This very evening, the Missoula Art Museum continues its monthly Artini series of events with Artini: Art and Soul. If you haven’t seen the MAM’s auction show, which is hanging now, you really should; it’s one of the best group shows I’ve ever seen at the museum, and definitely the best auction show [...]
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Though it now stands as one of Missoula’s most celebrated cultural traditions, the Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival isn’t immune from the effects of the Great Recession. Whereas in the past the festival has been funded in part by donations carried over from the previous year, this spring’s upcoming festival approaches without the luxury of such a cushion. When times get tough, the tough improvise. Fortunately, this is jazz we’re talking about. [Read More...] Advertisement The Montana Museum of Art and Culture will have to wait a little longer to find a proper showcase for its trove of art. Monday’s news that a Virginia-based developer has purchased the Macy’s building in downtown Missoula means that the MMAC, Montana’s only state-owned museum devoted to art – and the only state-owned museum that lacks a public building of its own – likely won’t be moving into the 134-year-old building in the heart of Missoula. “We’re disappointed, certainly,” said Barbara Koostra, director of the MMAC, the UM-based art collection that, for 117 years, has been a museum by name only. [Read More...]
The mere presence of three original works by Renoir – at least one of which hasn’t been exhibited in more than 40 years – is enough to draw art history buffs from near and far to Missoula. Add in a dozen other works by some of history’s most recognized artists – including Paul Gauguin, Rene Magritte, Max Ernst, and John William Waterhouse – and the exhibit, titled “Renoir, Magritte, Gauguin and other European Masterpieces from a Private Collection,” lives up to its name. [Read More...] For those who seek a good way to pass the cold days of winter, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UM has announced a new class aimed at 50-plus folks who want to increase their appreciation of art. It looks like a great class, as it will be centered around the great exhibit of masterworks currently on view at UM. Here’s the full press release about the class from UM. [Read More...] It’s that time of year again, when every self-appointed critic and self-respecting media outlet looks back and ponders the best (and worst) of the year. We’re no different around here at the Missoulian. On Christmas Day, the Missoulian will publish an issue of the Entertainer devoted largely to the year in music, film, [...] Big retailers have their Black Friday; online retailers have their Cyber Monday. But for local artists and handiworkers, this December is shaping up to be Craftshow Chaos. And at least some folks are beginning to wonder if the profusion of local fairs and markets isn’t starting to be too much. This weekend alone, a quick tour of the local scene includes a First Friday DIY Bazaar at the Top Hat Lounge (tonight), the annual Brunswick Artist Studios Holiday Open House (today and Saturday), the UC Holiday Art Fair at the University of Montana (today and Saturday) – and, of course, the gamut of First Friday openings, several of them expanded for the holiday season. And that’s just the start of it. Still to come is the Missoula Made Fair (Dec. 12, at the Elk’s Lodge), the 24th annual UM Art Annex Holiday Juried Show and Sale (Dec. 9-12), and plenty more. The long list of fairs and sales offers a celebratory manifestation of the growing diversity of Missoula’s art and craft scene – not to mention a reflection of the nationwide revitalization of interest in handmade crafts. But some locals wonder if the ever-expanding creativity in our community will be matched this year by a deeper pool of interested buyers. [Read More...] Apparently yesterday morning, an errant driver ran into the traffic signal box at the tri-way corner of Orange, Front, and Main Streets in downtown Missoula. Thing is, this wasn’t just any ol’ signal box; it was one of several included in last year’s first round of the Public Art Committee’s traffic signal box [...] This Saturday and Sunday, the Missoula Art Museum will present a pair of advance screenings of “Anything is Possible,” a film about the South African artist William Kentridge. If you’ve never heard of him, Kentridge is a multimedia artist best known for his playful yet hauntingly beautiful animated films. Thus this film is likely to be a perfect idiom to explore his work.
Here’s a trailer for the film, and a press release about this weekend’s screenings. [Read More...]
Missoula Art Musem director Laura Millin was interviewed and quoted for a story published late last week by Bloomberg News, about the seeming double-standard that applies to artists and collectors when donating artwork to museums and other charities. It’s an interesting read, and I think Millin’s point is the best example in the [...] |
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For Missoula residents, it has never been easier to get up close and personal with Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The French Impressionist painter never visited Western Montana; but right now, the paint from his palette and the sublimely delicate impressions left by his hand are right here, hanging on the wall of a small gallery on the University of Montana campus.
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