Upcoming Exhibits

June:

• The 'Trunk' Show: Textile Art by the Montana Bricolage Artists
  June 11 - September 4, 2013
  Exhibit Opening June 11, 2013; 5:30p-7:30p
  
  

  This exhibition, coming to Great Falls on loan from the Missoula Art Museum through the Museum and Art Gallery Directors Association of Montana, will display a stunning collection of art quilt ‘trunks’ by the Montana Bricolage Artists of the Missoula and Bitterroot valleys.   The vibrantly patterned ‘trunks’ will be suspended from the ceiling in the center of the gallery to create the experience of strolling through a forest of fiber interpretations of trees in their many forms, seasons, and varieties.  Viewers will have the opportunity to wander through the woodland of ‘trunks’ which incorporate a wide variety of materials, methods, and artistic styles from realism to abstract.  Each artist has interpreted the theme through their chosen materials including quilted, woven, hand-dyed, discharged, painted, sheer, and hand-felted wool cloth, and the additions of yarn/ fibers, beads, stone, wire, embroidery, threadwork, and found objects.

  The fourteen artists displaying their work have developed a camaraderie resulting from their interest in art quilting and exploring the medium of fiber arts.  They call themselves the Montana Bricolage Artists. Bricolage is defined as a construction or creation made from a diverse range of available elements.  The artwork of this collective reflects their spirit of experimentation.  In addition to the trunks, the exhibition will also include a sampler by each of the artists along with brief biographical information.  Exhibiting artists are: Brooke Atherton, Louise Barker, Diane Beirwagen, Joyce Brown, Karen Burton, Joyce Ferrie, Mickey Frissell, Jamie Grant, Judy Hart, Sue Anne Inman, Carol O’Bagy, Cindy Ondrak, Pam Wells, and Heidi Zielinski.

  This exhibition is supported in part by grants from the Montana Arts Council, the Coal Tax Trust Fund for Cultural and Aesthetic Projects, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
  

• Inner Landscapes:
  Contemporary Native Imagery by Valentina LaPier
  June 11 - October 19, 2013
  Exhibit Opening June 11, 2013; 5:30p-7:30p
  
  

  This exhibition will consist of a striking collection of new and colorful paintings by Valentina LaPier.  The artist was born in Browning, Montana and is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe.  She began painting as a young girl and works primarily in watercolor, oils and acrylics.  Raised in various places throughout the western United States, LaPier moved back to the Blackfeet Reservation in 2000.  She currently splits her time between East Glacier and Kalispell, Montana.

  La Pier shares the landscapes of her heart through her painted images, weaving together her life as a 21st century artist, her Blackfeet heritage and her vibrant, mystical soul.  These images, and the ability to capture them on canvas, come to LaPier as gifts.  Her work is contemporary, but constructed from historical Native imagery, like those found in the traditional art of the Blackfeet people.

  LaPier has stated: My mother was Blackfeet and my father was Métis of the Little Shell Tribe. I am an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation, and a descendant of the Little Shell Tribe.  Native art has a rich history often illustrated through patterns and symbols.  I pull much of my imagery and techniques from this heritage.  The soft, feminine elements of my work are drawn from the European and Cree floral designs from my Métis side, and the Blackfeet influence is represented by heavy, bold lines and the primitive nature of my geometric shapes.  I take from the past to create the new.  I deconstruct old patterns and arrange them into modern images.  Through my paintings, I pray the traditions of my Grandfathers and Grandmothers will not go unheard.  We walk today because of yesterday.

July:

• Carly Swenson: Sonhos Melancolia
  July 23 - December 14, 2013
  Exhibit Opening July 23, 2013; 5:30p-7:30p

September:

• Robert Tomlinson Exhibition
  September 19 - December 14, 2013
  Exhibit Opening September 19, 2013; 5:30p-7:30p
  
  
• Emily Yellow Bird Exhibition
  September 19 - December 28, 2013
  Exhibit Opening September 19, 2013; 5:30p-7:30p

November:

• Alison Schildt Photography Exhibition
  November 21, 2013 - April 3, 2014
  Exhibit Opening November 21, 2013; 5:30p-7:30p

December:

• 17th Annual Art Auction Exhibition
  December 28, 2013 - January 29, 2014
  Exhibit Opening January 10, 2014; 5:30p-8:30p

January:

• Native American Ledger Art Group Exhibition
  January 8 - April 3, 2014
  Exhibit Opening January 23, 2014; 5:30p-7:30p

February:

• Louis Delegato Exhibition
  February 20 - July 19, 2014
  Exhibit Opening February 20, 2014; 5:30p-7:30p

 

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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.