At 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14., the Eau Claire Area Hmong Mutual Assistance Association (ECAMHAA) transformed into a gallery of patchwork quilts, ink portraits, paintings and poetry.
While Jerrika Mighelle’s voice and guitar filled the space with folk sound, community members strolled and chatted, absorbing a unique array of narratives conveyed through art.
The exhibit, now in its second year, arose in response to a small, yet vocal, opposition to the presence of World Relief in Eau Claire in 2023.
World Relief, a global Christian humanitarian organization, helps resettle refugees and welcome them into a new community by providing a plethora of services, including education, employment empowerment and legal aid, according to its website.
Lynn Buske, a member of Joining Our Neighbors Advancing Hope (JONAH) and organizer of “Encounters,” has a history of empowering people from marginalized communities to share their stories. The opposition to World Relief exposed the necessity to do just that.
“When I saw how unsafe it felt for someone who was a refugee to be known as a refugee, I felt maybe public storytelling was not as safe as it used to be, but also more important,” Buske said.
According to Buske, opposition to refugees stems from ignorance. In the midst of prevalent misinformation, giving platforms to the personal stories of refugees through art is essential.
“Art opens us up on a multisensory level,” Buske said. “It gives people the ability to express themselves but still kind of remain anonymous.”
UW-Eau Claire’s art department, ECAMHAA and JONAH collaborated to create “Encounters” to address the divide in the community and connect community members of diverse backgrounds.
“It just seems harder and harder for people to bridge divides,” Buske said. “We wanted to continue intentionally creating a space for those encounters.”
Jill Olm, an associate professor of art & design at UW-Eau Claire, helped organize the exhibit and contributed a piece of her own titled “Gaps and Rifts.” Olm saw this exhibit as an opportunity to amplify the diverse voices of the community.
“We are really trying to tell people’s stories, what makes people distinct, different and unique,” Olm said. “We can come together and celebrate differences through art and making poetry.”
Art students at UW-Eau Claire also contributed their own pieces, including a series of ink portraits depicting local community members whose stories often go untold.
Amid the works of fine art, loosely scribbled messages and carefully pasted collages spanned two entire walls, a collection of postcards from individuals of all ages and backgrounds across the Chippewa Valley.
A miniature exhibit in itself, the Chippewa Valley Postcard Project invites members of the community to reflect on a current and complex topic. This year, artists expressed their thoughts, feelings, and hopes regarding immigration.
A series of vibrant paintings drew one’s eyes to the center of the exhibit: rows of pieces made by community members, each conveying a unique narrative.
In addition to its art exhibit, “Encounters” hosted story-poetry readings on Nov. 15th at 2:00 p.m, a Hmong dance performance on Nov. 16th at 5:00 p.m, and an artist meet and greet on Nov. 17th at 6:00 p.m.
For more information about JONAH and to get involved with their mission of social advocacy, visit their website and view their various active Task Forces.
To volunteer for the Eau Claire Area Hmong Mutual Assistance Association, contact their Office Manager, Nancy Yang, at [email protected] or call the office at 715.832.8420.
Riddle can be reached at [email protected].
