Our Mission

Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art is dedicated to fulfilling the artistic needs of the general public.  This is accomplished through:

• Fostering accessibility and understanding of modern, contemporary and self-taught art.
• Collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting art that actively engages a diverse and growing audience;
• Providing educational programming that inspires artistic expression and understanding;
• Expanding public knowledge of, interest in and support for the arts and artists of the region; and
• Serving as a cultural center, and continuing the preservation of the historically significant Paris Gibson Square building.

– Approved April 29, 2008 by the Board of Trustees

History

Paris Gibson Square, one of Great Falls' oldest and most beloved landmarks, has served as a center for learning and growth for more than 100 years. The magnificent sandstone structure was completed in 1896, and served for 34 years as Central High School and for 45 years as Paris Gibson Junior High, before closing its doors in 1975.

In 1977, community volunteers renovated and reopened the historic building as Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art. Since that time, The Square has provided a dynamic program of exhibitions, classes, lectures, tours, and performances designed to nurture the region's creative spirit.

» More Building Facts
» Important Dates

The Building as a Monument to Education

Central High School (1896-1930)
Paris Gibson Junior High School (1930-1975)

Located on the east edge of town between Central Avenue and First Avenue North, Paris Gibson Square was the most distinctive building in Great Falls at the end of the 19thcentury. Built in 1895 as the city's first high school, it represents both the visionary and pragmatic aspects of the citizens of a town merely a decade old. Its crowning glory, a four-faced clock tower almost as high as the building itself, easily gave it visual distinction as it towered above everything on the surrounding plains. The emphasis on time was a symbol not only for urban industrialization where accurate and consistent time became essential for the interaction of commerce, but also a suggestion for the youth attending the school that their time be wisely spent in learning. Through the choice of its "cathedral-like" style, the three-storied structure emphatically stated its ideological purpose as a monument to education. Described as a modified Norman style in the National Historic Register, it is, in fact, a version of a popular turn-of-the-century Romanesque style for public buildings made famous by Boston architect H.H. Richardson.

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The Building as a Museum and Cultural Center

Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art (1977-Today)

Initiated in 1974 by the Junior League of Great Falls and led by Jean Warden Dybdal, a Community Task Force was responsible for the building's metamorphosis as a community cultural center. For more than two years, these leaders organized, planned, cleaned, painted, and raised funds to open the doors.

Through a unique Interlocal-Agreement with School District No. 1 of Great Falls and the Cascade County Commissioners, Paris Gibson Square became a reality. The Museum has grown from its visionary beginning, with a volunteer director and a budget of just $20,000, to become the second largest contemporary art museum in Montana, with 15 full- and part-time staff and an annual budget of nearly $500,000. The Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art Board of Trustees and staff recently completed nearly $1.5 million in building improvements, and bring in tens of thousands of dollars each year in grants and sponsorships to support the Museum's ongoing exhibitions and educational programs.