WELCOME HOME. Galaudet Gallery (pronounced gal-uh-day, if that helps) has been hosting events of all varieties and art exhibits of all kinds for years, though its Eau Claire gallery was on a bit of a pause for the last handful of years. 2025 marks a comeback for the local gallery.

During the height of COVID-19, it was an uncertain time along all fronts – perhaps especially so for small businesses. For sibling owners of the Galaudet Gallery (618 S. Farwell St., Eau Claire), Mike and Vicki Milewski, the shutdown also became an opportunity to get creative. 

Shipping art became the primary function of the gallery during times when in-person exhibits weren't possible. Vicki also said it allowed them to create lasting connections with larger galleries going through the same thing. 

“People started shopping online in a major way, so we had to transform one of the galleries into a shipping area,” Vicki said. “People wanted something they haven't seen before in their home.”

Since ramping back up in the past few months, Galaudet Gallery is currently showing exhibits  “Bohemian Blues” and “Wild Hearts.” The space is intimate and vibrant, making it clear Mike and Vicki used every inch of the space intentionally.

The next exhibit the gallery will display this spring is entitled “I Love Eau Claire Trees” and will feature art inspired by or centered around – you guessed it – the trees of Eau Claire. The gallery will be open every weekend in April, and potentially into May, featuring the show.

“I Love Eau Claire Trees” will include Vicki's personal work, the “Windswept" series. The series of paintings focuses around a beautiful yellow tree, adoringly called the “balloon” tree, which stands in Phoenix Park.

“We usually plan our exhibits four to five years in advance, and I said ‘Wow, I can’t believe I have so many trees that have inspired me here in Eau Claire,’ ” Vicki said.

This summer, after “I Love Eau Claire Trees," the gallery will be returning with a juried four-year art exhibit that used to be annual before COVID: the “Sense of Place” series.

Inspired by the utopian book News from Nowhere by William Morris, Mike and Vicki created the four-year art series by exploring a sense of place. Starting with one piece from 2018, “Here,” and continuing with “There” from 2019, they are looking forward to continuing the series with the piece “Everywhere,” this year. In full, the series will tie back to Morris with the piece “Nowhere” planned for 2026. 

Being the only annual juried art event at Galaudet Gallery, non-local applicants will pay a fee to submit their art for consideration. Mike said he wants to take the economic burden off of Eau Claire artists’ shoulders.

“We want to get to know as many local artists as we can so we can see what's going on … there is a confluence of artists right here hiding in the woods,” Vicki said. “We love Eau Claire, we think it just has this wonderful energy; it's inspiring.”  

Owners and siblings, Mike and Vicki Milewski.

Learn more about Galaudet Gallery (618 S Farwell St, Eau Claire) and their upcoming shows online. Keep up with the gallery on Facebook.