x 14 3/4 in., National Museum of African American
History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution, Museum Purchase.
L.E. Phillips Memorial Auditorium
Eau Claire from the Air (May 2012-May 2013)
And Art Lives On (June 2013-ongoing)
Traveling Exhibits
Farm Life on the Road
(traveling through the NEH On the Road and ExhibitsUSA):
Atkins-Johnson Farm and Museum, Gladstone, Mo.
Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid OK
From December 2005-January 2013, the traveling version of Farm Life made 39 stops in
24 states and was seen by 1.4 million visitors. The tour concluded in 2013.
Hmong in America:
The Hmong American Partnership, Appleton, Wis.
On-line Exhibits
Eau Claire: City of Bridges (2001)
Stories in Stone: Wisconsin’s Archaeological Past (2003)
Barn Stories, four videos on YouTube (July 2009), 2,208 views, cumulative
Fall 2013 • 15
PROGRAMS
AND EVENTS
This year, 7,776 people took part in 93 programs (113 program days).
The 21st Annual Fourth of July Family Fair attracted 2,315 visitors. Families enjoyed carnival
games, cake walks, spelling and history bees, crafts, and a brass band. The Woz entertained visitors
throughout the day, and Legacy Farm once again provided pony rides.
Kaleidoscope:
Children ages 6-12 attended CVM’s Time Travelers classes this summer to explore the theme,
“Making the Art of History.” Participants investigated a variety of mediums, including the
fiber, culinary, graphic, visual and performing, folk, and costume arts throughout this six week
series. Sessions featured lessons in historic sewing, cooking, printing, lighting, whittling, and
entertainment.
Children ages 3-5 attended CVM’s Museum Explorers classes to learn about building, art, music,
and Ojibwe traditions. They also enjoyed “Circus Adventures” where they experienced face
painting, and “Farmyard Fun” taking turns milking our visiting goat!
CVM Community Days:
The third annual Pancake Breakfast in conjunction with the Carson Park 5 & 10 attracted 360
visitors in October. Visitors also enjoyed a celebration
of American Indian heritage in October, “Here’s
to Your Health” in November, the 4th Annual
Fiber Arts Festival in February, an Irish Heritage
Community Day in March, and a community day
focused on the traveling exhibit For All the World to
See in April.
Professional Development Programs:
CVM provided professional development
opportunities for nearly 200 Wisconsin K-12
educators through two programs in FY13.
A visitor to the “Exploring
Celtic Harps” program
at CVM’s Irish Heritage
Community Day.
Constructing Liberty: Constructing Liberty
was offered through a partnership between ten
Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESAs),
the UWEC History Department, and the Chippewa Valley Museum.
Over the past four years, participating teachers investigated how the “unalienable rights” of
“life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” became universal among Americans over more than
two centuries of debate, struggle, and even war. Constructing Liberty was designed to improve
instruction and raise student achievement by improving teachers’ knowledge of traditional U.S.
history through graduate-level readings and practicum courses offered jointly by CVM and UWEC.
Fall and Spring semester workshops connected 145 educators with U.S. Civil Rights Movement
content, while the three-week summer institute in June introduced 40 educators to the idea that,
as lead instructor Oscar Chamberlain wrote, “On the frontier, people don’t just move west. They
live in many places, move sometimes, and move in all directions. The purposes of this institute is to
help you retell the story of the frontier. We will do it by looking closely at one particular region —
the Southwest — with the primary focus on present-day New Mexico. We will also be comparing
16 • Currents
elements of this history to the Wisconsin frontier and to the traditional western frontier.”
Constructing Liberty was funded by a Teaching American History grant from the U.S. Department
of Education.
Wisconsin Teachers of Local Culture: In August, 14 Wisconsin educators participated in the
Wisconsin Teachers of Local Culture (WTLC) four-day Bringing It Home workshop in Madison.
WTLC programs connect participating educators with local people and places while modeling
ways to study local culture as curriculum. The National Endowment for the Arts is supporting the
2013-14 program to create local culture teams and projects in four communities: Augusta, Hayward,
Middleton, and Slinger.
PROGRAMS
AND EVENTS
(CONTINUED)
Educators at the Madison orientation learned to research local culture and identify local artists
and other resources. They also explored how to incorporate folk artists and tradition bearers into
classroom and community activities, and take their activities out of school and into communities.
During the 2013-14 school year, teams of participating educators will engage their students in
observing and investigating elements of local culture, and then create a program to serve other
community members.
CVM, the Wisconsin Arts Board, and the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures at
UW-Madison make up the managing partnership for WTLC.
Affinity Groups:
CVM serves as a community gathering place for several affinity groups and organizations.
The Tree City Guild Rug Hook Crafters meet weekly on Tuesdays from 10 am to 2 pm. Rug hook
crafters use a cutter to prepare strips of material, mainly wool, which are then hooked to Monk’s
cloth set on a frame. The Tree City Guild welcomes new members.
The Genealogical Research Society of Eau Claire is a non-profit education society dedicated to
the preservation of genealogy and genealogical sources in the Eau Claire area. The society meets
the second Saturday of each month (September through May) from 9 am to 12 noon, and the
public is invited.
The Clearwater Fiber Guild meets the third Sunday of each month from 2 to 4 pm, and visitors are
welcome. Composed of individuals who share a passion for spinning raw fibers into yarn, the guild
also arranges occasional field trips and offers demonstrations.
October
2, 9, 16, 23
3
6
10
12
17
17
20
22
23
27
29
30
Workshop Series: Tribal Art
Workshop: Junior Achievement/ECASD Success Skills
Community Day: Celebrating American Indian Heritage
ChippePedia Presentations @ UW-Stout
Schlegelmilch House: UWEC Public History
Presentation: Analyzing Historic Photos with ECASD Educators
Chippewa Valley Book Festival: Author Luncheon
Chippewa Valley Book Festival: Family Event
Annual Meeting & Volunteer Appreciation
Presentation: North High School Key Club Volunteer Opportunities at CVM
Community Day: Pancake Breakfast
Cub Scouts Badge Workshop: “Making My Family Special”
7th Annual National History Day Kick-Off
Fall 2013 • 17
PROGRAMS
AND EVENTS
(CONTINUED)
18 • Currents
November
2
Presentation: Chippewa Valley Learning in Retirement (CVLR), “The U.S.–
Dakota Conflict”
Schlegelmilch House: Holiday Sale
Community Day: Here’s To Your Health
Booth: UWEC International Folk Fair
Cub Scouts Program: Tribal Arts
Cub Scouts Badge Workshop
Constructing Liberty Workshop
Presentation: CVLR, “The War of 1812”
Workshop Series: Tribal Art
Reading Partners Annual Literacy Celebration
2, 3
3
4
6
8
9, 10
12
13, 20
27
December
4 North High School Key Club Student Volunteers Orientation
8 Film Screening: Voices from the Past
9 Holiday Harp Concert
15 Booth: Clearwater Winter Celebration
January
5, 16, 19,
23, 26, 30 Workshop Series: Braided Wool Rugs
February
2 4th Annual Fiber Arts Festival
5 Family Night: CV Montessori
6, 13, 27 For All the World to See Student Docent Training
14 Schlegelmilch House: Girl Scouts Badge Workshop, “Manners”
22 Workshop: Cheese Making with UWEC International Students
25 Docent Training Day
26 National History Day at Northstar Middle School
27 Booth: Junior Achievement Hospitality & Tourism Day
28 Booth: Robbins Elementary School Family Night
March
5 Cub Scout Badge Workshop: “Cheese Making”
13
For All the World to See Student Docent Training
16 Community Day: Irish Heritage
19 Presentation: “Germans in Wisconsin”
April
5
For All the World to See Exhibit Opening Reception
6 Community Day: For All the World to See Exhibit
9
For All the World to See Student Docent Training
12 Presentation: CVLR, “Jesse James and the Borderlands of the American West”
12 National History Day Workshop
15 Schlegelmilch House: “Thinking like an Anthropologist”
16, 23 Educators’ Open House Evenings: For All the World to See Exhibit
16 Family Night: Blugold Beginnings
17 Schlegelmilch House: “Thinking like an Anthropologist”
19, 20 Constructing Liberty Workshop
24 Docent In-Service
26 Annual K-Kids Lock-In
May
3 Schlegelmilch House: “Thinking like an Anthropologist”
4 Max Kade Institute Annual Meeting
7 Presentation: For All the World to See at North High School
7, 14 Teen Guides Orientation
13 Workshop: Care & Display of Textiles
15 Presentation: “Germans in Wisconsin”
18 Schlegelmilch House: Historic Preservation Foundation Home Tour
21 Schlegelmilch House: Tea Party
22 Presentation: CVLR, Phoenix Park
23 Hair-Raising Fundraiser at Northwestern Bank in Chippewa Falls
June
4, 11 Book Signing: Glenn St Arnault
5 Presentation: North High School Key Club Awards Ceremony
12-14, 17-21 Constructing Liberty Summer Institute
15 Booth: Girl Scouts Thin Mint Sprint
18, 19, 20 Teen Guides Training
24-28 Constructing Liberty Summer Institute Study Travel
26 Kaleidoscope: Time Travelers, “Tailor Made”
27 Kaleidoscope: Museum Explorers, “Little Builders”
July
2, 16 Book Signing: Judie Ohm
4 21st Annual 4th of July Family Fair
10 Kaleidoscope: Time Travelers, “Cooking Up the Past”
11 Kaleidoscope: Museum Explorers, “Circus Adventures”
17 Kaleidoscope: Time Travelers, “’Ye Old Written Word”
17 Presentation: Oak Gardens Family Night
18 Kaleidoscope: Museum Explorers, “Exploring Art”
23, 30 Book Signing: Glenn St Arnault
24 Kaleidoscope: Time Travelers, “Let There Be Light”
25 Kaleidoscope: Museum Explorers, “Life in an Ojibwe Village”
31 Kaleidoscope: Time Travelers, “Whittler’s Workshop”
August
1 Kaleidoscope: Museum Explorers, “Farmyard Fun”
2 Booth: PBS Kids Get Up and Go Day
7 Kaleidoscope: Time Travelers, “Masquerade Magic”
8 Kaleidoscope: Museum Explorers, “Rhythm & Rhyme”
12-15 Wisconsin Teachers of Local Culture: “Bringing It Home”
15 Teen Guides Pizza Party
26 Presentation: Retired Educators, “Fur Trade”
27 10th Annual Docent Appreciation Social
September
13 Presentation: CVLR “Cities of Refuge: Asylums in Wisconsin and the U.S.”
13
Art All Around Exhibit Reception
18 Docent In-Service
26 Heritage in the Valley Fundraiser: Shamrock Shindig
30 Wisconsin Library System Regional Meeting
PROGRAMS
AND EVENTS
(CONTINUED)
A “Cooking Up the
Past” participant makes
biscuits with CVM
volunteer Sandy Peterson
in the Tibbetts Family Ice
Cream Parlor.
Fall 2013 • 19
CVM STAFF
Dorie Boetcher, Business Manager
Carrie Ronnander, Curator
Dondi Hayden, Facilities Manager
Kathie Roy, Assistant Curator / Office Manager
Melissa Holmen, Exhibit Developer
Frank Smoot, Editor
Karen Jacobson, Educator
Eldbjorg Tobin, Librarian
Susan McLeod, Director
Jill York, Volunteer Coordinator
Liz Reuter, Community Programs Manager
PERSONNEL,
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
& COMMUNITY
SERVICE
Director Susan McLeod took part in a convening held by the American Alliance of Museums to
re-evaluate the Museum Assessment Program (MAP). She continued to serve on the Wisconsin
Historical Society Office of School Services Advisory Board.
Curator Carrie Ronnander is the historian and Vice-Chairperson for the Eau Claire Landmarks
Commission. In May 2013, Ronnander and Assitant Curator Kathie Roy provided a “Care and
Display of Textiles” afternoon workshop to local history organizations through the Wisconsin
Historical Society Field Service program.
Educator Karen Jacobson attended the Wisconsin Teachers of Local Culture training in Madison
this past August. She will be working with a team of educators to complete a local culture project
for the Augusta community during the 2013-14 school year. Jacobson continues to volunteer for Junior Achievement, the Community Table, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Wisconsin.
Jacobson, Roy, and Director of Community Programs Liz Reuter judged National History Day projects at North Star Middle School.
Exhibit Developer Melissa Holmen participated in an American Alliance of Museums webinar
about Intellectual Property in a Digital World.
McLeod, Ronnander, Reuter, and Editor Frank Smoot traveled to New Mexico in January in
preparation for the Constructing Liberty summer institute. They formed teams to visit the Indian
Pueblo Cultural Center, Pecos National Historic Park, the New Mexico History Museum, Chimayo,
and Taos Pueblo, among other sites.
In August, Smoot accepted a position as Executive Director of the Coos Historical and Maritime
Museum in Coos Bay on the southern Oregon Coast. He has served CVM as Marketing Coordinator, Director of Publications, and finally as editor (and brought you many issues of Currents) since
1999.
20 • Currents
The library and archives responded to 208 requests by letters, telephone, e-mail, and in person.
There were 12 requests for reproduction of images from our historic photograph collection. Fortysix donors gave material to the Museum library ranging from a 1945 Eau Claire Campfire Girls
Charter to a photograph of the 1945-1946 Eau Claire High School Basketball Team.
The library also provided support for students participating in the National History Day project,
and to UWEC Public History students.
Volunteers worked on transcribing letters and diaries found in the archival collection. They also
accessioned photographs and archival documents. As
of October 2013, the accessioned archival documents
totaled 3,900. The photographic index grew to 16,900
images. Library volunteers continued to digitize the
photographic collection with the total number of
scanned images now 14,850. Jennifer Cook and Jenny
Karls from the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library
also helped with the digitization project this year.
Between them they scanned more than 1,600 photographs. In collaboration with the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library, we were also able to send oversize
photographs from our collection for scanning at the
Rescarta Corporation in La Crosse. Images from our
historic photograph collection are now featured on
the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library website.
Julie Davis, a UWEC student, was an intern at the library and archives during the fall semester.
She cataloged and accessioned unpublished manuscripts from our archival collection. The data was
added to the Museum’s PastPerfect software program.
Museum Store: FY13 sales were down slightly from FY12; however the net profit of $2,154 exceeded that of FY12 by $1,452. Books were 52 percent of sales, followed by apparel at 22 percent
and souvenirs at 19 percent. Allocated expenses for personnel and utilities remained constant.
Ice Cream Parlor: FY13 sales were up slightly from FY12 with net profit up by $1,487. We served
ice cream to 1,800 students during their visits to CVM. July 4 contintues to be the biggest sales day;
this year, the day’s total was $1,020.
GLENN CURTIS
SMOOT LIBRARY
& ARCHIVES
A screenshot from the
L.E. Phillips Memorial
Public Library website’s
“Eau Claire Area
Historical Photographs”
section.
RETAIL,
RENTALS
& PRIVATE
EVENTS
Schlegelmilch House: The house was used throughout the year for bridal and baby showers, holiday gatherings and birthday parties. Rentals totaled 17 for FY13 compared to 12 for FY12.
Rentals at CVM: CVM was the venue for 15 events in the LE Phillips Memorial Auditorium or
Charter Bank Room, six more that FY12. The meeting space was used by private parties, as well as
Chippewa Falls Rotary, Daughters of the American Revolution, Historic Preservation Foundation –
Eau Claire, UWEC, Eau Claire Area School District – Title 7, Max Kade Institute, Congregational
Church, and the Wisconsin Library System.
History Kits: Kits were rented 55 times during FY13. This compares to 39 during FY12. We continue to see increased use by assisted living facilities.
Fall 2013 • 21
PUBLICATIONS
Books: Ralph Owen’s Eau Claire: Character of a City, 1884-1909 went out of print this year. We are
currently seeking funds to reprint it. Six other titles remain in print.
Other publications: Editor Frank Smoot continued two regular local print columns: “People and
Places of the Chippewa Valley” for the Senior Review, and “Thanks for Asking” for Volume One.
Senior Review topics included an 1862 “Indian scare” in Dunn County, the Big Heart silver mine,
local Red Cross history, a brief overview of law and order in Eau Claire, biographies of area artists,
Eau Claire County’s first murder, and Jonathan Carver’s journey into the Chippewa Valley. For
Volume One, he answered reader questions about regional topics, mainly historical.
MARKETING
AND PUBLIC
RELATIONS
Website: The Chippewa Valley Museum’s primary website underwent a major overhaul this
year. Editor Frank Smoot worked with Sara Pertz, Joshua Myers, and Maria Herbert of First Net
Impressions to improve the look of the site. But more importantly, to give more staff members
access to update the site on a regular basis. The Museum revolutionized its ability to present news
online and to give web surfers an easy look at the calendar. We have also added standards-based
content (such as lesson plans) developed by teachers for teachers on topics and themes derived from
our Teaching American History programs over the past eight years. The change occurred mid-year,
and neccessitated a change in the way website statistics were gathered and calculated, rendering a
whole-year survey of web statistics impossible. In the long run, however, CVM will gain much more
information about the numbers, kinds, and habits of visitors to the site.
CVM maintained two websites, www.chippepedia.org, and www.eauclairegoodlife.org.
Marketing: The Museum completed a survey of late spring/early summer visitors. Just over half of
the respondent groups were local (from up to 30 miles away), while the rest came from out of the
area. Couples were again the most common group size among survey respondents, and 58 percent
had not been to CVM before. Word-of-mouth and conventional advertising tied for the top ways
in which respondents found out about the Museum.
The Museum’s Facebook page continues to improve and engage an ever-growing group of followers
(519 “Likes” at the close of FY13, up from 287 at the close of FY12). Regular posts regarding events
and news keep followers aware of what is happening at the Museum. Our “Object of the Week”
continues to connect followers with artifacts currently in storage, and photos of staff and volunteers
at work allow followers to get behind-the-scenes.
Public Relations and Visitor Services: CVM continued to open its doors free on Tuesday
evenings, which attracted at least 403 visitors in FY13 (only about two-thirds of the FY12 total
but in line with the FY11 total), with a high of 77 and a low of zero. Coupons or free-admission
passes accounted for at least 438 Museum admissions (down about 5 percent from last year). Nine
different coupons or passes were returned to us this year, but 65 percent of the resulting admissions
(286) came from our presence in the Chippewa Valley Coupon Guide.
22 • Currents
At the end of FY13, CVM objects collections included 21,333 objects. The Museum received
451 object donations. The following sampling helps to highlight the diversity of recent donations:
a 1920s canoe boat used by the Storrs family at their family cottage for 90 years; a 1978 Atari
video game system; a collection of work equipment from the first female telephone line installer
in Wisconsin; 1970s Eau Claire Police Department uniforms, duty belt, and fingerprint fuming
cabinet; two early 20th century violins; and a 5-gallon ice cream maker used at Timm’s Dairy.
CURATORIAL
Volunteers catalogued 385 artifacts last year and helped develop Objects of the Week entries for
the CVM Facebook page. They added 1,366 images of documents to the collections database. The
document digitization project began last year and now just over a third of the documents have been
photographed.
Midwest Arts Conservation Center conservator Nicole Grabow and conservation technician
Melissa Amundsen spent a week at the Museum in late August to repair and improve the condition
of two significant artifacts: the Little Ben tower clock
once on display at the London Square Mall, and an
18th or early 19th century wood dugout canoe. These
artifacts will be on display in the upcoming Intersections
exhibit.
The Curatorial department had two collections
interns, four exhibit interns, and helped to supervise
a research intern this last year. In Fall 2012, Lindsey
Rindo, a UWEC History major with a Public History
emphasis, assisted in the development of Intersections
and helped to process donations. Josh Jordan, an
Eastern Illinois University graduate student, began
a six-month full-time internship in June in order to
complete his Masters in Historical Administration
from Eastern Illinois University. Josh has helped create small displays and process donations, and
is planning the de-installation process for the objects from Paths of the People and Settlement and
Survival exhibits. These exhibits will close in November 2013 and all objects currently on display
need to be assigned permanent storage locations.
Wendy Guerra, Robin Kintner, Benjamin Niles, and Jessica Riege, all public history students from
UWEC, curated a new exhibit Art All Around in the spring of 2013 under the supervision of Carrie
Ronnander and Kathie Roy. This exhibit is described elsewhere in this report. Katherine Thomas, a
recent history major graduate from UW–La Crosse, worked on research projects for the Intersections
exhibit.
Left to right: CVM
graduate intern Josh
Jordan, conservation
technician Melissa
Amundsen, and Midwest
Arts Conservation Center
conservator Nicole
Grabow work on various
parts of “Little Ben.”
In addition to the ongoing development of Intersections, the Curatorial department supported the
installation of eight small case exhibits, two off-site displays, the 6-week travelling exhibit For All
the World To See: A Visual History of the Civil Rights Movement, and the short-term exhibit, Art All
Around.
.
Fall 2013 • 23
CHIPPEWA
VALLEY
MUSEUM, INC.
BALANCE SHEET
FY13
ASSETS
Cash
$50,588
$20,383
Property, Equip (Net)
$1,109,652
$1,105,851
Other Assets
$6,552
$6,552
Total Assets
$1,166,792
$1,132,786
LIABILITIES
Withholding
$4,433
$3,883
Long Term Liabilities
$43,184
$48,784
Fund Balances
$1,119,175
$1,080,119
LIABILITIES & CAPITAL$1,166,792
INCOME
INCOME FROM
FY13
$1,132,786
FY12
City/County
$86,25085,900
Memberships
Life
Upper
Lower
$14,200
$51,562
$24,525
$14,600
$57,932
$25,710
$24,019
$2,436
$274,821
$22,811
$4,885
$25,932
$2,212
$300,055
$22,899
$14,698
$29,861
$91
$24,440
$117
Earned Income
Admissions
Schlegelmilch House
Contracts
Store/Ice Cream
Other
Gifts
Gifts, Operating
Gifts, Capital
Grants
Investment
Fundraisers
Miscellaneous
Subtotal
Carryover funds
Borrowed (FY11 net)
Total
24 • Currents
FY12
$161,064120,333
$11,750$11,351
$25,151$27,752
$3,187$4,663
$736,613738,596
$2,991
0
$1,516
0
$739,604$740,112
EXPENSE FOR
Personnel
Salaries/CVM
Benefits/Expenses
FY13
FY12
$300,110
$60,504
$293,686
$45,352
Operations
Utilities/ CVM
Schlegelmilch House
Insurance
Public Relations
Office Supplies
Maintenance
$50,336
$8,132
$6,860
$9,017
$12,346
$16,126
$53,654
$8,302
$7,530
$8,934
$11,203
$19,076
Program
Collections
Library/Research
Exhibits
Programs
Consultants
Professional Memberships
$194
$532
$28,537
$24,755
$3,494
$1,520
$1,284
$1,294
$11,316
$40,349
$12,211
$2,072
Sales Expense
Contract Expense
Fundraiser Expense
Interest Expense
Miscellaneous
Subtotal
Fixed Assets
Loan repayments
Total
Difference Inc/Exp
EXPENSES
$18,172$20,817
$143,447$168,810
$10,283$13,994
$2,182$2,761
$1,013$991
$697,557$723,637
$3,801
$5,000
$4,867
$6,000
$706,358734,504
$33,246
$5,609
Fall 2013 • 25
FOUNDATION
The mission of the Chippewa Valley Museum Foundation (CVMF) is to raise, manage and allocate funds that advance CVM’s role in preserving the heritage of the Chippewa Valley and in providing research facilities for local and area history. CVMF aids in financial support of the Museum
and acts in its interest in any possible manner. A separately incorporated organization with 501(c)
(3) status in its own right, CVMF oversees endowment and other investment funds. Members of
the Chippewa Valley Museum are members of CVMF by definition.
Current investment policy permits 40-60 percent of assets to be invested in equities. Building and
increasing Foundation assets remains a key strategy for a stable future for the Museum.
Life Membership Program
In 1991,the CVM Foundation initiated a Life Members program to attract current gifts. Life Membership begins with an endowment gift equal to 20 times the annual membership fee and is available for the Heritage Club, Pathfinder, Carson Club and Ingram Society levels. Each year, income
equivalent to the annual fee is released for CVM operations. At the end of FY13, there were 58 Life
Members. Donors may continue to add to their Life Memberships. Last year, Janet Barland increased her Life Membership to the Carson Club level and Louis G. Arnold to the Pathfinder level.
Susan and David Rowe completed a pledge to increase their Life Membership to the Ingram Society
level.
Ingram Society Life Members
Heritage Club Life Members
Amy Alpine and John Grump
Jim Carter and Victoria Miller
Dorothy H. Owen
Susan and David Rowe
American Title & Abstract
Arnold and Carol Anderson
Jeanne K. Andre
Mrs. David Angell
Richard and Sara Baer
John R. Barland
Judy M. Barland
Barbara and Bruce Bayley
Everett and Marty Fisher Blakeley
Susan Bruce
Fritz and Marilyn Bushendorf
Dan and Linda Clark
Eileen Cohen
Duane and Joan Dingmann
Margie and Tom Doyle
Bea and B.J. Farmer
Victoria E. Finstad
John and Susan Glenz
Gloria Gold
Jeff and Karla Halloin
Carl and Jan Haywood
Johnson/Marshall Family
Marv Lansing
Betty and Ray Larson
Tom and Mary Ryan Miller
Paul Nyhus
Jim and Kathy Pinter
Carson Club Life Members
Janet Barland
Jill and Thomas H. Barland
Daniel and Carolyn Johnson
Wipfli, LLP
Pathfinder Life Members
Louis G. Arnold
Ayres Associates
Janice Ayres
Jim and Kathy Bartl
Dick Cable
Mr. and Mrs. William E. Cayley
Bertha Chatterson
Don and Jan Etnier
Barb and Phil Fey
Andrea, Laurie and Jacob Gapko
Mrs. Robert M. Lotz
Susan McLeod
Barb and Marlow Wathke
Johanna Warloski
FOUNDATION:
MARKET VALUE
OF ASSETS
26 • Currents
Virginia Quayle
Peter and Randi Scobie
Kaye and Steve Senn
Bill and Mary Sherman
Roger and Susan Tietz
Susan Pittman and Dr. Peter Ullrich
Wayne and Elizabeth Wille
Dennis and Karen Zacho
Thomas and Sheila Zahorik
In Memory
Dr. David Angell
Owen Ayres
Ann Barland
Marlene Cable
Melvin Cohen
Eunice O. Finstad
Walter Gold
Dorellen and Leonard Haas
Elizabeth Kleiner
Mag Lansing
Robert M. Lotz, M.D.
Anonymous
Mrs. Edith Phillips
Calvin Quayle
L. Joe and Kay Stucky
Arthur R. Wagner
Ron Warloski
On September 30, 2013, CVM assets were valued at $893,804 as compared to $709,398 at the end
of FY12. This figure represents the net of additions, distributions to CVM, change in market value,
and investment return.
The end value included $121,292 in new gifts and distributions of $25,950 for Museum operations
and programs. Of the additions, $104,692 represented a bequest from Betty Rogstad, a long-time
teacher and CVM member. The Foundation Board of Directors has designated $100,000 of this
bequest for support of maintenance and operations. (More about the Rogstad Bequest on p. 2.)
DATA
ATTENDANCE
Museum
Off-Site
Schlegelmilch House
Total 18,185
1,614
1,214
21,013
MEMBERS
Ingram Society
Carson Club
Pathfinder
Heritage Club
Associate
Sustaining Regular Total
10
23
79
145
82
107
490
936
(including 4 Life Memberships)
(including 4 Life Memberships)
(including 14 Life Memberships)
(including 36 Life Memberships)
SPONSORS: member commitments above the $1,000 level
AnnMarie Foundation: Intersections Exhibit Development
Charter Bank: general media and other support
Eau Claire Co-op Oil/Chippewa Valley Energy: energy support
The Tibbitts Family: ice cream parlor
US Bank: general operating support
Xcel Energy: grant for programming and other support
PROGRAM, OPERATING, AND EQUIPMENT GRANTS AWARDED IN FY13
AnnMarie Foundation 2013: Intersections Play Spaces
$2,250
Eau Claire Community Foundation: Main Gallery Renovation/Fire Sprinkling
$4,250
Eau Claire Community Foundation: General Operating Support
$750
Institute of Museum/Library Services: Thinking, Local$150,000
National Endowment for the Arts: Making Local Culture Teams 2013
$35,000
National Endowment for the Humanities: For All the World to See$1,000
Rutledge Charities: Chippewa County School/Youth Field Trips
$2,500
US Bank: General Operating Support
$2,250
Xcel Energy Foundation: Intersections Play Spaces/Interactives/School Kits
$3,000
Wisconsin Arts Board: Creative Communities (Folk Arts)
$5,637
Wisconsin Historical Society Mini-Grant: Collections Supplies
$700
Wisconsin Humanities Council: Going Deeper$10,000
GRANTS AWARDED IN EARLIER YEARS AND CONTINUED IN FY13
Department of Education: Teaching American History 2009
$723,383
(CVM share of $1.7 million four-year grant operated by multiple partners)
Institute of Museum/Library Services: Conservation/Storage Improvements $86,336
Institute of Museum/Library Services: Intersections$149,784
National Endowment for the Arts: Here at Home Cultural Tour 2012
$30,000
National Endowment for the Humanities Implementation Grant: Intersections$250,000
Fall 2013 • 27
PO BOX 1204 • EAU CLAIRE WI 54702
US POSTAGE
PAID
Non-Profit Org
Permit No. 39
Eau Claire
Wisconsin
54702
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
School-Year Hours
Tues.-Sun. 1-5 p.m., plus
Open early on Sat. (at 10 a.m.)
Open late on Tues. (’til 8 p.m.)
Regular Admission
Museum Members: Free
Non-Members: Adults $5 • Students with ID $2
Ages 5-17 $2 • Under Age 5 Free
Fee waived on Tuesday evenings
http://www.cvMuseum.com