Eau Claire is currently home to over 120 different sculptures, officially making the city the largest sculpture tour in the U.S.
Throughout the past few months, the Eau Claire Sculpture Tour program has been seeking submissions for the 2025-2026 tour season. Entries must be original sculptures suited for the outdoors.
The application deadline is on Friday, Nov. 1, and next year’s tour season will start in May 2025 and run through April 2026.
According to the Eau Claire Sculpture Tour website, their vision is to provide free public art and “to bring the work of national and international artists to Eau Claire as well as to promote our local and regional art and artists.”
The tour is a non-profit organization funded entirely through personal donations, grants and sponsorships from local businesses.
While reviewing the sculpture entries, there are multiple factors that the program must take into consideration before artistic value. The primary one is safety, meaning that sculptures with sharp edges or protrusions are avoided.
The public arts and events manager for Visit Eau Claire, Julie Pangallo, has served as the executive director of the tour program for the past decade.
“We want people to safely interact with the sculptures,” Pangallo said. “If it has a nose, kids are going to pick it.”
The next consideration is durability, meaning it must be able to withstand 11 months of Wisconsin weather as well as public interactions.
Lastly, the sculpture’s viewers are considered. The art must be appropriate for all ages and all audiences.
“If it passes all of those tests, then we look at it artistically,” Pangallo said. “We strive to offer a variety of materials, styles and subject matter.”
This program is open to artists of all backgrounds, whether professional or amateur. The selected sculptures are “on loan” during the showcase and remain the artist’s property. All sculptures, however, are offered for sale.
Artists receive a $500 stipend upon delivery and installation in May and another $500 during the artist reception at the end of the season.
“Each year our tour showcases nearly two million dollars worth of art,” the Sculpture Tour website said. “Sculptures valued at more than $500,000 have been purchased or commissioned through the tour and remain in the Chippewa Valley.”
There is also the annual People’s Choice award. The winning piece is purchased by the Sculpture Tour organization and donated to Eau Claire’s permanent collection.
Sculptures valued above the $15,000 purchase limit are ineligible for the award unless the artist had previously agreed to lower it specifically for People’s Choice in their application.
Voting for the 2024-2025 season will close after Dec. 31. Those interested in viewing the sculptures can download the current Sculpture Tour map digitally or find it at certain local businesses such as Tangled Up in Hue and Olson’s Ice Cream.
According to the website, some goals of the Sculpture Tour are to promote tourism, enhance art education, motivate active lifestyles, increase unity and pride within the community and inspire social inclusion.
Representation is an important part of these sculptures, according to Pangallo. She said they try to showcase artistry from underserved populations.
“We do our best to offer the artwork and honor the cultures of our Hmong, Hispanic, Black, Native American, LGBTQ+ and Asian neighbors,” Pangallo said. “Though our percentage of minority population is small in Eau Claire, it is imperative that they feel represented, valued and ‘at home’ here.”
The Sculpture Tour officially began in 2010, according to Pangallo, so 2025 will mark the Sculpture Tour’s 15th anniversary.
“There is much to celebrate,” Pangallo said. “I’d like to believe the sculptures represent the hope and collaboration that I see in Eau Claire.”
Matczak can be reached at [email protected].
