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Past Exhibitions

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Steven Glueckert: Driven
September 22 - December 31, 2011
Public Reception 5:30-7:30pm, September 22nd

Stephen Glueckert: Driven is a survey exhibition of work by this Montana artist. Stephen is literally driven to create by his active imagination that nearly demands that he engage in an activity that allows for an examination of the minutest of details. This is not unique in 21st Century art production, but Steve’s inquiry engages viewers on a multitude of levels that are outside of the traditional heroic subject models prevalent prior to the 20th century. His obsession with kinesis, which invites all to interact, includes an element of performance that is predetermined, but in the case of his drawing machines, also operates with an element of chaos related to physics.

Download the official catalog by clicking here.

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Lasting Impressions:
Prints from the Permanent Collection
Wylder Gallery
June 9 - October 29, 2011
Public Reception 5:30-7:30pm June 9th

In a continuing series of exhibitions developed from the museum’s permanent collection, The Square presents an exhibition that includes recently acquired prints from The Caravan Project artists collaborative and Daniel Biehl, along with prints by Jack Fisher, Jr. The Caravan Project was an imaginative collaboration by artists/art educators from across the state that gathered and traveled as a group to present art happenings to many Montana communities. The project was especially engaging to rural audiences who typically have limited exposure to contemporary art.

The Caravan artists recently gifted a portfolio of 10 prints that are indicative of each artist’s work and serve as a beautiful record of their collaborative spirit. The portfolio represents all of the Caravan artists with the exception of Jack Fisher, Jr. who passed away on February 1, 2006. Lasting impressions will also include prints by Jack that were gifted to the museum by his parents after his death, as well as recent gifts by Daniel Biehl who is a member of The Caravan Project collaborative. Other artists of the collaborative include: Joe Batt, Julia M. Becker, Bev Beck Glueckert, Stephen Glueckert, Cathryn Mallory, Vickie Meguire, Leslie van Stavern Millar, Jean L. Price, Bobby T. Tilton, Rene A. Westbrook and J. Kathleen White.

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100 Mile Radius:
Recent Work by Frances Carlson, Lisa Easton, Christine McKay, Deb Schmit and Laurie Stevens
August 19-October 15, 2011
Public Reception 5:30-7:30pm August 30th

The inspiration for this show lies in the High Plains of central Montana that these artists call home.  Though their styles and media are diverse, they share a strong love for this place.  They all wrestle with the complex responses engendered by a place that can be heart achingly beautiful and tediously difficult all on the same day.  This show explores the variety and commonality of their artistic responses.

These 5 area artists encourage each other’s professional accomplishments and development through their friendship and a shared love for the region. All live, not surprisingly, within 100 mile radius of one another, offering artistic points of view relative to their unique perspectives about where they live and work.

Download the on-line version of the exhibition catalog here.

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Centered: Ceramics from the C.M. Russell Museum
June 21-September 10, 2011
Public Reception 5:30-7:30pm June 21st
Image: Rudy Autio, Untitled (stoneware vase with figures), circa 1972

In a cooperative effort between The Square and the C.M. Russell museum, this exhibition is offered as a highlight in a series of three exhibitions that are part of a statewide celebration of The Archie Bray Foundation’s 60th Anniversary. Regarded as one of the best known ceramics residency programs in the United States, The Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts is a nonprofit, educational institution founded in 1951 by brick maker Archie Bray, who intended it to be “a place to make available for all who are seriously and sincerely interested in any of the branches of the ceramic arts, a fine place to work.” Its primary mission is to provide an environment that stimulates creative work in ceramics.

Included in the exhibition is work by two former Archie Bray resident directors: Rudy Autio and David Shaner. These works along with other examples from the Russell collection represent both traditions of functional and sculptural vessel making. Our collaboration on this exhibition provides another context in which the public can appreciate the breadth of ceramic artistry prevalent in Montana.

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Centered: Early Works by Peter Voulkos from the Wells Fargo Bank Collection
June 21 - September 10, 2011
Reception 5:30 - 7:30pm June 21st
Image: Untitled, bottle, circa 1952, ceramic, 15 ¼ x 10” in diameter

Peter Voulkos (b.1924 -2002) is often credited as the father of Contemporary ceramics. Centered provides a rare opportunity for the public to view exquisite treasures from the Wells Fargo Bank Collection. These formative functional works by Voulkos are indicative of his masterful functional pottery from the early 1950s, which pre-date his breakthrough expressionistic style that re-defined the aesthetic and technical limits of ceramics world-wide. The exhibition is part of our statewide celebration of The Bray’s anniversary celebration.

Download the on-line version of the exhibition catalog here.

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Shalene Valenzuela: No Place Like Home
June 21-September 10, 2011
Public Reception 5:30-7:30pm June 21st
Image: Not Really a Fan I, 2011, cone 04 slip cast ceramic and wire, 9.5 x8 x 6.5"

As part of the Bray anniversary celebration, No Place Like Home will provide viewers with a wonderfully wry and sometimes ironic look at domestic life. Shalene’s use of clay represents the shift in the ceramic discipline that emerged in the late 1950s when artists began utilizing clay for its full potential as a sculptural medium, adding a new slant to the functional traditions of an ancient art form.

“My narratives explore topics ranging from fairy tales, urban mythologies, consumer culture, societal expectations, etiquette and coming-of-age issues. Stylistically, much of my imagery is pulled from somewhat “dated” sources that I find represent an idealized time in society and advertising. Such gems include instructional guides, cookbooks, old advertisements and old family photos. Beneath the shiny veneer of these relics hides a complex and sometimes contradicting truth of what things seem to appear as upon first glance.”–Shalene Valenzuela

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MATRIX Press: Master Prints
Great Falls Clinic Community Gallery at The Square
June 9 - August 13, 2011
Public Reception 5:30-7:30pm June 9th

MATRIX Press was founded in 1998 by Professor of Art, James Bailey, at The University of Montana-Missoula, to educate, develop and promote print making and fine art prints. MATRIX Press: Master Prints was generated by The University of Montana’s Gallery of Visual Arts in conjunction with Professor James Bailey. The exhibition is touring Montana through the auspices of Museum & Art Gallery Directors Association – Montana (MAGDA).

The exhibition includes forty prints created by nationally recognized artists over the course of the past twelve years through MATRIX Press, representing a broad range of artistic and technical approaches to print making. Artists represented in this exhibition include those who have continued the activist tradition of print making such as Richard Mock—best known for his cutting political prints that appeared in the New York Times Op-Ed section from 1980-1996—and Miriam Schapiro who was one of the pioneering artists in the Feminist Art movement to Tom Huck, known for his intricately cut woodcuts inspired by the likes of Albrecht Durer. In addition, colorful abstractions by Arizona artist and past UM alumni John Armstrong show a softer approach to the medium with his whimsical forms, which often reference the landscape. Chicago based artist Tony Fitzpatrick utilizes 50’s style tattoo art in his color etchings, while Canadian Artist Peter Von Tiesenhausen’s boat forms float mysteriously on metallic fields.

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Whitney Polich:
Artist-in-Residence Exhibition
Dufresne & Cobb Foundations Gallery
June 9 - July 16, 2011
Public Reception 5:30-7:30pm June 9th

This exhibition will be an installation created especially for The Square by the spring/summer artist-in-residence, Whitney Polich. The installation will include sound, video projection and repetitive sculptural elements. Her intentions may recall for the viewer a need to listen as suggested in the last passage of Truman Capote’s Grass Harp. “It was as though neither of us had known where we were headed. Quietly astonished, we surveyed the view from the cemetery hill, and arm in arm descended to the summer-burned, September-burnished field. A waterfall of color flowed across the dry and strumming leaves; and I wanted then for the Judge to hear what Dolly had told me: that it was a grass harp, gathering, telling, a harp of voices remembering a story. We listened.”

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Neil Jussila: Joseph in Montana—The Nez Perce Epic
Thayer Gallery
February 17—June 4, 2011
Artist’s Reception 5:30-7:30pm February 17, 2011

The exhibition is comprised of expressive paintings that capture the range of emotion and physical exertion that might have been felt by the Niimiipu, Nez Perce, as they fled the 7th Calgary in 1877 along a perilous and battle-filled 1,170 mile long journey through Idaho and Montana. Their hope was to maintain independence from the U.S. Government through an exodus to Canada that was eventually ended short of the US/Canadian border near Chinook, Montana, when Chief Joseph surrendered, stating: “Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.”

Growing up and serving the country during an especially divisive time, Neil Jussila eventually found solace in painting. His work is among the most poetic and sensitive non-objective work done in the region and reflects his ability to transcend the literal implications of socio/political culture. The subject of this exhibition may indeed serve as a remembrance of the artist’s own combat experience in Vietnam.

Raised in Butte, Montana, Neil served as a Vietnam combat veteran before earning his Bachelor of Science degree (1966) and a Master of Arts Administration degree (1969) from Montana State University in Bozeman. He has taught art at Montana State University, Billings since 1969 where he is Professor of Art.

Download the on-line version of the exhibition catalog here.

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Jeff Anderson: In Plain View
Mungas/Volk Gallery
February 17—June 4, 2011
Artist’s Reception 5:30-7:30pm February 17, 2011

Jeff Anderson’s exhibit, In Plain View, is a marriage of his educational and life experience—the balance between the studied, perceived and the imagined. He is a masterful carpenter who combines inspiration found in nature with the traditions of his trade. Anderson’s use of rough hewn planks painted with watercolor physically reinforces the pictorial imagery to convey his sense of place. Though his use of shapes, brush strokes and color may appear to be entirely symbolic, in reality they are related to the natural subjects that surround him. Each work contains related moments tied together with some form of joinery suggesting the interconnectivity of ideas and/or personal observations.

Born in Billings, Montana, Jeff Anderson earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Art from Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, in 1970 and a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, in 1972. His work is influenced by living in Japan for two years and New York City for 10 years. He reestablished himself in Red Lodge, Montana in 1993.

Download the on-line version of the exhibition catalog here.

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Jean Albus: Rapture on the Plains
Rothschiller Gallery
February 17—June 4, 2011
Artist’s Reception 5:30-7:30pm February 17, 2011

Jean Albus’s exhibition, Rapture on the Plains, introduces one of the region’s most sought out contemporary photographers in her first solo museum exhibition that will include 18 recent works. The artist uses the Montana landscape as a backdrop for expressions about her own history, the history of the land, her connection to it and the human conditions of joy, transition and mortality. Jean Albus currently resides near Bridger, Montana. She is a native Montanan who lived fifteen years in and around Seattle, Washington, before moving back to Red Lodge, Montana in 1988.

Of her work Jean states: "It’s exciting to watch my ideas evolve. I've learned to say 'yes' to them, see where they'll take me, be part of the adventure and then share it."

Download the on-line version of the exhibition catalog here.

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Mano-a-mano:
Uncommon Portraits from the Permanent Collection
May 4 – May 25, 2011
Dufresne & Cobb Foundations Gallery

Portraiture is an ancient art form that expresses unique attitudes of the artists and the cultures of their respective eras. Paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, mosaics, murals, and tapestries have all been utilized to capture the essence of individuals or express an idealized depiction of the human subject. With the invention of the camera in the 19th century, artists were less commonly called upon to record the human subject for posterity. However, portraiture remains a vital arena for the contemporary artist and potential patrons, since the artistic point of view captures an unlimited range of creative interpretation of the individual or idealized subject.

Mano-a-mano is, as the title suggests, an exhibition of portraits of and by men. The context of the exhibition is intended to re-frame the definition of portraiture and create an alternative context in which to consider the individual objects.

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Annual Great Falls Public Schools Art Students Exhibition
Wylder & Community Galleries
April 14-May25, 2011
Reception 4:30 - 6:30pm April 14th
Presentation of the annual Zach Culliton Merit of Distinction 5:30pm

The Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art is proud to present this annual art exhibition by local public school students. The work represents a year’s worth of instruction by some of the finest art educators working in the state of Montana. We not only congratulate these students for their accomplishments, but thank the classroom artists/educators who lead by example—challenging area youth to fully explore their potential—and the parents who encourage their children’s development in the arts.

Exhibition sponsored by:

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Theodore Waddell: The Weight of Memory - Selections from the Permanent Collection
Wylder Gallery
November 3, 2010 - May 25, 2011
Artist's Reception December 9, 2010; 5:30p-7:30p

As we bring to a close a year-long examination of the Montana landscape and “sense of place,” Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art is pleased to present Theodore Waddell: The Weight of Memory, selections from the permanent collection.  The exhibition features works that depict the Missouri River near Great Falls, Montana, prints inspired by Waddell’s ranching experience and the magnificent Cloud Landscape #5, a bold and dynamic painting that epitomizes the artist’s personal vision of the West. All of these works have been generously gifted to the museum’s permanent collection over the years, some from the artist and others from visionary collectors and philanthropists.  We are truly grateful for their generosity. 

Theodore Waddell is one of the Nation's best regarded painters. His contemporary paintings, drawings and prints capture the visual essence of life in the Rocky Mountain region full of grand vistas dotted by ubiquitous domestic livestock. His work is informed by a passion and personal knowledge of these subjects as well as the canon of historical painting that precedes him. His work is laden with expressive marks and layers of paint and brush strokes that reveal his roots in modernism and his continued devotion to his place in the West.

Theodore Waddell, a Montana native raised in Laurel, studied at the Brooklyn Museum Art School, Eastern Montana College, and Wayne State University, Detroit (MFA, 1968). He taught at the University of Montana from 1968 to 1976 and has since been a full time artist and rancher. He has had over ninety one-man exhibitions, including a major survey at the Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis.

As part of this project, The Square has produced a beautiful catalog which will be available for the first time the night of the Reception.  Members will receive one free catalog, and Non-Members will be $10/each.

Project funded by:

Exhibition funded by:

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Rachel Kaiser: Giving Way
Dufresne & Cobb Foundations Gallery
March 3-April 16, 2011
Reception 5:30-7:30pm March 3rd
ArtShare by Rachel Kaiser at 6pm

Giving Way will include new work created by Rachel Kaiser during her tenure as the Great Falls Public Schools Artist-in Residence, a joint program between the schools and The Square. The exhibition title is taken from the artist’s work that conveys a positive message about the value of generosity and it’s literal, emotional and spiritual impact.

Rachel’s diverse background and interest in the spiritual nature of art is evident in her work, which includes paintings, woodcarvings, drawings and shrines as well as murals and custom-made ceramic tile. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art at Viterbo University in LaCross, Wisconsin, and studied  at the Vermont Studio Center. She is a co-founder of On The River, a multi-media art gallery and Juxtapoz magazine credits her and her partner, Jonathan Heraux, for initiating the underground art movement in downtown Honolulu. She has received several national and local commissions including a 4-foot tall hand carved wood relief, The Spirit of Healing, in the surgery wing of St. Francis Hospital in Honolulu and a 17-foot-tall mural spanning seven walls and totaling 1800 square feet at The Peak Health and Wellness Center in Great Falls, which depicts children playing in a natural mountain landscape.

Exhibition sponsored by:

Joan and Paul Kaiser

Christine and Robert King

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VSA Montana Arts Exhibition
Great Falls Clinic Community Gallery
March 3-April 19, 2011
Reception 10am-2pm March 11th

Art is for Everyone is the essence of the Education Department at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art.  It is the museum’s vision to be a venue for all artists regardless of ability or disability.  In that spirit, the museum has offered VSA Arts Open Studio classes since 1996 when The Square became an affiliate for VSA Montana, a chapter of VSA International Arts nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. This exhibition showcases work created in The Square’s VSA classes during the past year

VSA The International Organization on Arts and Disability is an international, nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where all people with disabilities learn through, participate in and enjoy the arts. The VSA Montana Arts program was founded on the belief that "…the arts belong to everyone and everyone deserves equal access."

VSA Montana Arts showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for people with disabilities.  It also provides educators, parents and artists with resources and the tools to support arts programming in schools and communities. 

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Montana Painters Alliance Exhibition
Great Falls Clinic Community Gallery
November 18, 2010 - February 26, 2011
Artist's Reception November 18, 2010; 5:30p-7:30p

Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art is pleased to unveil an exhibition of paintings by the Montana Painter’s Alliance (MPA), a group of 25 professional Montana artists presented in the Great Falls Clinic Community Gallery. This gallery is intended for use by art related groups in the area, and exhibition proposals are considered by the museum’s curator of art throughout the year. Local patrons will recognize works by many of these accomplished artists and we thank them for contributing to the museum’s exhibition program. Special thanks go to the MPA leadership, Diana Brady (president) and Ron Ukrainetz (past president) for organizing the exhibition with the MPA members:

Lou Archambault, Diana Brady, Susan Blackwood, Todd Connor, Thomas English, Howard Friedland, Chuck Fulcher, Laurie Stevens Gilleon, Tom Gilleon, Jerry Inman, Phil Korell, Nick Oberling, Mark Ogle, Steve Oiestad, Mike Patterson, Bob Phinney, Sheila Rieman, Greg Scheibel, Deb Schmit, Aaron Schuerr, Steve Seltzer, Janet Sullivan, Ron Ukrainetz, Jeff Walker and Shirle Wempner.

All MPA’s artists have gone through a juried process to become members. They gather biannually in differing Montana locations for “paint outs” that involve three or four days of intensive plein air painting. In spite of the fickle nature of Montana’s weather, these artists meet and paint in all conditions. Field studies for future reference as well as finished paintings are produced at these paint outs where the MPA artists enjoy the camaraderie and expertise that each individual brings to the group.

Lincoln, Montana was the site for the MPA’s most recent paint out when fall colors in the beautiful Blackfoot Valley combined with some of the nicest weather possible. The event was capped with camaraderie over food, campfire and music. Many of the Blackfoot Valley paintings are featured in this exhibit alongside paintings produced from paint outs near Glacier, the Mission Valley, Judith River, Highwood area, Madison Valley, Big Timber, etc. 

While the MPA promotes excellence in representational outdoor paintings, the MPA artists are also accomplished at a variety of other subjects as witnessed in this exhibition.

For more information about Montana Painter’s Alliance and its individual members, please visit www.mtpaintersalliance.com.

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14th Annual Art Auction Exhibition
January 13 - February 2, 2011
Artists’ Reception 5:30-7:30pm Thursday, January 13th
Auction and Benefit Dinner Saturday, February 5th at Meadow Lark Country Club. For more information click HERE.

The Square is delighted to present a preview of work included in The Square’s upcoming 14th Annual Art Auction and Benefit Dinner to be held on Saturday, February 5, 2011 at the Meadow Lark Country Club. The event continues to evolve as one of the museum’s liveliest fund-raisers and proceeds support exhibition and educational programs at The Square throughout the year.

The preview exhibition is an opportunity for the museum to share a representative sampling of the inclusive world of contemporary art. Join area art lovers and exhibiting artists at a reception in their honor 5:30 – 7:30pm Thursday, January 13, 2011. Meet some of the finest regional artists and learn what inspires them in their creative endeavors. Auction art selections offer established and beginning collectors alike a variety of quality objects to consider for inclusion in their own collections. The reception is free to the public courtesy of Farmers Union Insurance and light refreshments will be served. So bring family and friends and help us thank the participating artists: Jean Albus, Martin Andrews, Sharie Babb, Dana Berardinis, Frances Carlson, Rudolf Dietrich, Monte Dolack, Bill Drum, Lisa Easton, Thomas English, Mollie Erkenbrack, Kevin Eveland, Kay Feist, Jacque Finnicum, Deborah Ford, Ruth Franklin, Halley Gallagher, Stephen Glueckert, Maryellen Gutacker, Alana Hastings, Sally Hickman, Carol Hoffnagle, Betsey Hurd, Lisa Jarrett, Bill Jaynes, Neil Jussila, Peter Keefer, Mary Ann Kelly, Nona Jane Kendall, Sylvia (Bunny) Lara, Shelle Lindholm, Cathryn Mallory, Brian Maly, Alan McNiel, Sheila Miles, Cate Moses, Dale Marie Muller, Davi Nelson,  Neltje, Michael Patterson, David C. Powers, Timothy Seery, Carlyle S. Smith, Kate Spencer, Julie A. Stevenson, Terry Thall, Echo Ukrainetz, Ron Ukrainetz, Shalene Valenzuela, Jane Waggoner Deschner, Jeff Walker, Shirle Wempner, Brenda Wolf and Monte Yellow Bird.

Download the on-line version of the exhibition catalog here.

Download an absentee bid form here.

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Mary Ann Kelly:
Rivers Remembered - Rivers Imagined
Thayer and Mungas Volk Galleries
September 16 - December 31, 2010
Artist's Reception 5:30 - 7:30pm September 16, 2010
Art Share Presentation by Mary Ann Kelly at 6pm

The Square presents recent work by Bozeman, MT artist Mary Ann Kelly whose paintings record her thoughts about language, relationships and the powerful natural forces that shape our world. The exhibition includes aqueous media on paper and board.

"When I am drawing I allow my thoughts about struggles and resolutions, opposition and balance to take form in lines, shapes and images. I am drawing areas of lush colors or rich shadows to invite and intrigue the viewer. The emotional tone of any one drawing is carefully contained in the dominance and balance of the formal qualities. The titles give only a small clue to the questions asked in the drawings, for these drawings are a personal connection with visual metaphor. The viewer must engage in the dialogue with their own sensibilities and responses. Traditions, sovereignty, patterns, and identity are common themes. The process of drawing continues to be as much about abstraction and clarification of image as it is about the sheer delight of line and color on paper." - Mary Ann Kelly

Mary Ann Kelly received a B.S. in Art Education at the State University College of New York, Buffalo, NY and moved to Bozeman, Montana to study at Montana State University for an M.F.A. in painting. She has received two National Endowment for the Arts awards and a Montana Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship award. She has exhibited in Camberwell College of Art, the London Institute, UK; the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK; Studio 7 Gallery, Holualoa, Hawaii; Gallery Paule Anglim, San Francisco, CA; Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL; Boise Municipal Art Museum Boise, ID; University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; and many Montana museums.

Download the on-line version of the exhibition catalog here.

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Susan Thomas: Sublime Repose
Rothschiller Gallery
September 16 - December 31, 2010
Artist's Reception 5:30 - 7:30pm September 16, 2010
Art Share Presentation by Susan Thomas at 6:30pm

Sublime Repose is comprised of new mixed media work by Great Falls artist Susan Thomas who utilizes basket and boat forms to portray paradoxical notions about the balance between spiritual, intellectual and emotional containment utilizing both sublime and compulsive pattern making, color usage and mark making.

Susan Thomas was born in Connecticut and lived in many parts of the U.S. before moving to Great Falls in 1995 with her husband, Ken Kohoutek and son Ethan. Susan served as Curator of Education at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art from 1996-2004 and currently is an Adjunct Professor of Art at the University of Great Falls. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture from Southern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Indiana University. Inspiration for her work comes from the natural environment of each place where she has lived, particularly areas near streams, rivers, and woodlands and from the rhythms of daily life.

Download the on-line version of the exhibition catalog here.

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Betsey Hurd: Natural Gaze
Wylder Gallery
June 10 - October 9, 2010

Continuing in its series of exhibitions exploring a sense of place, The Square presents recent work by one of northwestern Montana's most accomplished painters, Betsey Hurd. Primarily known for her paintings of livestock and Montana landscape, Betsey has been a featured artist in past art auctions and this will be her first solo exhibition at The Square.

Of her own life and work Betsey states: "The strength of my work comes from depicting what I know best - horses and livestock and the natural world.  I'm more into the feel and essence of things than the little details, though composition and correct conformation are always important.

I'm interested in the secret lives of animals and their own relationships without humans (even though life is meaningless without a horse). Even as a child, I could spend hours sitting in the pasture just watching what was going on there.  We have three draft cross mares now, and I try to ride at least two of them every day, and then take the experience back to the studio with me—or just haul an easel out to the pasture!" - Betsey Hurd

Betsey Hurd received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, cum laude, from the University of Montana, Missoula in 1984, with concentrations in ceramics and drawing. A working artist since 1990, she is currently represented at  ArtFusion, Bigfork, MT; Holter Museum, Helena, MT; Tierra Montana, Las Cruces, NM; Scottsdale Fine Art, AZ; A Horse Of A Different Color, Jackson Hole, WY and Jest Gallery, Whitefish, MT.  Her work is exhibited in numerous shows and housed in permanent collections across the country, including The White House, Washington, DC; The Hockaday Museum, Kalispell, MT; and the Nicolaysen Museum, Casper, WY.

Exhibition Sponsored by

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Deborah Ford: Cartography & the Cultural Terrain
Great Falls Clinic Community Gallery at The Square                        
July 22 - October 24, 2010
Reception 5:30 - 7:30pm July 22nd
ArtShare Presentation by the Artist 6pm July 22nd

Advances in science and technology has transformed 21st century photography, but many contemporary artists continue to choose analog capturing methods and darkroom processing over digital cameras, software aided processing and ink-jet printing to explore their visual ideas. Deborah Ford is such a photographer and her highly accomplished darkroom work rivals computer aided processing resulting in sharp images that are loaded with ironic content that mirrors her interests in the social aspects of land usage and the meanings calculated in static images.

Download the on-line version of the exhibition catalog here.

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Behind the Vault Door
Thayer, Mungas/Volk and Rothschiller Galleries
May 27 - September 4, 2010
Reception 5:30 - 7:30pm May 27th
ArtShare presentation of Behind the Vault Door a film by Allan Powers 6pm

With substantial funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, The Square enters a new phase in its history increasing the museum's ability to serve its mission. Over the next three years, this funding will support the thorough documentation of the museum's permanent collection along with augmentation and substantiation of all museum records pertaining to the permanent collection.

The first public awareness of the project's impact will come this spring with a focus on collection objects included in this exhibition, which will be the fifth in a series of exhibition in 2010 that focus on a "sense of place" in Montana.

The exhibition will feature fifteen recent gifts of work by Edward Glannon from the artist's estate. Edward Glannon represents the myriad number of artists who live/d elsewhere, but gravitated toward Montana at some point in their careers to record the magnificence of the land. Additionally the exhibition will examine works by nationally, regionally and locally known contemporary artists such as John Buck, Juane Quick-to-See Smith, Clarice Dreyer, John Giarrizzo and Ken Kohoutek who provide a less literal depiction of the landscape and a sense of place.

This exhibition will mark a new programming initiative that presents portions of the museum's collection on a rotating basis. The exhibition will be accompanied by an on-line catalog.

This new exhibition focus will enhance the viewer's understanding of art from our region while reinforcing the educational perspective of temporary exhibitions.

Download the Official Exhibit Catalog by clicking HERE!

Sponsored by:

Walmart Logo

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Annual Great Falls Public Schools Art Student Exhibition and
Great Falls Public Schools Advanced Placement Art Students Exhibition
Wylder, Great Falls Clinic, and Collectors Galleries
April 29 - May 26, 2010
Reception 4:30 - 6:30pm Thursday, April 29, 2010

These annual student exhibitions are favorites with The Square's patrons who look forward to supporting and nurturing local students and their creative endeavors in local schools. The 3rd Annual Zach Culliton Merit of Distinction will be awarded at the reception.

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Halley Gallagher: The ForestHalley Gallagher Postcard Image
Dufresne & Cobb Foundations Gallery
April 1 - June 29, 2010
Artist's reception 5:30 - 7:30pm Thursday, April 1, 2010
ArtShare Presentation by the artist at 6:00pm

"Within our society, we can embrace all things and when we act we should take into account their holistic effect. This is to realize that we are all one. One web, one life, we are connected to each other.

Through making this body of work, I have been exploring the concept of Dinergy as expressed in Gyorgy Doczi's book The Power of Limits. Dinergy means opposing energy; a universal process, creating pattern through opposites. The form of this pattern is dependent on the intersection of the opposing forces, how they share space. Dinergy is mathematically based on the Fibonacci sequence, a series of numbers in which each number is the sum of the two previous ones: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34... The sunflower, pinecone, DNA and peacock tails are examples of dinergic energy evident in nature.

Using the process of painting and drawing I have recreated dinergic patterns. I do
this to understand and communicate their subtle presence in our world. Even though
my works are fixed moments, they represent the kinetic energy, seemingly still, yet
in flux. The dinergic patterns resonate throughout everything, from the microscopic
level to the cosmic level." - Halley Gallagher

Halley Gallagher grew up in Great Falls, Montana graduating from C.M. Russell High
School in 2004, before she attended Creighton University where she earned her
Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Painting. She recently returned to Great Falls
and has been selected by The Great Falls Public Schools and The Square as the Artist
in Residence for the Spring Semester in 2010.

Sponsored by:

2J's Fresh Market logo linked to their website

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Sample of Dana Berardinis's artworkDana Berardinis: True Remains
February 18 - May 15, 2010
Opening Reception February 18th, 5:30 - 7:30pm

"While growing up in a rural mid-western town, I preferred to spend my time in the fields and woods. Captured by the tones and textures of what I saw there, I would draw the trees and cornfields of my home. I would bring back collections of bark, corn husk and bones to reference and apply to my creations.

In 2004, I received a degree in fine art from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Upon graduating, I was eager to continue my explorations. My journey lead me westward to a place where I could paint freely without interruptions. Here in Montana, I find again, paths to the ever present tones and textures of the natural palette. I memorize what I see and make drawings as I explore the vast wilderness.

Powerful forces and cycles of nature have helped to shape and recreate the vast features of the land. Although nature's forces can be devastating, time reveals the Earth's ability to heal and transform itself, leaving behind a new surrounding that lives on.

The fires of Montana have opened up passages to what once was and what will be again - the remains of burned trees, scattered and hidden among the forest, provide signs of the past. Hill sides of blackened trees nurture and guard thousands of younger trees. The forest is recreating itself into a much healthier one. Old trees that have lived long lives finally get to rest in peace. They replenish the land with new seeds and fertilize the soil beneath them.

Fire has a very beautiful and intriguing life of its own. The intense flames seem to be a timeless gesture rolling across the horizon. When ash and smoke clear, new vistas welcome a breath of fresh air and signify new beginnings.

I find spontaneity and freedom in the power of nature, which inspires me in the creation of my work. I experience painting the way I do the landscape. It holds the same quietness the same search. Through the layering of paint and materials, I begin to find continuity with what I've discovered in nature. I scrape and burn into the surface. The materials I use (moss, charcoal, pine needles, duff and other organic materials) signify the surroundings from where they have been taken, allowing me to connect more directly with nature. I begin a new journey through each painting. As I paint, memories rush through me. Most of the time, I am searching for answers I can only come so close to understanding. I find something indescribable in nature that is never made completely clear in the form of language, which creates my need to paint.

Like the seasons, time transforms the forest and leaves only remnants of what once was, and truth remains." - Dana Berardinis

Download the on-line version of the exhibition catalog here.

Sponsored by:

Ugrin, Alexander, Zadick & Higgins, P.C. logo linked to their website

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Sample of Davi Nelson's artworkDavi Nelson: Vistas
February 18 - May 15, 2010
Opening Reception February 18th, 5:30 - 7:30pm

"My work is a reflection of the landscape I live in. It is not a portrait of a specific place, but rather an attempt to evoke a sense of place and a way of life in a rural environment." - Davi Nelson

Davi Nelson and her husband, Carroll, live on a ranch southwest of Ryegate, Montana, where they raise commercial cattle. The isolation of the location and its profound sense of space are the focus of her paintings.

Her work has been exhibited internationally in such diverse venues as Ireland, The American West, a 21st Century Retrospective; and China, Out West, The Great American Landscape. Past museum exhibitions include The Evocative Landscape at the Holter Museum, Helena, Montana; Contemporary Montana Artists at the Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, Montana; Masters in Miniature at the C. M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana; and Postcards of the Wild West at the Nicolaysen Museum, Casper, Wyoming. Her work may also be seen July 1 to October 1, 2010 in Montana Landscape: The Eye of the Beholder at the Holter Museum in Helena, Montana.

Davi Nelson's work is found in numerous private and corporate collections. She is represented by the Dana Gallery, Missoula, Montana, the Holter Museum, Helena, Montana, and Latigo and Lace in Augusta, Montana.

Download the on-line version of the exhibition catalog here.

Sponsored by:

Latigo & Lace Logo linked to their website     State Farm Logo

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Sample of Sarah Rowley's artworkSarah Rowley: PULSE
February 18 - May 15, 2010
Opening Reception February 18th, 5:30-7:30pm

"Centripetal motion patterns the fabric of existence. Macro and micro molecular beats inform an interconnected sense of place - periodic intersections of existence. The pulse, the process cannot be kept, only measured. We are in constant motion." - Sarah Rowley

Growing up in Grangeville, Idaho, Sarah Rowley's environment was infused with the permission to create. She was constantly supplemented with raw material while surrounded by the craftsmen and artists in her family.

Sarah graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art from the University of Montana, Missoula, Montana in 2007 and is finishing her tenure as the Great Falls Public Schools' Artist-in-Residence.

Sarah has worked as an Instructor of Art at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art, focusing her efforts on broadening art access for non-traditional artists groups who participate in The Square's VSA Montana Arts program.

Facilitating art making has helped Rowley further understand her own process and concerns as an artist.

Sponsored by:

Knicker Biker logo linked to their website     2J's Fresh Market logo linked to their website

 

 

 

This programming is made possible by the generous support of our members and supporters, with ongoing support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Montana Arts Council and Cascade County.

National Endowment for the Arts Logo linked to their website      Montana Arts Council Logo linked to their website      Cascade County Logo