Montana Art History
with an emphasis on representational art
(above: C.M. Russell, Bronc to Breakfast, 1908, watercolor on paper, Montana Historical Society, Mackay Collection. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons*)
Introduction
This section of the Traditional Fine Arts Organization (TFAO) catalogue Topics in American Art is devoted to the topic "Montana Art History." Articles and essays specific to this topic published in TFAO's Resource Library are listed at the beginning of the section. Clicking on titles takes readers directly to the articles and essays.
Following the links to Resource Library articles and essays are a listing of museums in the state which have provided materials to Resource Library for this or any other topic.
Listed after museums are links to online resources outside the TFAO website. Following these resources is information about offline resources including DVDs, paper-printed books, journals and articles. Our goal is to present complete knowledge relating to this section of Topics in American Art.
We recommend that researchers always search within Resource Library for additional material. Please see TFAO's page How to research topics not listed for more information.
(above: C.M. Russell, A Quiet Day In Utica, originally called Tinning A Dog, Oil, 1907, Sid Richardson Museum, Fort Worth, TX. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons*)
Resource Library essays followed by articles:
A Timeless Legacy - Women Artists of Glacier National Park (5/30/15)
(above: C.M. Russell, Lassoing
A Steer, 1897, oil on board 18.5 x 24.5 inches, Private collection.
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons*)
Museums and other non-profit sources of Resource Library articles and essays:
(above: Hockaday Museum of Art. Photo by John Hazeltine. © 2012 John Hazeltine)
Other online information:
Artists from Montana - from Wikipedia. Accessed August, 2015.
Courtney Blazon - the moon has nothing to be sad about is a 2020 exhibit at the Northcutt Steele Gallery at Montana State University - Billings which says: "Blazon draws intricate narratives layered with symbolism. Focusing on issues facing contemporary women and referencing the complexities of women's lives throughout history, Blazon derives inspiration from literature, mythology, fairytales, and coming-of-age tales. She leans into humor and irony to create rich visual stories weaving together autobiography, historical reality, and fantasy." Accessed 11/20
Jeneese Hilton: Raven Reviewing Modern is a 2016 exhibit at the Missoula Art Museum which says: "Imagery from her own Blackfeet tradition recurs, with creatures suggestive of Native American animism and sacredness, such as the horse, turtle, raven, bison, and bear." Also see artist's website. Accessed 8/18
Montana (sampling of artists and works connected to state) from askArt. Accessed August, 2015.
Montana Bars // Lee Nye: Eddie's Club Adjunct Collection is a 2019 exhibit at the Missoula Art Museum which says: "Nye was a meticulous photographer and expert technician both behind the camera and in the darkroom. The perfect natural lighting and an air of candid grace captured in the faces of these men brings their stories back to life." Accessed 4/19
Montana State Capitol - from Wikipedia. Accessed August, 2015.
Persistence in Clay: Contemporary Ceramics in Montana, an exhibit held June 03 - September 10, 2011 at the Missoula Art Museum. Includes interactive presentation with videos. Accessed March, 2015.
The Sun Dance Series: Heart of the Blackfeet People by Gary Schildt is a 2017 exhibit at the C. M. Russell Museum which says: "This remarkable series of 42 paintings by the Blackfeet artist Gary Schildt (b. 1938) represents the most meaningful aspects of the annual Medicine Lodge ceremony, or Sun Dance, celebrated in July by the Blackfeet of Browning, Montana. Painted over a three-year period (1995-1997), the series was conceived by Schildt as a way to give back to his people and to reconfirm his own cultural roots." Also see 1/1/16 article in Great Falls Tribune. Accessed 6/17
Wendy Red Star Apsáalooke: Children of the Large-Beaked Bird is a 2020 exhibit at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art which says: "Multi-media artist Wendy Red Star, a member of the Apsáalooke (Crow) tribe, offers accounts of American history that rectify the frequently flawed narratives about Native people." Also see website of artist. Accessed 1/21
Woman to Woman: Female Portrayals is a 2017 exhibit at the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art which says: "This special exhibition brings together art works spanning the decades between 1925-1955 and features works from The Square's Permanent Collection, University of Providence's Galerie Trinitas and Ursuline Centre (both located in Great Falls), Missoula's Montana Museum of Art and Culture and a few pieces borrowed from private collections." - To read more after exhibit closes, go to "Past Exhibitions" section of museum website. Accessed 12/17
(above: "A travel poster produced by the WPA Art Project in New York City for the U. S. Travel Bureau. Poster Collection, Prints and Photographs Division." credit line by John Y. Cole, executive director of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. From memory.loc.gov. Accessed July, 2015
(above: Poster for Yellowstone National Park, Ranger Naturalist Service, c. 1938, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons*)
Books, listed by year of publication, with most recently published book listed first:
Drawn to Yellowstone: America's First National Park, by Peter H. Hassrick, Los Angeles: Autry Museum of Western Heritage, 2002.
Montana Landscape: One Hundred Years, 1830s-1930s: Yellowstone Art Center, May 9-August 1, 1982, By Charles Adrian Heidenreich, Virginia L. Heidenreich, Virginia Heidenreich-Barber, Published by Yellowstone Art Center 1982. 52 pages
Catalog of Art and Illustration of 19th Century Montana: An Exhibition at the Yellowstone Art Center, Billings, Montana, June 3-July 31, 1976, By Yellowstone Art Center, C. Adrian Heidenreich, Mont Yellowstone Art Center (Billings. Published by Yellowstone Art Center, 1976. 36 pages
Return to Individual States Art History Project
TFAO catalogues:
*Tag for expired US copyright of object image:
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