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MAPS Media Institute Takes Home National Award Page 5 Winter 2018 n Montana - The Land of Creativity MAC announces 2017 Artist’s Innovation Award recipients The Montana Arts Council approved eight Montana Visual Arts Performing Arts artists to receive its Artist’s Innovation Award. The $3,000 award is given every two years to performing, visual, and literary artists who exemplify innovation in their work and artwork, originality and dedication in their creative pursuits, as well as a marked capacity for self-direction. Panels of experts convened in November to determine the nominees who were presented for the council’s approval at their December meeting in Helena. “Montana has an exceptionally rich creative environment,” says Tatiana Gant, executive director of the Montana Arts Council. “The Artist’s Innovation Award Bently Spang Catherine Courtenaye Sam Krahn Joy French recognizes artists who have demonstrated commitment (Photo by Michael Duffy) (Photo by Terry Cyr) and encourages their continued exploration. The ingenu- Literary Arts ity of the artists selected for the 2017 awards highlights the brilliance of Montana’s cultural community.” This year’s recipients are: Performing Arts: Joy French and Sam Krahn Visual Arts: Catherine Courtenaye, Stephanie Frostad, Alison Reintjes and Bently Spang Literary Arts: Jennifer Groneberg and Aaron Parrett See AIA Profiles on pages 6-7 Stephanie Frostad Alison Reintjes (Photo by Danica Bayliss) (Photo by Chris Autio) Jennifer Groneberg Aaron Parrett (Photo by Peter Koch) East Helena receives $500,000 ArtPlace America grant For decades, East Helena held community-wide Project partners include the City of East Helena, the picnics hosted by the Asarco Smelter, with everyone wel- East Helena School District, the Environmental Protec- come. Everyone would bring food to share, often tied to tion Agency, entrepreneur Shalon Hastings of Taco del their ethnic roots, and play ball games and horseshoes. Sol, the Helena Community Offender Re-entry Program It is this community spirit East Helena seeks to rekin- and the Myrna Loy. dle with a $500,000 grant it received in early December The project hearkens back to some of the unique 2018 Governor’s Arts from ArtPlace America. events that make East Helena a welcoming and spe- The grant will help the town create an East Helena cial place to live. It will fund community feasts, music Awards nomination process Food and Culture Hub, a program to celebrate the town’s and storytelling events, and other arts-related projects unique identity, create a new culinary training program designed to inspire East Helenans and engage them in open Jan. 1-March 1 to support local businesses, and engage local artists to future planning. inspire East Helena citizens in community planning. “It starts with food – celebrating food,” said East Hel- The Governor’s Arts Awards program hon- “Congratulations to East Helena on this well-deserved ena Mayor Jamie Schell. “At its core, this is a workforce ors outstanding citizens and organizations in award that will not only prepare folks today to fill the development effort, but overall it is designed to use the Montana whose achievements in the arts, or on jobs of tomorrow, but will also ensure small businesses arts to engage the whole community in planning for the behalf of the arts, benefit all Montanans. Anyone can continue to find success, grow, and contribute back future.” or any organization in Montana with commen- to the community,” said Lt. Governor Mike Cooney, who See ArtPlace America Grant, page 2 surate accomplishments can be nominated for attended a celebration in East Helena Dec. 5. the Governor’s Arts Awards. Awards are not given posthumously. Alexandra Swaney, 1944-2017 For nomination information go to art.mt.gov/ gaanomination, or contact Cinda Holt, Cultural heritages and traditions formed common thread 406-777-0090. Former Montana Arts Council first of many cross-cultural travel Folklife Director Alexandra Mary experiences. She took her under- Swaney died Dec. 1 in her home- graduate degree at Mills College, town of Helena, attended to by and earned a doctorate in cultural devoted friends. Alex died as the anthropology from the University result of Alzheimer’s disease. of Colorado, Boulder. Her interest Alexandra was born May 9, in cultural heritages and traditions 1944, in Helena, daughter of Alex- was the common thread in a life of ander Grant Swaney and Mildred diverse explorations. Buckneberg. Her paternal grand- She was privileged to work parents, Andrew Swaney and Mary with her role model from child- Foy, were Flathead Valley pio- hood, Frieda Fligelman, an early neers, establishing the first trading student of anthropology at Colum- post with the Salish people near bia University. Frieda and Alexan- Kalispell. Her maternal grandpar- dra were a unique team, reviewing Alexandra Swaney ents moved to Helena from North papers together and generating Dakota when Alexandra was born; her grandmother, Tina possibilities for their hometown community. Alex edited Buckneberg helped raise Alex after her mother died in a a chapbook collection of Frieda’s poems, Beyond the riding accident in 1948. Mores. Alex graduated from Helena High School, having spent a semester as an exchange student in Mexico, the See Alexandra Swaney, page 4 State of the Arts • Winter 2018 my appreciation for the commitment to Mon- f D tana’s culture grows. The legislated partnership rom the irector between MAC and the Montana Historical Society ensures a balanced investment in pre- Tatiana Gant, Executive Director serving and growing Montana’s culture. [email protected] A Bridge Between Past and Present In my third month here, I had the opportu- Looking back to go forward nity to visit an organization that benefits from the trust, the Yellowstone Art Museum (YAM) We are in a notable time for the arts in The in Billings. Beginning business as the Yellow- this country. Many of the public institutions beauty of stone Art Center more than 50 years ago, YAM that serve with the arts are marking signifi- public investments in the arts is that they fol- has maintained a focus on contemporary artists cant anniversaries. In a democracy, priorities low the will of the people. Resources allocat- and education programs. for public investment must be continually ed by elected representatives are distributed at When entering YAM the bridge between examined. The milestones being marked by the direction of publically crafted plans, under past and present is visible as the modern our public institutions give the opportunity to the oversight of citizen advisors. MAC and museum wraps the former Yellowstone County reflect on their purpose. the programs we implement are democracy in Jail. The YAM collection is grounded in a 2 As our nation has grown, many presidents action. flourishing period of Modernism without being have contributed to shaping a federal role for stuck in a point in the past. Exhibits and acqui- the arts. Among them is President Dwight Montana’s Masters sitions continue to spotlight innovative artists D. Eisenhower who signed the bipartisan Weeks into my tenure, I had the oppor- from Montana. I was in town during Billings legislation that created the National Cultural tunity to visit Art Walk and the area Center more than 60 years ago. Fittingly, this Crow Agency to around YAM was full of Being new to Montana, center became the John F. Kennedy Center for present with the activity, YAM being one the Performing Arts, honoring the president Department of the and new at the helm of many cultural anchors who articulated the necessity for America to Interior’s Indian downtown. embrace its civilization. A performance at the Arts and Crafts of MAC, I’m looking Kennedy Center has become synonymous Board. It was Art and with artistic excellence. my good fortune to the past to see the the Military Just 10 years later, Congress created the to meet Mary National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the Lou Big Day, an future. What is easy to During my very busy fall, I surprised the Mis- federal agency that manages public invest- artist that MAC Sign up ments in the arts. The structure of the NEA has honored with pick up on is Montana’s soula Children’s Theatre (MCT) with an unan- for MAC’s was strategic and wise. The NEA makes fund- Montana’s Circle long-held reverence for nounced visit. They took ing available to designated state arts agencies, of American eNews to be distributed to local priorities. Congress Masters (MCAM) its environment and it in stride: the organization was buzzing with Between the quar- designed a process that preserved local voice award. terly issues of the and freedom – two core American values. Like many the culture that springs the news that they had been invited to present State of the Arts, our MCAM awardees, from it. to the National Council staff publishes four Montana Fine Arts Commission Mary Lou learned on the Arts. Congress separate e-newsletters I’m fortunate to have in my archives a to bead from her – Tatiana Gant had recently prioritized with opportunities and history told by former Sen. James Haughey elders. She makes arts programs that serve information: (1914-2007.) He described a statute that es- objects infused the military and MCT was asked to present on • Artists’ eNews tablished what would evolve into the Montana with meaning and cultural significance. Mary its long-running program that serves military • Arts Educators’ Fine Arts Commission more than 70 years Lou has received many honors, and her work families. eNews ago. Among their early accomplishments was is presented internationally. Mary Lou shares MCT travels the world, under military • Arts Organizations’ the construction of a statue of Charlie Russell, her skills and passion as the matriarch of a contract to military bases, giving children the eNews placed in the National Statuary Hall in Wash- family of traditional Crow artists. The roster chance to perform and build skills that will • Public Artists’ ington, DC. of MCAM artists captures the breadth of ma- help them navigate the challenges that can eNews Being new to Montana, and new at the terial culture, ensuring that artisans like Mary come with prolonged parent deployments and If you’d like to sign- helm of MAC, I’m looking to the past to see Lou Big Day remain central in Montana’s frequent moves. MCT’s military program is up for one or more of the future. What is easy to pick up on is Mon- history. just one aspect of the work they do that shares these, please offer us tana’s long-held reverence for its environment As I have become more familiar with Mon- the arts in communities beyond their own. and the culture that springs from it. tana’s Cultural and Aesthetics Projects Trust, your contact informa- The final month of a year is a time for tion and what you’d reflection. Especially so with 2017 marking the like to receive at: art. 50th year of this arts agency for the State of mt.gov/enews or send Montana. Montanans know that skilled artists us an email at: mac@ working in their communities add richness. mt.gov. Montana is home to many thriving cultural districts that contribute to healthy economies. Montana uses the arts to heal and grow. The arts in Montana keep us connected to our history. I am proud to become a part of this state, in service to these values. My time in Montana can be counted in months, and I have so much to learn and discover. Already I have been gifted with input on the things I must see and what I must know. I look forward to each opportunity. S a tate of the rtS East Helena Mayor Jamie Schell announces the East Helena Food and Culture Hub, a three-year creative placemaking project, which received a $500,000 grant from Art- State of the Arts is published four Place America. (Photo by Ross Peter Nelson) times a year by the Montana Arts ArtPlace America grant Council and produced by Lively (from page 1) Times. State of the Arts welcomes submissions of photographs, press releases The grant was highly competitive with 987 its strong community partnerships. and newsworthy information from in- applying, and East Helena as one of just 23 “They saw this little town in the shadow dividual artists and arts organizations. recipients out of 70 finalists. of the slag pile re-envisioning its future,” Please check with the Montana “ArtPlace America saw in this community Holmes said. Arts Council for reprint permission. and us something they don’t see elsewhere,” Javier Torres of ArtPlace America said the Next Deadline: The deadline Schell said. He believes it’s the way all the grant-makers are “absolutely thrilled to be for submissions is March 2 for the community groups came together to work on investing in East Helena.” Spring issue (April-June). Send items the grant. “This project is a shining example of to: Montana Arts Council, PO Box School Superintendent Ron Whitmoyer how rural communities can design equitable 202201, Helena, MT 59620-2201; said the culinary arts program will use school futures for themselves by elevating the unique phone 406-444-6430, fax 406-444- kitchens, home ec classrooms and East Hele- culture and character of their place,” he said. 6548 or email [email protected]. na businesses. It will help expand the school’s “The comprehensive culinary arts workforce Subscriptions: State of the Arts is adult education program to include culinary program that East Helena, the Myrna Loy and available free of charge to Montana arts and other job-training courses. their partners have developed will undoubted- residents as a public service of the The grant was written by Krys Holmes of ly create great economic opportunity for the Montana Arts Council. To subscribe, the Myrna Loy to demonstrate how effective- region.” call 406-444-6430, or update or sign- ly artists can help build community vitality. ArtPlace America is a 10-year collabo- up online at art.mt.gov. Out-of-state Holmes said the ArtPlace team that vis- ration by a number of foundations, federal subscriptions are $15 per year; mail ited East Helena this summer was “totally agencies and financial institutions that works your check to Montana Arts Council, charmed,” noting the new school, trail system to put arts and culture at the center of commu- PO Box 202201, Helena, MT 59620. and housing going up in the community and nity planning and building. Winter 2018 • State of the Arts toad population, which only exists in a 10-mile stretch of the Oasis C ... Valley in the Amargosa Desert. Roehrig, who is a student in MSU’s ongrats to Science and Natural History Filmmaking MFA program, made the film as an intern for the Western Landowners Alliance, and was the Glenn Gilmore, an artist-blacksmith chief interviewer, writer, crew and editor for from Corvallis, who won Best Artist the production. While at MSU, Roehrig has – Metal at the 25th Western Design cobbled together an assortment of jobs. He is Conference, held Sept. 7-10 at the Snow busy working for a variety of film projects in King Center in Jackson Hole, WY. A the area and teaches cellular and molecular panel of five jurors unanimously chose biology to MSU undergraduates. In his spare Gilmore’s piece, “The Wave,” a custom- minutes, he is working on his thesis film that is forged stair railing inspired by the artist’s being shot in Hyalite; the film has no narration, visit to a geological formation on the but will have musical accompaniment, he said. Utah-Arizona border. The cap and shoe were forged from large diameter round Tippet Rise Art Center in Fishtail, which steel and given a weathered steel surface. was named Best Museum of the Year, North The railing was assembled using recycled America, on Sept. 29 by the 2017 Leading materials and traditional blacksmithing “The Wave” by Glenn Gilmore (Photo by Ron Maier) Cultural Destinations Awards. The prestigious techniques including mortice-and- award recognizes institutions, organizations, 3 tenon joinery. The entire railing, which is 36” tall, 64” long and 4” and cities that have provided exemplary contributions to local cultural deep, has a hand-rubbed wax finish. Twenty-one artists, designers life. The awards ceremony took place in London, at the Trafalgar St and craftspeople received top honors in seven judging categories for James Hotel. Set at the foot of the Beartooth Mountains, Tippet Rise their one-of-a-kind furnishings, functional art pieces and fashions. opened in 2016 as a destination for local residents and international Other Montana winners include Kibler & Kirch of Billings and Red visitors to celebrate the union of land, art, architecture, and music. Lodge, which was awarded Best Interior Design for their dining-room Located roughly midway between Bozeman and Billings, the center overhaul, which included timeless pieces from their collection of offers an unexpected oasis that presents concerts by world-renowned furnishings, rugs and lighting. Additionally, Bear Paw Designs (Mike musicians and young artists, and large-scale contemporary sculpture Roths, Stevensville) took home the Western Spirit Award for a rustic, on a 10,260-acre working sheep and cattle ranch. As an institution Send us your Old West-style hutch. For a complete listing of this year’s winners go founded to serve its neighbors in Montana, as much as visiting good news to: www.westerndesignconference.com/awards. musicians, artists, and audiences, Tippet Rise develops and supports year-round education programs in schools at the Artists, writers, mu- Helena artist Karen Luckey, whose painting K-12 level, in local colleges and universities, and sicians, arts educators “Hurry Let’s Go” was accepted in to the American other organizations. Leading Culture Destinations and arts adminis- Artists Professional League’s 89th annual Awards is a platform created to explore, recognize trators: Please let us Grand National Exhibition, on display Oct. 20- and promote the world’s best destinations for know about major Dec. 29 at the Salmagundi Club in New York cultural experiences, and 2017 marks the fourth awards and accom- City. The exhibition may be viewed at www. edition. For more information, visit www. plishments, especially americanartistsprofessionalleague.org. lcdawards.com. beyond the borders of Montana. Coaster Pedicabs Manufacturing in Bonner, The Missoula Art Museum, which secured a a Made in Montana manufacturing company $25,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Send your good that’s making its mark in the arts. The company, Library Services (IMLS) Museums for America news to Congrats, which produces pedal-powered passenger carts program. The grant will fund a statewide project c/o Kristi Niemeyer, also known as rickshaws, had its products on to improve community access and collection 207 6th Ave. E, display Sept. 15-Oct. 8 in Philadelphia for a resources for libraries and museums. Only 24% Polson, MT 59860; public art exhibit by the celebrated Chinese artist of applications to the highly competitive program or better yet, email Cai Guo-Qiang. “Fireflies,” the artist’s largest were funded, placing MAM among the ranks of kristi@livelytimes. American public art project in a decade, featured 138 national projects that support the IMLS goal to com. custom pedicabs adorned with hundreds of colorful “Hurry Let’s Go” by Karen Luckey connect communities to their artistic and cultural If you include a lanterns gliding along Philadephia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway four resources. MAM’s project, CARES: Catalyzing Access, Research, and digital photo, please nights a week. The Association for Public Art contacted Bonner-based Education Solutions, engages museums, libraries, civic agencies, and make sure it’s at least Coaster Pedicab last year because the company’s attention to detail other partners from across Montana in a needs assessment to improve caught Guo-Qiang’s eye. After the company sent a custom version access to cultural collections and increased resources for preservation 200 lines per inch (lpi of its standard pedicab, the artist placed an order for 27 of them. and conservation. Montana has a rich history, and its institutions hold or dpi) and a file size Coaster Pedicab ramped up production to fulfill the order – its largest important collections of artwork, documents, and archival materials. of over 500kb. to date – and shipped the fleet even earlier than expected. Coaster However, many of the state’s museums and libraries are experiencing Pedicab started in 2005 as Boston Pedicab, where Justin Bruce, now shrinking capacity as collections continue to grow. CARES will the company’s chief operating officer, led a project to reinvent the determine the potential for collaborations in collections-driven traditional pedicab. He found an established bicycle manufacturer to research and inform the conceptual design of a MAM collections work with in Darby, and relocated Coaster Pedicab’s headquarters center in Missoula. Project Director Brandon Reintjes says, “Museums to Montana. One year later, Coaster Pedicab was established in the and libraries tend to develop and expend resources independently. historic Bonner Sawmill. “We feel extremely fortune to have found our However, there are significant opportunities for us to collaborate home in the Big Sky and to have all of our trikes Montana made,” said with our colleagues throughout the state, specifically in regards to Bruce. collections. We’re extremely proud to have received this important national grant at this time.” Nearly $22,000 of the total grant will stay Bozeman metalsmith Kimberly in Montana communities and provide direct benefits for Montanans, Navratil-Pope, whose work was included including training stipends and new access to much-needed resources. again this year in Robert Redford’s Learn more at www.imls.gov. Sundance catalog. The catalog highlights American artists and their craft along t ransitions with imported work. Navratil-Pope, a fifth generation Montanan, has been a professional metalsmith for more than So long and best wishes to Greg Johnson, long-time 20 years. Her work is included in the artistic director of The Montana Repertory Theatre, the Smithsonian National Gallery and has been professional theatre in residence at the University of Montana, published in various books and magazines. and UM theatre professor. He retires May 15, 2018. Johnson Earrings modeled by has lead the Rep and taught acting and directing at UM for artist Kimberly The 2017 High Plains Book Award 29 years, during which time he and his colleagues built the Navratil-Pope winners from Montana: Sneed B. Collard company into a full-fledged, state and nationally respected, III, Medicine and Science, for Hopping Ahead of Climate Change: touring company traveling cross Montana and a majority of Snowshoe Hares, Science, and Survival, published by Bucking Horse the 50 states. In the summer of 2017 the company traveled Greg Johnson Books; Lowell Jaeger, poetry, for Poems Across the Big Sky II, which to Beijing China with its production of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” In he edited for Many Voices Press; Rick Bass, short stories, for his 1993, Johnson, with Marsha Norman and Michael Murphy, began the collection, For a Little While, published by Little Brown and Company; Missoula COLONY; this gathering of artists in support of the writers’ and Christine Carbo, Woman Writer, for Mortal Fall, published by craft is held every summer in Missoula at the University of Montana. Atria Books/Simon & Schuster. The awards, which coincide with the The Montana Repertory Theatre has a unique relationship with the High Plains Bookfest, were given during the awards banquet Oct. 21 University of Montana and is deeply attached and committed to the at the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings. Nominations open mid- training program at the School of Theatre and Dance in the College of January for the 2018 awards. Learn more Visual and Performing Arts. Johnson has cherished at www.highplainsbookawards.org. his time with the Montana Rep and appreciates his relationship “with all the heroic presenters Montana State University graduate throughout the nation who have steadfastly stood student Jason Roehrig, who won with the company and booked it year after year. A the top student prize at the Wildlife national search has ensued to replace him. Because Conservation Film Festival in New of this search, and in light of the fact that Montana York City with a short documentary Repertory Theatre has lost its national booking about efforts to protect a wild toad in agent to retirement, the company will take a one- Nevada. Roehrig won the award for an year hiatus from touring nationally during the episode of “Stewardship with Vision” 2018-19 season, as the new leadership and a new about Nevada rancher Dave Spicer and Congrats compiled his efforts to promote the Amargosa Filmmaker Jason Roehrig Transitions continue on next page by Kristi Niemeyer for State of the Arts State of the Arts • Winter 2018 role in the film industry was as a stunt rider in the 1987 film “War t ransitions ( ) Party,” which also featured his brother, Tim Reevis. His first acting Continued role, in 1988, was in Universal’s “Twins.” He played a non-speaking role as a Cheyenne warrior in the highly acclaimed “Dances With booking agent are put in place. The Montana Repertory Theatre will Wolves” in 1990. In 1993, he was cast as the Apache scout, Chato, continue to offer its very popular, state-wide educational outreach tour; in “Geronimo: An American Legend,” starring Wes Studi. Reevis is The Missoula COLONY; the playwright development program (5 on perhaps best known for his 1995 Native American lead role in “Last 5 and 4 by 4); and will continue its downtown presence in Missoula of the Dogmen” with Tom Berenger. In 1996, Reevis received an with its “Visions and Voices” program. The Rep expects to be at full award from First Americans in the Arts (FAITA) for his supporting operational capacity in the 2019-20 season with a new national touring roles in both the critically acclaimed movie “Fargo,” and in the made production and new and exciting leadership, vision and energy. for television movie “Crazy Horse.” In 2004 he received the honor again for his work on the ABC series “Line of Fire.” One of Reevis’s So long and best wishes to Robyn G. Peterson. The long-time last performances was in 2015 on the independent comedy “Fishing executive director of the Yellowstone Naked,” directed by Peter Coggan. A GoFundMe page has been Art Museum left her post Dec. 8. created to help the family. Since assuming the position of executive director in March 2006, Alexandra Swaney Peterson launched a successful capital (from page 1) 4 and endowment campaign, conceived and oversaw construction of the Visible Vault, rebranded the YAM, led Talented as a writer, artist the staff through a series of acclaimed and musician, Alexandra exhibitions and new programs, and focused on her gifts as a achieved national accreditation for the keyboardist and composer YAM. She notes how unusual it is that in her work with Cheap a city the size of Billings should have Cologne. In the mid- such a large and active art museum, 1980s she studied music Celebration and that a state as sparsely populated composition at CalArts in as Montana should have so many Robyn G. Peterson of the Arts California. exceptional artists. “The opportunity Most recently, she sang launches to work in such a generous and supportive community has been with Musikanten in their unmatched,” she says. I’m pleased to be able to leave the museum performance of Bach’s B Emerson’s in a strong position, confident that the community will continue to Minor Mass. ensure that the YAM remains a centerpiece of its thriving cultural anniversary Alexandra’s generative environment.” Peterson will be moving out of state to pursue new creative energy contributed The Emerson Cen- projects. to the founding of Second ter for the Arts and Emeritus trustee Story Cinema in Helena, Culture in Bozeman Carol L. H. Green now the Myrna Loy Center. and senior curator celebrates its 25th She was also part of creating Bob Durden anniversary as an the Montana Artists Refuge will serve as co- The intrepid Alex Swaney during a arts organization and in Basin, helping ensure interim directors, visit to Mongolia. the centennial of the residencies for Native until a permanent building that houses American artists. She was an adjunct professor of anthropology at executive director is it in 2018. The anni- hired. Green joined Carroll College, and co-led several journeys of spiritual exploration with the Feathered Pipe Ranch Foundation to Peru and other sacred versary year kicks off the YAM Board of sites. Jan. 26 with the third Trustees in 1997 Bob Durden Carol L. H. Green Alexandra was an advocate. She was a strong proponent of annual Celebration of and served as prior women’s and gay rights, supporting the founding of the Montana the Arts. interim director (July 2005-March 2006), and board president (2006- Women’s Lobby Fund and contributing regularly to the gay This year’s theme is 2008). She was granted emeritus status in 2012, and is currently acting community’s Hearts and Humans events. chair of the Endowment Committee. She earned her bachelor’s in art “A Night to Remem- For a decade, Alex worked as the folklife director at the Montana history from the University of Minnesota in 1965, and master’s in ber – Winter Formal,” Arts Council, travelling across the state to discover and support a public relations from MSU-Billings in 2004. She and her husband, a throwback to the variety of artists. Her work helped establish the annual Montana John, have served on various boards including the Library Foundation, era of formal danc- Folklife Festival in Butte. the MSU-Billings Foundation, Billings Symphony Orchestra and es, vintage fashions Many friends were honored to be part of Alex’s support team over Chorale, the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, the Lewis and the historic & Clark Bicentennial Commission, and others. Durden was formerly the last two years, after the death of her partner, Lillian Milchalsky. Gratitude is extended to John Sims, M. J. Williams, Nan Parsons, prominence of the on the curatorial staff of the then Yellowstone Art Center in the 1990s, Nancy Owens, Melissa Kwasny and Bryher Herak. Alex’s care team Emerson, which was acting as staff project manager for the expansion of the museum that would like to thank her loving caregivers, Maureen Sullivan, Judy a schoolhouse from opened in February 1998. Durden returned to the Yellowstone Art Moon Vasquez, and also the staff at Bear Grass Suites in Boulder; 1918-92. Museum staff in January 2012 and has since been responsible for appreciation also goes to her many friends at the Montana Arts Council The Celebration curating an active series of acclaimed exhibitions, including “Face and the Feathered Pipe Ranch. Also important to Alex’s well-being to Face, Wall to Wall” during the YAM’s 50th anniversary year of the Arts Exhibit, were Jo Reid Smith, Arnie Malina, Rhandi Rachlis, Joan Bird and (2014). Durden earned a bachelor’s from MSU-Billings in 1984 and a silent auction and Nancy Collins-Warner. master’s from MSU-Bozeman in 1990. In addition to his exceptional juried collection of A memorial service in honor of Alex’s life will be held at a later abilities as a curator, Durden is a practicing artist whose work is original art donated date. exhibited statewide and beyond. by local and regional artists in support of Judy Martz: Arts advocate C … the Emerson, is on ondolenCes to display through Former Montana Governor Judith Jan. 26. Helen Martz, 74, passed away peacefully The Emerson also at her home in Butte Oct. 30, after a long partnered with the battle with pancreatic cancer. Gallatin History Martz was born in Big Timber to Joe Museum to curate and Dorothy Morstein. She was one of two complimentary six children and loved being around her siblings. She moved to Butte when she exhibits that explore was a little girl, attended Hawthorne the origins of school Elementary School and graduated from and social dances Butte High School. as well as vintage She loved to compete, at anything! fashions. The Weaver In 1962, she was named Miss Rodeo Room features histor- Montana, and then, runner-up to Miss ic photographs from Rodeo America. In 1963 she made the Gov. Judy Martz school and commu- World Speed Skating Team and went on to compete with the 1964 nity dances that took Blackfeet actor Steve Reevis as Art in “Fishing Naked.” Olympic Speed Skating Team in Innsbruck, Austria. place around the In 1965, she married Harry Martz. For 37 years they owned and The family and friends of actor Steve Reevis. The Browning Gallatin Valley, and operated Martz Disposal Service together. native, who appeared in dozens of films, died Dec. 7 at a hospital In 1996, she was selected by Marc Racicot to be Lieutenant the Lobby Gallery in Missoula; he was 56. During his career, he appeared in the films Governor and then in 2000 she was elected Montana’s first female displays vintage “Twins,” “Dances with Wolves,” “Last of the Dogmen,” “Fargo,” governor. formal attire, cour- and “The Longest Yard.” He also appeared in the TV shows “Walker, In a column in 2004, former MAC Executive Director Arlynn tesy of the Gallatin Texas Ranger” and “JAG.” Reevis was born Aug. 14, 1962, to Fishbaugh expressed her appreciation for the governor, and her History Museum and Curley and Lila Reevis and raised on the Blackfeet Reservation advocacy for the arts. During Martz’s tenure, the governor’s office community mem- in Browning. According to the actor’s IMDb profile, he lived the established the Creative Enterprise Cluster as part of the state’s plan struggling actors’ dream in a quest to act in film and movies. He bers. to boost Montana’s economy through the arts, culture and businesses graduated from Flandreau High School and attended Haskell Indian For details, call involved in creative enterprises. Junior College in Lawrence, KS, where he received a degree in arts. 406-587-9797 or visit “None of this would be possible without the commitment of After Haskell, Reevis began his acting career in Los Angeles while theemerson.org. Governor Judy Martz,” she wrote. “We all owe her enormous thanks living on the beach in his car, a 1971 Ford Torino. Reevis’s first for bringing to life her belief that the arts mean business in Montana.” Winter 2018 • State of the Arts A E rts ducAtion MAPS wins national Youth Program Award The Montana Arts cational work of the program: Council proudly recognizes “In rural communities and on and congratulates Hamil- Native American reservations ton-based MAPS Media where arts opportunities are lim- Institute, chosen as one ited, MAPS keeps underserved of only a dozen awardees youth not only engaged, but honored by the President’s also employed, in some cases. Committee on the Arts and MAPS infuses youth with ‘reel’ Humanities as a recipient of life principles and professional the 2017 National Arts and experience, balanced with com- 5 Humanities Youth Program munity service.” Award. Back home in the Bitterroot The National Arts and Valley, the organization con- Humanities Youth Program tinues its valuable work. “By An ecstatic group of MAP students celebrates winning the National Arts Award is the nation’s highest providing creative opportunities and Humanities Youth Program Award. honor for after-school and for students to find their voice, out-of-school arts and humanities programs – tional level, empowers our team to work even MAPS helps them experience new ways to also known as Creative Youth Development harder. It also reinforces to the students that envision themselves and create successful (or CYD) programs – that celebrate the cre- they matter, that people are listening, beyond futures,” says Harff. ativity of America’s young people, particular- Montana, to the stories they’re sharing. And The National Arts and Humanities Youth ly those from underserved communities. that their stories are powerful and can indeed, Program Awards initiative is a signature pro- This award recognizes and supports ex- make a difference.” gram of the President’s Committee on the Arts cellence in programs that open new pathways In recognition of its outstanding work, and the Humanities, in partnership with the to learning, self-discovery, and achievement. MAPS received a $10,000 grant and repre- National Endowment for the Arts, the Nation- Each year, the National Arts and Humanities sentatives traveled to D.C. in November to al Endowment for the Humanities, and the In- Join the Arts Youth Program Award recognizes 12 out- accept the award plaque at a Kennedy Center stitute of Museum and Library Services. The Ed Professional standing programs in the United States, from ceremony. As with all awardees, MAPS is also annual awards showcase cultural excellence a wide range of urban and rural settings. receiving capacity-building and communica- and enhance the availability of out-of-school Learning group “Winning the NAHYP Award is a profound tions support, designed to make the organiza- arts and humanities programs to children and In partnership with honor for MAPS,” says the organization’s ex- tion stronger. young people. the Office of Public ecutive director Clare Ann Harff. “For a rural The National Arts and Humanities Youth To learn more about MAPS’ work, visit Instruction, an online Montana program to be recognized, at a na- Program Awards praised the exemplary edu- mapsmediainstitute.org. Arts Ed Professional Learning Community Arts Transform Communities (PLC) has formed as a means of bringing Montana Arts Integration Conference convenes June 27-29 together educators from across Montana around a range of By Karen Kaufmann Arts integration is blossoming in Montana community partnerships. topics. The next ses- Director, UM Creative Pulse schools through the SPARK! Arts initiative, Highlighting the conference are musicians sion meets Jan. 25. The inaugural Arts Transform Commu- the work of Montana Teacher Leaders in the from the Silk Road Ensemble, formerly in To learn more, visit nities: The Montana Arts Integration Con- Arts, and OPI’s Teacher Learning Hub. The residence in Lame Deer Schools through learninghub.mrooms. ference will take place June 27-29 on the June conference features Montana educators TurnAround Arts; Carlton Turner, speaking net/course/index. and artists as well as arts integration experts on Social Justice in the Arts; Kennedy Center University of Montana-Missoula campus php?categoryid=120 from around the country. trainer Deb Brzoska, focusing on Arts Assess- for an audience of educators, administrators, and look for the Arts ment; and Supaman, an Apsáalooke rapper teaching artists, community leaders, creative PLC on the left. Arts Transform Communities from Crow Agency who educates students thinkers and policy makers. about Native American history and culture. Arts Transform Communities: The Mon- Funded by the Dennis and Phyllis Wash- Representatives from the Kennedy Center/ AISC Grant tana Arts Integration Conference aims to ington Foundation, the conference is spon- Any Given Child programs in Portland, OR, sored by UM Arts, Missoula County Public showcase the extraordinary work happening opportunities Austin, TX, and Southern Nevada have been in Montana schools, expand arts integration Schools and SPARK! Arts Ignite Learning, programming to new Montana communities, invited to attend and share their programmatic open soon and supported by conference partners, the successes. The extraordinary arts integration Montana Art Council and the Montana Office and provide professional development to new The Artists in work taking place throughout Montana will be of Public Instruction. and seasoned educators, school administrators Schools and Com- showcased by close to 30 regional presenters. and teaching artists. The conference offers As defined by the John F. Kennedy Center munities FY19 Grant All Montana artists interested in working engaging professional development opportuni- for the Performing Arts: “arts integration is Cycle opens Friday, in K-12 schools are encouraged to attend. To ties for artists and arts organizations alike. an approach to teaching in which students Jan. 19, with applica- learn more about the conference, or to regis- This is an opportunity for all who want construct and demonstrate understanding tion due dates from ter, visit www.umt.edu/creativepulse/arts- to make an impact on education, to become through an art form. Students engage in a cre- integration-conference/default.php. Questions mid-March through better equipped for success within the schools; ative process, which connects an art form and may be directed to christyanne.neely@gmail. mid-May. All details the conference also provides a networking another subject area and helps meet evolving com. for each grant cate- opportunity for developing or strengthening objectives in both.” gory will be posted on MAC’s website, “Rez Made” exhibit showcases student images art.mt.gov. Featuring 14 student-photog- Shawncee Brave Rock, Nikki Burke, Tris- Poetry Out raphers from the Flathead Indian tin George, Nina Leone Hernandez, Taelyn Loud Reservation in Pablo, the Lafley, Whisper Michel, Jenna Mullaney, Missoula Art Museum mounted Esperanza Orozco-Charlo, Alexia Parizeau, The Poetry Out the group exhibition “Rez Made: Mars Sandoval, Xavier Smith, Michelle Tom- Loud Montana State Photographs from Two Eagle ma and Bailey Wippert. Finals is set to take River School Students,” on view Spear is the visionary and driver who made place on Saturday, from Oct. 3-Dec. 31. The remark- this experience possible. Before moving to March 3, at Grand- able work shown represents a Montana, he taught at New York University street Theatre in Hel- journey well beyond the class- and the International Center for Photography, ena. The competition room for many of the participat- where he developed the community outreach begins at 9 a.m. ing young artists. program for underserved communities of Up to 20 high In the spring of 2016, pho- New York City. school student tographer, educator and mentor In 2002, he began teaching photography at finalists from three David Spear led the group of Salish Kootenai College in Pablo and started “RezMadeByNina” by Nina Leone Hernandez regional competitions students to New York City. “The Our Community Record: Two Eagle River across Montana will idea of this trip is to have young classes while finding time for shooting on the School on the Flathead Indian Reservation, compete. The winner people, who are invested in photography, get streets of New York. a project that encourages students to explore a general idea of the photo business,” Spear The work in the exhibition ranges from and document their community, culture, and earns the opportunity said. street photography to architectural documen- history through storytelling and photography. to travel to Wash- The students toured The New York Times, tation in both black-and-white and color. The He is co-founder and director of A VOICE ington, D.C., and New York University’s photography program, collection of images showcases strong photo- – Art, Vision and Outreach In Communi- represent Montana in Aperture Magazine, the International Center graphic skills and diverse artistic visions in a ty Education, a nonprofit organization that the National Poetry of Photography, and the photography collec- group of students from rural Montana, many provides art-based educational programming Out Loud recitation tion at the Museum of Modern Art. They at- of whom had never left the state. in Montana rural communities and that helped contest. tended advanced photojournalism and portrait Student-photographers are: Lee Atwin, support Rez Made. Learn more at poetryoutloud.org. State of the Arts • Winter 2018 Artist’s Innovation Award Profiles Meet the eight Montana artists who 17th World Saxophone Congress and received the 2017 Montana Arts Council’s Festival, the New York City Electro- Artist’s Innovation Award: acoustic Music Festival, the MATA Festival in New York City, the Source Performing Arts Song Festival in Minneapolis, the 2015 Root Signals Electronic Music Joy French, Missoula Festival, and many others. In 2015, Joy French is a dancer, choreographer, his first musical comedy, “An Evening videographer and producer based in Missoula. 19th century handwriting embedded beneath with Krampus” premiered in a five-show run After earning her MFA in performance and layers, including naturalistic studies of birds at the Phoenix Theater in Minneapolis. He is choreography at the University of Colorado, of the American West, pen-and-ink draw- also a founding member of the Minneapolis Boulder, she moved to Missoula and in 2011 ings, aerial landscapes, and maps. “My own composer collective 113. founded Bare Bait Dance (BBD) – currently gestures are in a kind of conversation with the Krahn received a doctorate in music com- Montana’s only professional contemporary shape of imprinted text and scribbling,” she position at the University of Minnesota-Twin dance company. writes. Cities, and holds a master’s from Roosevelt She created BBD to build her choreo- Through the years, she has sought new 6 University and a bachelor’s in classical guitar graphic pursuits, provide “a home for dancers ways to highlight “the strange beauty and performance from Boston University. Along in the region” and to produce nationally and expressiveness of the ordinary handwriting of the way, he has played in numerous rock internationally acclaimed artists. our ancestors.” bands, classical ensembles, improvisational In addition to In the process, she’s developed a technique groups, and as a soloist. He is currently the BBD, French is that employs photo silkscreen to transfer director of the Montana Improvisers Orches- an adjunct facul- facsimiles of handwriting above and below tra, teaches music at Great Falls College – ty at the Univer- fields of color. “I believe I’ve found a way to MSU and is artist-in-residence at Paris Gibson sity of Montana conjure the passage of time abstractly – by Square Museum of Contemporary Art in and teaches in employing layers, translucency, and revealing Great Falls. Missoula high what lies beneath the surface,” she says. “For the past 15 years, my focus as a com- schools through Panel members praised her “compelling poser has been to create music that is shared BBD’s Montana approach” to using language and communica- through traditional means: a notated score is MoDE (Model tion in her work, and the depth and ingenuity given to highly trained performers to make Dance Educator) of her recent body of work, which combines extremely specific sounds and gestures,” he program. birds and language “in a fluid and meaningful says. Profession- way.” The Montana Improvisers Orchestra ally, she has “These new works are an exciting de- combines amateur and professional musicians performed in parture from her previous work,” notes a who work together to explore new sound Montana with panelist. “She maintains her focus on script worlds. “Some members have never played Headwaters and written communication, while including Joy French (Photo by Tom Dance Co. and the CoMotion Dance Project, an instrument or read music before meeting in visual elements that speak about space, struc- Bauer/Missoulian) this group, and others, such as myself, have and with Impact Dance Co. and Evolving ture and distance.” performed professionally and have advanced Doors Dance in Colorado. Her creative work “She is successful in her creation of trans- degrees in music.” has been showcased by a variety of schools, lucent surfaces, layering and abstraction in The orchestra challenges Krahn “to find dance companies, theaters and festivals, her works, where the shapes and lines, not the ways for a group with a wide range of abili- including Bellingham Repertory Dance (WA), word itself, creates the composition.” ties to create music together without reading Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema (CO), traditional notation.” Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School Stephanie Frostad, Missoula Panel members describe his application (CO), Ursinus College (PA), and the Universi- Missoula artist Stephanie Frostad creates as “satisfying, intriguing and beautiful,” and ty of Colorado Boulder (CO). graphite and oil paintings on primed two-di- appreciated learning about microtonality. As a dancer, choreographer and director, mensional surfaces. Her work is “endlessly “Sam’s work is many things at once to me: she primarily focuses on American female inspired by both nature and culture,” and engaging, challenging, evocative, emotional, narratives, exploring “who we are as con- ranges from observations of flora and fauna menacing. And the way he brought it out of temporary modern women and how these to intricate compositions depicting human the performers through reactions to sketches identities are shaped by history.” endeavor. is inspired,” wrote one panelist. Extensive research goes into her narra- Frostad earned her MFA from the Univer- “Very well presented and beautifully ar- tives. “I scavenge through literary works, sity of Montana, her bachelor’s at the Mary- ticulated,” wrote another. “I gleaned from his visit historical museums, and open personal land Institute College of Art in Baltimore, and presentation is that he is on the cusp of a huge discourse with various groups of women. studied at the Studio Arts Center Institute in innovative spurt in his life.” “Through this research I try to find unique Florence, Italy. characters, vibrant stories, and human ‘uni- She has exhibited throughout versal truths’ that can transcend age, class, the United States and abroad in and even gender.” Canada, China, Italy and New In her late 20s, French began to experi- Zealand. Her work is held in nu- ment with technology, “specifically the video merous public and private collec- camera and all its tangential components tions. like projection screens, editing software, and Her public art projects include sound design.” Those explorations, in turn, “Radiant,” a mural created for the changed her choreography and the process of Montana Natural History Center, creation. “Suddenly I was not locked in a the- and a three-part 120-foot long mu- ater or studio space for the creative process,” ral created with art students from she says. Willard Alternative High School Panelists say her work demonstrates on Missoula’s Bitterroot Spur experimentation, artistic excellence, humor, Trail. Self-employed as an artist thoughtfulness and a wide range of artistry in “Specimens (with Ibis)” by Catherine Courtenaye since 1994, Frostad remains active both live dance performances and dance for as a teacher, mentor and camera. speaker on art. Visual Arts “She is a great innovator of audience “I work enthusiastically with both fact and development,” writes a panelist. “It isn’t just Catherine Courtenaye, Bozeman fiction, delighting in myth and metaphor as the artistic innovation but how to interact Catherine Courtenaye was born in Madrid, much as the vital world around me,” writes with a community Spain, and grew up around the world as the Frostad. that’s an impressive daughter of a diplomat. She earned an MFA Her narrative paintings seek to present innovation.” in painting from the University of Iowa, and the essential elements of a story, and portray lives in Bozeman. “figures and scenarios that are both personally Sam Krahn, Great A recipient of a National Endowment for compelling and socially relevant.” Falls the Arts Individual Artist Award, she Sam Krahn is a has had numerous solo exhibitions composer, guitar- nationally, and her work is included in ist, performer, and the permanent collections of the Boise teacher whose Art Museum, Crocker Art Museum, works have been Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, performed by mem- the Oakland Museum of California and bers of the Chicago the Tucson Museum of Art. Symphony Orches- She’s taught as a guest artist at Mon- tra, the Fidelio Trio, tana State University, San Jose State Members of the Ensemble Uusinta, University, and California College of Montana Improvisers Ensemble Dal Niente, Duo Gelland, the Cas- the Arts, among others, and has been Orchestra (l-r): Devin cade Quartet, Strains New Music Ensemble, the subject of publications, in tandem Burgess, Sam Krahn, the Eugene Contemporary Chamber Ensem- with exhibits at the Boise Art Museum Andrew Guschausky, ble, and many others. and Stremmel Gallery in Reno, and Julia Becker and Janet He has received numerous commissions to featured in Big Sky Magazine. Henderson. compose new works, and participated in the Her paintings include fragments of “Plank” by Stephanie Frostad (Photo by Tracy Rosenbaum/Great Falls Tribune) Winter 2018 • State of the Arts “I have destroyed over half my sculpted honesty. I believe work of the past two years … in an that shared stories are effort to rid myself of old patterns healing.” and strategies for image-making Her new work, that have grown tedious or stale,” Mosaic: A Novel, moves she writes. from first-person point “Yet nothing is forsaken. Indeed of view to third-person as I mature artistically … The narrator. It tells the story scope of my imagery expands too of two women whose lives with a desire to more vividly ad- collide in a terrible car dress both the lights and shadows accident on a lonely ranch of life today.” road in central Montana Her new work contains more near the fictional town of traces of the process and yields Horse Creek. “less predictable resolutions. I am “Modern War Shirt Series – War Shirt #4, National Sacrifice” by Bently Spang The story is told in mul- excited to discover not just a new tiple layers and incorpo- synthesis of drawing and painting, but a con- Bently Spang, Billings rates many characters, each telling their own tinuum of image-making that spans from the Bently Spang, a Tsistsistas/Suhtaio, is an version of the truth. Taken individually, each simplest line drawing to the most elaborate enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne story is important, but incomplete. It’s only 7 layering of colors and textures.” Nation, and a multi-disciplinary artist, curator, when seen together that the fractured lives Panelists praised the elegance of her educator and writer working in mixed media become whole, become a mosaic. compositions, her highly skilled drawing sculpture, video, performance, and installa- Panelists responded to the energy of her and painting process, and her eloquence in tion. new work, which represents “a break for describing her work and evolution. Spang’s artwork is in museums and private her from her previously moving, but very “The new works are tremendously strong,” collections in the U.S. and Europe, including different, material.” wrote one panelist. “She is an artist who al- those of the Denver Art Museum, National “Innovation, in her essays and nonfic- ways seeks new terrain, and these painting do Museum of the American Indian and the tion, is linked to a growing capacity to so in a concise and startling way.” Montclair Art Museum. He has exhibited draw nearer to the emotional heart of a across the United States, and in Europe, Mexi- given situation,” wrote a panel member. co, Canada, and South America. “But she has also branched into a realm His work was included in “The Plains that is very new to her – the novel – and Indians: Artists of Earth and Sky,” which the excerpt from that work is sophisticated traveled to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in and promising. Sentence by sentence, in New York City, the Nelson-Atkins Museum in both genres, she is skilled and Kansas City and the Musee Du Quai Branly in adventurous.” Paris, France. Multi-media works include his Modern Aaron Parrett, Helena Warrior Series, which, he states, explores “the Parrett, who earned his undergraduate evolution of photography while expanding degree from the University of Montana in the thematic push of my work,” and Tekcno Missoula, and a master’s and doctorate in Powwow, a mixed-media performance with comparative literature from the Uni- up to 35 performers. “I’ve engaged different versity of Georgia in Athens, has been dance communities over the life of the series writing both non-fiction and fiction and have discovered unexpected linkages,” since 2001. says Spang. He publishes articles in history, About his work, the artist says, “I made philosophy, and literary studies. His a conscious choice years ago to combine essay in the Montana Magazine of “Bent Line” by Alison Reintjes multiple mediums and formats into singular Western History, “Montana’s Worst artworks as a way to continue the tradition of Alison Reintjes, Missoula (Sigerson Award Natural Disaster: The 1964 Flood on multi-disciplinary creating that my relatives in for a ceramic artist) the Blackfeet Reservation,” won the the past … began thousands of years ago.” Ceramic artist Alison Reintjes, a native of People’s Choice Award in 2004. His And like his ancestors, the Tsistsistas/Suh- Ohio, first landed in Montana in 2001 for an books include Montana Americana: taio people, “I employ whatever means/medi- artist residency at the Archie Bray Foundation Boot Stompin’ Country Under the Big ums necessary to express my personal truth. for the Ceramic Arts in Helena. Sky (2016), Literary Butte: A History I look constantly to their work for guidance She studied at Northern Michigan Uni- in Novels and Film (2015), and Mon- – animal parts and natural pigments combined versity, Pilchuck Glass School, Kent State tana Then and Now (2014). His most with what was in front of them, glass beads, University and Canberra School of Art in recent publishing endeavor is Maple & mirrors, metal, whatever – they had no fear of Australia. In addition to her stint at the Archie Lead, published by his own Territorial authenticity.” Bray, she participated in artist residencies at Press. Panelists praise his “harmonious blending The Clay Studio of Missoula, Mary Anderson He’s also a musician, who started of traditional history and modern culture,” the Center in Indiana, Greenwich House Pottery writing songs in 1995 while living in diversity of his work, integration of video and Athens. He’s released three recordings, The Reflections from in New York and Jentel Foundation in Wyo- other materials, and community participation. ming. Sinners, The Judge and the Jury: The Legend an AIA recipient One noted that the Teckno Powwow proj- of Jim Collins, and Left of the Mason Dixon Reintjes has a lengthy exhibition resume Receiving the Art- ect, with its engagement with dance, move- Line. that includes her 2014 installation, “Double- ist’s Innovation Award ment and audience interaction, “is a success- Parrett teaches English at the University of Column,” at the Missoula Art Museum, solo was a major event for ful, educating and inspiring endeavor.” Providence in Great Falls and Latin at Carroll exhibits at the Holter Museum of Art in Hel- me as an artist. Even His work “draws inspiration from his College in Helena, and is the founder of The ena, The Clay Studio of Missoula, The Clay though the grant was cultural history and tradition and then re-con- Territorial Press there. Studio of Philadelphia, and the Archie Bray, not for a large amount, textualizes them by appropriating modern His passion for writing “changed dra- as well as numerous two-person and group it was the affirmation imagery and materials,” wrote one panelist. matically when I discovered letterpress and exhibitions in Montana and beyond. Her work of my work and the Another was clearly impressed with the acquired a 1920s Chandler and Price platen also resides in several collections. encouragement it pro- artist’s individuality. “He is just so out there printing press,” he says. “I have a strong interest in the basic tenets vided that made such a doing what he is doing, living his life and “Once I resolved to make a book of my of the visual experience – shape, space, color, difference. building these pieces, not anchored in the ac- own writing using century-old methods, I and pattern,” she says in her artist statement. Also, Montana, in ademic world. There was something intuitive determined that the composition itself would “In my work, I consistently incorporate terms of its population, about him.” influence every aspect of the ultimate product, precise geometry to make compelling forms. is a small state and and that the challenge would be to learn how My sculptural work references scientific and somewhat isolated. The natural processes as the basis for abstract and Literary Arts the physical process of choosing letters one at recognition within the formal investigations.” a time from the type-case would influence the Jennifer Groneberg, Wolf Creek state was important in Innovation fuels her creative process. “I thought process behind what I write, both at Jennifer Groneberg is the author of two providing incentive grow from one project to the next, continual- the level of the sentence as well as the level of non-fiction books, Roadmap to Holland: How to continue to explore ly making ambitious work in terms of scale, the subject matter itself,” he writes. I Found My Way Through My Son’s First Two and pursue innovative craftsmanship and concept.” “This method of bringing my own stories Years with Down Syndrome, and My Heart’s work. “More recently I have separated my sculp- to life by setting the type, then printing the First Steps: Writings that Celebrate the Gifts These grants make a tural and functional bodies of work. Even pages, then folding the sheets into signatures of Parenthood. Selected essays have been big difference. To know when creating something as straightforward and sewing and binding them in a single, widely published. that your work is appre- as a cup, my main interest is design and sculp- seamless effort of literary production com- She was named Zonta Best Woman Writer ciated and valued in tural form rather than utility.” pelled me to consciously interact with the (2009) by High Plains Book Awards and re- your own state means a Panel members noted the artist’s profes- composition in ways no writer I know of has ceived an Excellence in Media award from the lot. Please let the Arts sionalism, refined sense of color and design, purposefully written.” and willingness to tackle new challenges. National Down Syndrome Congress (2008). Panelists described his work as “genuinely Council know what “She has a strong body of work, confi- She earned her bachelor’s from the University innovative.” a service the grants dence in formal approaches and taking risks of Illinois-Champaign. “The stories themselves, apart from the la- provide, not only to art- by approaching larger site-specific projects Groneberg writes “about populations no bor-intensive way in which they are prepared ists, but to the cultural that engage her aesthetic,” wrote one panelist. one talks about – a rural mother, a rural moth- for publication, are solid and moving,” noted community of MT as a “Whether working in ceramics or metals, er of a child with disabilities, an adult woman one. whole. Alison is a true innovator,” noted another. with disabilities. These stories are not being “This is totally different from other appli- Everyone benefits in “With her complex ceramic molds, she makes told, and I want to tell them.” cations in combining the physicality of what a climate of creativity objects that seem deceptively simple.” Her stories trace “themes of love, loss, he is doing and I found that really interest- and innovation! Reintjes is “always working, experiment- acceptance and forgiveness,” she says. ing,” wrote another. “The stories are really – Phoebe Toland, 2009 Artist’s Innovation ing, investigating, planning,” wrote another. “I think of it as shaped storytelling, or beautiful. Spare and strange.” Award recipient State of the Arts • Winter 2018 N N ative ews Two Montanans named First Peoples Fund Fellows First Peoples Fund announces the 2017 art- Montana. The art journey has she has always had ists chosen by a national selection committee been ceremonial for Pepion as a toehold in the art to receive the 2017 Artists in Business Lead- his understanding of his past, world with a degree ership and Cultural Capital Fellowships. First family, and culture grows with in art history and a Peoples Fund offers $5,000 annual grants to his work. master’s degree in ed- Native artists dedicated to the wellbeing of He descends from Mountain ucation, but it wasn’t Indigenous artistic expression and its relation- Chief, a Blackfeet leader who until her youngest ship to the Collective Spirit® of First Peoples. preserved history through nu- was in kindergarten “We are proud to welcome artists from merous winter counts. Through that she was able to across Indian country into the First Peoples art, John finds personal healing do her first profes- Fund family,” said First Peoples Fund Presi- and cultural preservation. He sional show in 1998. 8 dent Lori Pourier. “Each one of these fellows speaks with troubled youth in Since then, Magee works within their artform and their com- public schools to promote the has been a full-time munity to further the cultural values we hold benefits of art as therapy. artist doing art shows strongly at First Peoples Fund – generosity, Pepion, who lives in Valier, and also tutoring part wisdom and integrity.” holds formal degrees in art mar- time. keting and museum “When I work studies from United with the traditional “Evening Sky” by Deborah Magee Tribes Technical Col- materials of my lege and the Institute of American ancestors, I am reminded of the Earth and the Indian Arts, respectively. elements which have shaped our mother,” she However, his education contin- says. “I am reminded of the wind and glaciers ues with every piece he creates and which have carved out our foothills and moun- with every story he shares. Pepion tains. The porcupine quills that I moisten in my incorporates traditional design el- mouth taste of the bark of the pine trees and Humanities ements into colorful contemporary I think of the poetic descriptions of the trees illustrations, leaving his work high- as the ‘green standing people.’ A single quill Montana ly recognizable. Most importantly, brings back a collective memory of the green launches Tribal his art deepens his connections to standing ones who nourished the porcupine and self and place, providing him with a thus made the quill. Partnerships “Buffalo Hunt” by John Isaiah Pepion sense of strength. “When I stretch a smoked hide and prepare The goal of Human- it for beadwork, I imagine the four-legged ities Montana’s new Artists in Business Leadership Cultural Capital Fellow: ones that roam the prairies, land that provided Tribal Partnerships Fellowship: John Isaiah Pepion Deborah Magee sustenance for our people. With all of this I am Initiative is to support The Artists in Business Leadership pro- awed. With these materials, I am grateful. And Cultural Capital Fellows are committed to I give silent thanks to all who went before and humanities projects gram provides support for artist entrepreneurs keeping their tribal heritage and culture alive. perfected these techniques.” on the Blackfeet, Flat- to achieve and sustain financial independence. First Peoples Fund’s Fellowship program pro- Magee’s Cultural Capital fellowship project head, Rocky Boy, Fort These Fellows are mid-career artists who have vides selected artists the opportunity to further will be to implement a quillwork mentorship Belknap, Fort Peck, demonstrated a commitment to pursue their their important cultural work in their commu- program for young people on her reservation Northern Cheyenne art as a career and are leaders in their communities that is grounded in traditional values. that will also provide instruction on how to sell nities. and Crow Reserva- Among the five Cultural Capital Fellows and market their work professionally. Among the 13 Artists in Business Leader- tions, as well as the is Deborah Magee (Blackfeet), a full-time For more information visit www.first ship Fellows is John Isaiah Pepion (Piikani), Little Shell nation, traditional artist born and raised on the Black- peoplesfund.org. an artist from the Blackfeet Nation in northern feet Reservation. A resident of Cut Bank, with up to $5,000 in funding annually. Wendy Red Star assembles “Our Side” exhibit at MAM Humanities Montana teamed up with its first tribal Last year the Missoula Art enrolled member of the Muscogee partner, the Aasaisstto Museum invited Wendy Red Star, (Creek) Nation. Tanya Linklater is Language Society, raised on the Apsáalooke (Crow) based in Northern Ontario and comes during the fall board reservation in Montana, to assem- from the Native Village of Afognak meeting in Browning. ble a group exhibition in honor and Port Lions in southern Alaska. Humanities of the groundbreaking “Women Marianne Nicolson (‘Tayagila’ogwa), Montana will form up of Sweetgrass, Cedar and Sage,” is an artist of Scottish and curated by Harmony Hammond Dzawada’enux’w First Nations to three partnerships and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith at descent. Tanis S’eiltin is of Tlingit each year, beginning the Missoula museum in 1985. heritage. Jan. 1, 2018. Red Star’s response is “Our According to Red Star, the title of To explore a proj- Side,” a reexamination of land, the exhibition comes from the Crow ect, or share stories body, language, and history from origin stories of her childhood. “To and aspirations, call the perspective of four contem- be Bíiluuke, ‘Our Side,’ implies that 406-243-6022 or visit porary indigenous American and one has the same ancestry, language, www.humanities First Nations artists. The exhibit is spiritual beliefs, territory, and social montana.org. on display through Feb. 24. Installation view of “Our Side,”curated by Wendy Red Star structure – each artist works from a broad range of media including per- Humanities Mon- Elisa Harkins is originally and featuring works by four contemporary indigenous and formance, sculpture, painting, sound, tana also awarded from Miami, OK, and is an First Nations artists. (Photo courtesy of Slikati Photo+Video) social engagement, and video. They two Opportunity also maintain common ties around indige- Grants for Native Take Home a Treasure from Indian Country nous narratives, engagement with communi- American projects: ty, feminism, activism, and the importance of Guide offers tips on buying Indian art and crafts • $1,000 to specificity,” says Red Star. Selis-Qlispe Cul- The exhibition continues Red Star’s ture Committee, The Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB) “This brochure highlights the inherent val- dedication to redefine archival and historical Confederated Salish of the U.S. Department of the Interior ue of authentic Montana Indian art and better norms through the lens of new historical, so- released of a new guide to buying authentic informs both the citizens of Montana and the cial, and cultural dynamics, both within and & Kootenai Tribes, Indian arts and crafts made in Montana. The visitors we welcome to our majestic state,” outside of contemporary indigenous realities. St. Ignatius, to fund consumer protection brochure, Take Home a said Montana Attorney General Tim Fox. Art in America magazine currently fea- attendance at the Treasure from Indian Country: Buy Authentic “Medicine Crow,” a vivid beadwork tures an online interview with Red Star about Western History Montana Indian Arts and Crafts, was created portrait by renowned Blackfeet master artist the exhibition. Conference. in collaboration with the Montana Office of Jackie Bread, is featured on the brochure’s • $1,000 to the Attorney General’s Office of Consumer cover. Outstanding work by additional Mon- Also at MAM: Helena College Protection. tana Indian artists, drawn from The Buffalo UM to fund Native The brochure provides information on Bill Center of the West, the IACB’s Museum “The Shape of Things: New Approaches the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Act, as of the Plains Indian in Browning, and private to Indigenous Abstraction” is on display Montana - A Pop-Up well as the Montana Consumer Protection collections, also complement the publication. March 2–July 28, and showcases works Museum, a photo Act, which prohibit the marketing of art and In addition to encouraging consumers by Molly Murphy Adams (Oglala Lakota), exhibit showcasing craftwork as an Indian product if it is not to purchase authentic Indian products from John Hitchcock (Comanche), Sara Siestreem Native Americans in Indian made. Consumers will find information members of federally recognized Montana (Hanis Coos/Confederated Tribes of Coos, Montana, both in the regarding the purchase of authentic Indian art tribes, the brochure also encourages the public Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Tribes), and past and present. and craftwork, including buying tips and con- to visit the museum in Browning. Duane Slick (Meskwaki/Nebraska tact information for federal and state agencies To learn more and download a free copy Ho-Chunk). handling complaints of products fraudulently visit www.doi.gov/iacb, email [email protected]. For more information, visit missoulaart marketed as Indian made. gov, or call 888-278-3253. museum.org, or call 406-728-0447. Winter 2018 • State of the Arts she sings “Slow down, I think you’re movin’ too fast …” A M bout usic Influences have given Harsell’s voice many facets. What comes out is pure Andrea. And Luna Roja is the perfect complement, balancing her – By Mariss McTucker passion with their energy. Get this one! Visit the artist at www.andreaharsell.com. Philip Aaberg: Versatile Grammy-and Emmy-nominated Philip Luke Dowler: South Aaberg, Montana’s fleet-fingered pianist Prolific singer/songwriter Luke Dow- from Chester, celebrates his long career on ler of Kalispell has the third leg of his his umpteenth album, with new, old, and four-directions project out, and it’s as pol- never-released pieces. ished, original, and well-executed as his His own and others’ compositions are many other efforts. His brawny, gravelly featured. Aaberg calls the tracks “uncatago- baritone takes the spotlight on his eight rifiable,” representing many of his musical pieces, and he also proffers guitars, piano, styles, and the CD jacket shows a list of bass, percussion, synth and programming every kind he’s performed – from opera to to flesh out the flawless sound. Friends orchestral to new music to funk, and everything in-between. and family helping out on select tracks are 9 Aaberg has played in countless bands and orchestras and recorded and his brother Zach and Ben Summers, drums, Jesse Maw, violin, and wife toured internationally with masters of rock, country, bluegrass and blues, Jacy, background vocals. jazz, world music, and classical music over the years. Dowler’s forte is composing songs that sound different from each other There’s a concert recording of the knockout barn-burner, “Leaving yet remain part of a whole. His loquacious style of singing wraps story- Cottondale,” from his stint in the bluegrass folk band NewGrange. Aaberg telling around film-like accompaniment; it makes his works riveting and, says, “nobody told me piano isn’t a bluegrass instrument, so I had a fine in fact, he has written scores for film and TV. time …” Dowler says South reflects a more down-to-earth flavor that “explores He boogies the heck out of the rollicking “Chicago Breakdown,” and heartache,” casting the songs in a folk-rock genre. But he also brings pop, trades funky, syncopated licks on the bluesy “Bala Blue” with Kinobe, a country and blues edges to his work, demonstrating his versatility. State of Ugandan balaphone player. The hypnotizing riff to start “For God’s Sake” belies the underlying Aaberg’s solo pieces shine. He started composing in the ‘80s, and theme of war. Dowler’s gritty tones overlay the distant percussive nuances the Arts treats us to the improvised “Dream Train,” with its pensive and relaxed insinuating battle in this very moving piece. welcomes CDs pace. He’s also an alum of many of the Bay Area’s early rock and blues He sings about his dad in deep burnished sounds on “A Good Man powerhouses, and mirrors the Elvin Bishop Group’s monster hit, “Fooled Loves Somebody Else,” and ”Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!” is a scratchy rocker State of the Arts Around and Fell in Love.” It’s terrific! He also offers a stunning rendition with crunchy electric guitar chords and lots of reverby singing. “Heming- welcomes CD sub- of “O, Shenandoah,” filled with movement, ebbing and flowing. way Romance” has percussive guitar and Dowler crooning in his higher missions by Montana For the great players, music is an extension of their bodies, and Aaberg register. musicians for inclu- is no exception. His technique is so fluid that the musculature of his hands This is yet another fine example of music from one of Montana’s most sion in the About seems unbridled by joints and bones. accomplished artists. Visit lukedowler.com. Music section. The The pianist also shares some personal history on the 18 tracks in a Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs: recordings must be booklet that comes with the CD. Soak it up! The Vigilante Session professional, com- Visit the artist at sweetgrassmusic.com. Bozeman’s popular bluegrass mercially available, The Lil Smokies: band has released their second album, full-length CDs, with recorded live at a Forest Service cabin. cover art and liner Changing Shades The five-piece string band melds Lena notes. Reviews also Missoula’s progressive bluegrass outfit (Laney) Schiffer’s superb pipes with appear at livelytimes. has been touring nationally to back their great instrumental chops from brothers third release, Changing Shades. They Matt (banjo, slide guitar, vocals) and com, Montana’s achieved regional fame after winning the Ethan (stand-up bass) Demarais; Brian statewide source for 2015 Telluride Bluegrass Band competi- Kassay on fiddle, mandolin, harmonica arts and entertain- tion and 2016 IBMA Momentum Band of and vocals; and Josh Moore, lead guitar and vocals. Schiffer also adds ment. the Year award, but now, “bluegrass band” rhythm guitar and percussion. Brief biographical is a misnomer. This album illustrates why. The group met through Craigslist. Their raw energy and authentic feel information on band The group has morphed from its bluegrass beginnings into a band ex- comes from the marvelous singing of vocalist Schiffer and lots of old- members would be ploring new territory. Dobro-phenom Andy Dunnigan, who rarely uttered timey instrumental breaks infused with blues, country and folk nuances. helpful to the writer. a peep in the early days, is now their main singer and songwriter, reveal- Cool harmonies abound as well. ing his honed baritone. Other members, with equally dazzling chops, are Moore tumbles out the lyrics on the quick banjo knee-slapper, “Granny Please send sub- Matt Cornette, banjo; Scott Parker, bass; Jake Simpson, fiddle and vocals; Does Your Dog Bite,” one of their seven originals. “Truckin’” is terrific missions to either the and Mattthew Rieger, guitar and vocals. swamp blues, featuring a duet lead by Schiffer and Moore. Montana Arts Coun- While older bluegrass groups pioneered a progressive style structure Schiffer’s clear mid-soprano shines on the waltzy “Bailing Water,” and cil, PO Box 202201, with longer improvisations and influences from other genres, they main- “Gone” starts slow, with forlorn, silky guitar, then hurtles off like a train Helena, MT, 59620; tained the orthodox thump of 4/4 rhythm, skipping the offbeat. as Matt Demarais sings about running from the cops. or CD reviewer Ma- The Lil Smokies prefer a relentless tempo characterized by the bass Schiffer destroys the cover, “Ruby Are You Mad at Your Man.” She riss McTucker, P.O. playing each beat while the banjo fingerpicks speedy rolls in tandem, wails on the verses, and goes stratospheric on “Ruby” before the ensemble creating a ceaseless, galloping background over which the vocals glide. jams out. Box 81, Dixon, MT, The pickers dart in and out with clipped riffs, sometimes solo, oftentimes “Lonely Tracks,” written by Josh Moore and his friend, Brandon Jack- 59831. in unison or harmony. It’s a lightning-fast style, and it’s electric. son, has a loping country feel with swooping fiddle lines. It will appear in Dunnigan wrote all but one song here; they’re largely autobiograph- a documentary called “My Country No More,” due out in spring. Good ical. “The City,” written in San Francisco when he heard David Bowie exposure for this great band!Visit the crew at www.thebird-dogs.com. passed, has cantering banjo, soaring fiddle, and great harmony vocals. Heath Watts and Blue “Feathers” has a gospel feel and nifty three-part harmony; and Dun- nigan channels his inner Dave Matthews on “Hitchcock.” Armstrong: Guitarist Matthew Rieger’s folk/rock composition, “Where You Are Bright Yellow with Bass Today,” showcases his burry baritone, complemented by a soft rhythm, Acoustic double-bass player Blue Arm- and instruments sneaking in softly with wiggly riffs. Great dynamics here! strong of Dillon and Heath Watts, a sax Visit www.thelilsmokies.com. player and Butte native, deliver a recorded Andrea Harsell: session encompassing 10 jazz works that are extemporaneous forays into pitch, Something for the Pain theme, and dexterity. Both may sound fa- Long-time Missoula guitarist and song- miliar from their stints with Montana jazz writer Andrea Harsell has a new album of mavens Alex Swaney and M.J. Williams, originals out, lighting it up with a top-shelf among others. trio called Luna Roja. It’s Antonio Alvarez, The album title comes from something painter Wassily Kandinsky drums, Nicklaus Hamburg, lead guitar, and once said: “The sound of colors is so definite that it would be hard to find Mike Hendy, bass. Harsell plays rhythm anyone who would express bright yellow with bass notes …” Well, Wassi- guitar this time around, and melts the turn- ly, check that. Someone has done it. table with her gritty, sensuous vocals and The duo’s synergy amid cacophony derives from each listening intent- impeccable control. ly to the other, and reacting quickly to new concepts, Watts says. They’ve Guest musicians on some cuts include Harsell’s daughter, Leia Sky, splashed their canvas with kaleidoscopic elements that defy conventions background vocals, Stephen Inglis, lead guitar, and Carla Green, bass. of melody, meter, and tonal frequency. Pushing boundaries and breaking Engineer Ryan “Schmed” Maynes adds guitar, keys, and bass, too. conventions, they jam wildly on different wavelengths, then briefly hint at The result is a terrific assortment of rock styles spotlighting searing resolution as they share almost-melodies. guitar solos, crisp percussion, and lock-tight rhythms. The musician’s raw All the while, they demonstrate dazzling technique that conjures vivid emotional delivery, in a seasoned, malleable alto that’s worldly-wise yet images. Watts’s breath control and intonation on the soprano saxophone warm and sweet, endows her songs with honesty. She sings of heartache are monumental; he’s anchored by Armstrong’s masterful bass lines and and loss, finding love and losing it, and just plain “don’t tread on me” crackerjack fretwork. sassiness. In “From One Extreme to Unspecified,” Armstrong bows the bass to Harsell dedicated the album to her sister, who passed away last create bell-like overtones. Watts enters, his sax flirting with arpeggio tri- summer. The title song reflects that loss. It’s a spooky rocker in a minor tones; then he plays two tones simultaneously. In “Moment of Asking,” key with a pensive extended guitar solo; Harsell sings of “shadows and Armstrong’s bass booms out a riff. The sax morphs into what, a creaking secrets” and “twisting fate.” iron door? A soft foghorn? “Hard Times,” a blues ballad about a difficult relationship, builds into There’s much more here. This freewheeling quadrant of jazz is not for a guttural Janis Joplin lament, raspy and powerful. On the swampy bayou the faint of heart; the pieces will blow listeners’ ears and leave aficionados rocker, “Singles,” Harsell finger-wags her way through a conversation as agog. Visit the duo at heathwatts.com. State of the Arts • Winter 2018 “I conceive a perfection of chickadees,” writes Sandra Alcosser; and A b bout ooks Marc Beaudin finds “tall grasses still lost in dervish dance … & my face and shoulders wet/ from being too alive to go indoors.” A bear, “shuffling about in the dirt street. Dragging his hundred-pound chain,” offers a prayer in Michael Craig’s poem, “Bear Photo.” Montana 1889: Indians, Cowboys, and Mark Gibbons proffers a more urban experience: “Three miles of Miners in the Year of Statehood cars, no place for pedestrians. The homeless/ are tucked away in the best By Ken Egan Jr. shelters/ they can find before darkness.” “History demands humility of the historian,” It’s overwhelming, really, the quality and quantity of fine poems com- writes Ken Egan. And translating history through ing from Montana hearts and brains. Maybe it’s just this: “Home is all the the written word “calls forth empathy, a willingness wisdom I need to know.” (Vic Charlo) to feel outside one’s skin to inhabit, briefly and Thanks to Many Voices Press, for spreading good words and deep incompletely, the lived experience of human beings wisdom. negotiating terrain they could barely glimpse, let – Kristi Niemeyer alone understand and control.” His new book, a riveting sequel to Montana Love and Other Consolation Prizes 10 1864, finds him once again inhabiting the human By Jamie Ford beings who occupied our state during its tumultuous arrival at statehood. Great Falls author Jamie Ford was combing The writing is witty, factual and compelling. His far-ranging month- through the newspaper articles about the Alaska-Yu- by-month trajectory includes characters familiar to most Montanans: kon-Pacific Exposition of 1909 – the AYP – and Marcus Daly, who declared, “I have now quit politics for good”; Charlie unearthed a story about a raffle for an orphan. Russell as a restless young cowboy; the distinguished “Mr. Montana,” Appalled and intrigued, the author’s imagination Granville Stuart, who takes a new wife; and Sarah Bickford, who rose went to work conjuring this tale of a half-Chinese from slavery to proprietor of the Virginia City Water Company. boy, sent by his dying mother to the United States He also focuses on lesser-known figures who had their own impact on aboard a slave ship. Shunted from poorhouses to How to Montana’s history. Madams, Chinese doctors, and many Native American state-run boarding schools, young Ernest eventually voices are brought to light through Egan’s well-painted words, their own submit a book ends up as one of the prizes given at the AYP, “a writings, and the book’s many historic photographs. healthy boy, free to a good family.” for State of the At 288 pages, the book is organized into easy-to-read, thought-provok- He’s claimed by the flamboyant Madam Flora and taken to the Ten- ing chunks. And, for those who haven’t yet read Egan’s Montana 1864, Arts derloin, her elegant home in the Garment District, where her cultivated readers will surely be inspired to look it up. young Gibson Girls entertain gentlemen on a nightly basis. To submit a book Egan is the executive director of Humanities Montana. A half-century later, on the eve of another World’s Fair, Ernest wres- by a Montana author – LK Willis tles with how to tell two adult daughters about his unsavory past, and for inclusion in State worries how those memories might affect his ailing wife, Grace. The fairs of the Arts’ “About Ballet at the Moose Lodge are “bookends, sentinels carved from stone, rooted in bedrock … His life, Books” section: By Caroline Patterson Gracie’s life, was the mystery caught in between.” Please send a copy Best known as the editor of the Willa Award– His reflections are entwined with the story of young Ernest, who leads of the book to Kristi winning anthology, Montana Women Writers: A a charmed life in a home steeped in elegance, secrets and vice. Niemeyer, 207 6th Geography of the Heart, Caroline Patterson is also The story takes an unflinching look at the plight of women and immi- Ave. E, Polson, MT the author of powerful short fiction. A new collec- grants in the early 1900s – a turbulent time of desperate poverty, obscene tion by Drumlummon Institute in Helena showcases wealth, and corrupt politicians. 59860; or submit the 16 of her extraordinary stories. Peopled with brave and vulnerable characters, the novel brims with following Patterson explores what it is to grow up female wisdom, as Ernest discovers that “sometimes you need to feel everything information in the American West. Her narratives delve into to finally leave it behind, to have peace.” electronically to the lives of travelers, homemakers, radio-show Ford, who grew up in Seattle, is the author of Hotel on the Corner of kristi@livelytimes. announcers, mothers, teachers, dancers, shop Bitter and Sweet and Songs of Willow Frost. com or [email protected]: clerks, and the subterranean world of girls. They take readers from a ferry – Kristi Niemeyer • Title, author, dock in Resurrection Bay, Alaska, to a two-room school in the Bitterroot publisher, and Valley, from brash, backpacking college students to young new mothers month/year on the edge, and from the 1920s to the 1990s. Catching Air: Taking the Leap published; In Ballet at the Moose Lodge, Patterson explores in delicate and sear- with Gliding Animals • A brief ing prose the visible and invisible negotiations women make to navigate By Sneed B. Collard III lives bound by the rugged western landscape. description of the Draco lizards, flying frogs and gliding geckos Montana novelist Kim Zupan writes, “Here are stories that explore the book (no more than – these are just a few of the exotic creatures darkest recesses of the soul and will resound in your head like the ring of 200 words), and profiled in Missoula author Sneed Collard’s latest an ax long after you put this wonderful book aside.” a short bio of the book, a part of the How Nature Works series. Caroline Patterson, who makes her home in Missoula, is a former author; Even certain species of snakes have mastered Stegner Fellow at Stanford University and the executive director of the gliding, managing to “crawl” through the air. • A cover image: Missoula Writing Collaborative. Gliding, we learn, is hard work, at least at first, minimum 200 dpi in because most animals must climb before they can pdf, jpg or tiff file; glide. • If other Cold Hearted River As usual, Collard packs his book with illustrations and/or colorful publications or By Keith McCafferty photographs on every page. Humans even get a couple of pages for their authors have In the sixth book in the series of Sean Stranahan inventive use of hang gliders and wingsuits, which mimic the patagia, or reviewed the book, mysteries, Sean and his fly-fishing buddies work flying apparatus deployed by gliding mammals. at unraveling a puzzle that revolves around a lost send a brief sampling The author has an easy way of writing about science that entices the steamer trunk of flies and gear belonging to Ernest of those remarks. reader to turn the page. It may be just the thing to interest a reluctant Hemingway. Once again, Sean works with — and If you would like us reader or encourage interest in the natural world. against — the law as he discovers bodies. to return the book, Collard is a prolific writer of science books for young people, with 80 Certainly, the Bozeman author is deeply familiar titles to his name, and has also authored fiction for kids. include a note with with the stretches of rivers he mentions winding – LK Willis it saying so. (We will through Montana, Wyoming and Michigan. There pay for shipping.) are fine turns of words: “the spring storm had Books submitted dropped a blanket of trouble”; “the river of his mind joined currents with Lament of the Antichrist in a Secular to State of the Arts the river of geography”; “the wind was a broom that swept the insects off World and Other Poems appear in this the river.” By Cara Chamberlain publication at the McCafferty writes about the psychology of greed and what it can do Cara Chamberlain’s new collection of poems is to people who let it take over. He punctuates his tale with a tremendous Montana Arts mesmerizing, amusing and a little spooky. Poems, amount of fly-fishing lore and sprinkles adventures liberally across the Council’s discretion prefaced with Biblical quotes, introduce characters pages. and as space permits. and reinterpret passages from the Old and New Of course the tale keeps you up when you should be sleeping. But how They will not Testaments. to sleep when you can feel the cold through the waders and struggle to necessarily be re- Judas, at a last meal with disciples, “folded the keep your footing in a rushing stream? Heck, there’s even a section that is printed at livelytimes. written (credibly!) in pure Hemingway style. bitter instructions in his shirt/pocket, savored the tender kiss he’d soon give back,/ flew out, gone as com. – LK Willis Kerouac, through heavy streets.” The dire prophet Ezekiel tends the Powell County Fairgrounds (al- Poems Across the Big Sky II: An though he hates kids), frightens mall walkers, is afflicted by the flu, and Anthology of Montana Poets proclaims to his barber, “You shall come to a dreadful end and shall be no Edited by Lowell Jaeger and Hannah Bissell more forever.” Of this second collection of Montana-made Women suffer their fate: Jezebel, “screaming, wild as possible, as poems, editor and contributor Lowell Jaeger writes, they/ sowed her on the dogs she’d trained.” Mrs. Lot – “a woman made “I’ve done my best to select poems which mirror of salt/ hasn’t a name of her own” – and Lilith’s daughter, “no pebble of the complexities of human experience in Montana guilt in my pocket.” Mary Magdalene, arriving at the deserted tomb in the and beyond as truthfully as possible.” early morning, “she’s incandescence – guide, teacher, soul.” Poet laureates, including Jaeger, the new one, Chamberlain makes ancient stories contemporary, delivering “a very keep company with some of the state’s best-known skillful and timely meditation on the anguish and uncertainty of our trou- writers, and plenty of unfamiliar ones. Native bled age.” (Julian Stannard, What Were You Thinking?) Americans, Montana natives, and more recent The Billings author has written two previous books of poetry, Hidden inhabitants share their sense of place, people, meaning. Step back slightly Things and The Divine Botany. and a chorus lifts up, out of the book, infusing our ears and senses. – Kristi Niemeyer

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MAC announces 2017 Artist's Innovation Award recipients. Performing Arts. Literary Arts. Visual Arts. Bently Spang. Catherine Courtenaye. Stephanie Frostad. (Photo by Danica Bayliss). Alison Reintjes. (Photo by Chris Autio). Sam Krahn. (Photo was the common thread in a life of diverse explorations

Alexandra Swaney, 1944-2017 PDF

20 Pages·2017·8.43 MB·English

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