AMPLIFYING THE VOICES OF DIVERSE ARTISTS. The new “We Are the Chippewa Valley” project aims to amplify the voices of BIPOC artists in the Chippewa Valley. (Photo via Unsplash)

A new community-wide project encourages local Black and Indigenous artists – as well as other artists of color – to tell their stories through creative mediums, thanks to a grant from the Pablo Foundation. 

The We Are the Chippewa Valley project, created by the Eau Claire Public Arts Council, will select 12 artists whose work will be featured in an online exhibit and on visual wraps around local buses, as well as printed onto postcards and calendars that will be available to purchase around the Chippewa Valley. Each artist selected will also receive $500 for reproduction and publication rights.

“The intent is to bring a message of art, culture, and recognition,” the project’s submission page says, “to celebrate the BIPOC artists and multicultural communities throughout the Chippewa Valley.”

The project encourages local individuals to explore their identity through art, and to be able to share that art with the rest of the local community. Representation is a critical part of creating a more diverse and inclusive community, according to organizers, and they want to affirm that every voice and story is important and should be uplifted and heard.

Submit up to three pieces of work that have been created in the past two years by Sept. 26, 2021.

To learn more and submit your work, visit here.