AN ARTS ADVOCATE. You'd be hard-pressed to find a local – or Eau Claire tourist, for that matter – who hasn't seen the city's outdoor sculptures. The Sculpture Tour is a major tourism and public arts draw, and Julie Pangallo is the key behind-the-scenes person coordinating it. (Photo via Visit Eau Claire)

Since the Eau Claire Sculpture Tour began in 2011, it has navigated numerous changes, trials and tribulations. Through it all, one person has been a constant in the tour’s growth: Julie Pangallo.

As Visit Eau Claire's public art and events manager, Pangallo has seen how warmly the city has embraced the vibrant transformation of its downtown year after year. Sculpture Tour welcomes artists from all walks of life, who then offer passersby the opportunity to appreciate hand-crafted sculptures completely free of charge.

She reciprocates and expands upon that support by advocating for the arts through her involvement across the greater Chippewa Valley.

Julie Pangallo, public arts and events manager at Visit Eau Claire, pictured. (Photo via Visit Eau Claire)

“I feel like my role has been to keep the Sculpture Tour true to its mission, true to its vision, and to let the artists know how much we love them,” Pangallo said. “The artists do love coming here (and) they are welcomed with open arms.”

Since stepping into the Eau Claire Sculpture Tour organization 14 years ago, Pangallo has spearheaded the effort to expand the sculptural installation's influence and enhance the artist experience — from initial outreach through setup and teardown.

Her passion for the arts, which is central to her journey in Eau Claire, stems from several key experiences: working in sales, television advertising and radio, as well as being involved with the former Chippewa Valley Renaissance Fair.

Pangallo described the high energy of her days and nights doing community outreach by saying, “I always thought it was fun to go out and talk to people.” The area renaissance fair introduced her to the vast worlds hidden within the local creative scene and — after developing a deep appreciation for the artists' narratives — she never looked back.

Pangallo has supported the growth of the Sculpture Tour which, today, features over 120 sculptures; she humbly credits much of this success to Visit Eau Claire’s team and broader community sponsors.

Kelsey Wenberg, the tenured president of Sculpture Tour’s board of directors, has come to know Pangallo as an incredibly dedicated and passionate advocate for the tour and Eau Claire’s arts scene at-large.

“I see great things in the future. Art does so many different things and the community has really embraced it — (art) has become a part of our identity.”
—Julie Pangallo, public arts and events manager at Visit Eau Claire

ColorBlock, another arm of Visit Eau Claire and the Sculpture Tour, has flourished since its inception in 2020 thanks to community involvement and Pangallo’s open arms to welcome other arts-related ventures to the project, Wenberg added.

“Her commitment to its success and long-term future is unwavering and she has the ability to build meaningful relationships that strengthen and expand our work,” Wenberg said.

Gov. Tony Evers and Pangallo (pictured above) during National Travel and Tourism week in May, 2023. (Photo by Megan Zabel Holmes)

With the goal to provide accessible and inclusive public art displays, Eau Claire’s Sculpture Tour has grown to include several other Wisconsin communities: Menomonie, Altoona, the village of Oregon and Red Wing, among others.

Just this year, Destinations Wisconsin recognized Visit Eau Claire and the Sculpture Tour; honoring the organization with the Outstanding Designation Development Award. The tour has swiftly become “a cornerstone of the region’s cultural identity and a leading driver of public art tourism,” a recent media release stated.

“Eau Claire is the only city in Wisconsin that has a public arts position in their tourism department,” Pangallo said. “(The Sculpture Tour) strengthens our community assets and really helps build long-term tourism growth for the community.

“We're able to show respect to different cultures through art and community pride. The art that we choose (tries to) reflect community values with it,” she added.

Outside of the office grind, Pangallo has found her sanctuary on a farm south of Menomonie — where her family, nine horses, two dogs, cat and blue macaw live in harmony together. Adding to this, she has embarked on a new chapter with private flying lessons, a passion sparked by her involvement in regional air shows.

Pangallo finds the slower rhythms of farm life — alongside her animal companions — allows her to reconnect with values that reach beyond the sphere of work.

“(The farm) reminds me to be gentle, to be kind, to be present,” Pangallo said. “The horses teach me something (new) every day.”

“If (one) can make a difference, I feel you have a moral obligation to do so. That includes doing what you can, where you can, when you can.” —Julie Pangallo

Back at the office, Pangallo brings these very same vocations from her family and upbringing to her work. Even at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — prior to the Sculpture Tour's partnership with Visit Eau Claire — when the tour's future was uncertain, Pangallo believed when one has the opportunity to make a difference, failing to act is unacceptable.

“If (one) can make a difference, I feel you have a moral obligation to do so,” Pangallo said. “That includes doing what you can, where you can, when you can.”

These intentional choices continue to drive Pangallo’s efforts with the Sculpture Tour and Visit Eau Claire at large.

Looking to the future, Pangallo hopes for more collaboration between the Sculpture Tour in Eau Claire and cities across the state of Wisconsin. For Pangallo, the sky is no limitation; her passion for flight continues as she pursues obtaining her pilot's license.

Still, her life’s success will forever be rooted in the ongoing support from community members across her region — from local students to the construction and welding companies responsible for installing each new sculpture.

“I see great things in the future,” Pangallo said. “Art does so many different things and the community has really embraced it — (art) has become a part of our identity.”

To learn more about the Eau Claire Sculpture Tour — and view the interactive map of this year's sculptures — check out the Visit Eau Claire webpage online at visiteauclaire.com/sculpture-tour.