By Haley Staples, JONAH Intern
On November 5-9, JONAH partnered with the Hmong Mutual Assistance Association, UW-Eau Claire, and local community members to put on an art exhibit that told marginalized stories through art. The purpose of this event was to elevate stories of local Eau Claire community members who have been marginalized by one or more of the social justice issues that JONAH works towards bettering and tell these stories through art pieces. The exhibit took place at the Eau Claire Area Hmong Mutual Assistance Association and showcased art made by UWEC students and local community members. The art shown included paintings, portraits of the storytellers, sculptures, and postcards drawn by local community members who participated in the Chippewa Valley Postcard project were displayed. The event was attended by JONAH members, UWEC students, and Chippewa Valley community members.
The Encounters exhibit was a great example of JONAH’s commitment to advancing ADEI (anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion) and elevating the lived experiences of those who have suffered injustice. The event created a space for community members to see how the storytellers are more than what has happened to them but that there is beauty and strength in overcoming adversity. The exhibit was specifically designed to allow for introspection and personal thoughts on what the art was sharing with the viewer and had space at the end for further processing.
As an intern for JONAH, I feel grateful to have been part of planning and implementing this event for Eau Claire community members and it was very rewarding to get to see how people interacted with the exhibit and have conversations on what they took away from this experience. A particularly memorable moment was when some of the storytellers came and saw the art that was created from what they had shared, it was emotional to see how the art moved them and be able to talk about how important it is to elevate these experiences for others to learn from. Overall, I feel this event was very successful and it showed how there is a need for more beauty and art in our world today.
Didn’t have a chance to go in person? View a 2-minute video of the exhibit here.