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  • Art Exhibits
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    • 2014 - 2015 Imagine That
    • 2013-2014 Montana Speaks Through Art
    • 2012-2013 Montana Cultures
    • 2011-2012 Montana: Preserving Place
    • 2010-2011
  • Artist Directory
    • 2017-2018 Artists >
      • Connie Bergum
      • Larry Blackwood
      • Joe Boddy
      • Dana Boussard
      • Larry Boyer
      • Jill Brody
      • Corky Clairmont
      • David Dragonfly
      • Kelsey Dzintars
      • Patty Franklin
      • Jennifer French
      • Bev Glueckert
      • Stephen Glueckert
      • Marla Goodman
      • Keith Graham
      • Sally Hickman
      • Linda King
      • BT Livermore
      • Christine Martin
      • Kelly Packer
      • Lindy Racine
      • Jonathon Read
      • Dione Roberts
      • Seth Roby
      • Breanna Shermer
      • Barb Schwarz-Karst
      • Heather Snell
      • Noelle Sullivan
      • Richard Swanson
      • Sue Tirrell
    • 2016-2017 Artists >
      • Anthony Yazzie
      • Ashwini Bhat
      • Ben Crawford
      • Bently Spang
      • Beverly Glueckert
      • Brooks Oliver
      • Cathryn Sugg
      • Corky Clairmont
      • Courtney Blazon
      • Crista Ann Ames
      • Darlene Pucillo
      • Elisha Harteis
      • Jennifer Ogden
      • John Isaiah Pepion
      • Kate Hunt
      • Kathryn Schmidt
      • Lauren Monroe
      • Louis Habeck
      • Mary Conway
      • Mimi Matsuda
      • Muriel Condon
      • Rebecca Weed
      • Richard Nickel
      • Ryan Mitchell
      • Sarahjess Hurt
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ART MOBILE OF MONTANA

notes from the field

1 Week in Paradise: The big Hole Valley

12/9/2014

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     Divide            Grant           polaris           jackson

This valley is special.
The landscape here is stunning in every way- mountain peaks holding up the clouds, hot springs to soak away aches and pains so deep I didn't know existed, and clear rivers winding through valleys overflowing with sweet, musty smells of sagebrush. I watched a sunrise spread across water like glass and catch on peaks on the 45th Parallel, sitting on dirt halfway between the North Pole and the Equator. I ran to the top of a snowcapped mountain and thought maybe I was Atlas, shouldering this giant orb of dirt,  until I felt the clouds wrap around me and realized it was the other way around. I spent the night at Wise River Club drinking too much coffee with a woman who's wrapped around the world herself, feeding the hungry bellies of fly-fishermen, skiers, and ranchers along the way. The genorosity and kindness of people living here was even larger and more grand than the mountaintops holding my eyes. 

DIVIDE
Judy Boyle at the Divide School was not only teaching students how to read and write, but she was teaching them the values of being a human; skills outside the books and worksheets I've seen in so many other classrooms. When she spoke, I felt a presence of kindness like a quiet warmth in the air I've never felt before. And it showed in her students. Their care for each other was more familial than friendship and as each shared their interpretations of artworks, the others would listen with the same intensity and respect Ms. Boyle spoke in the grace of a smile. 

In a room filled with plants growing under bright lights, we helped each other. Together we made paper polyhedron ornaments, hands holding hands covered in glue until each fragile edge was strong enough to hold another edge. 

GRANT AND POLARIS ELEMENTARY

We had a great setup in Grant because Polaris just drove across the range and joined us to make for a little larger group. We set the exhibit up in the theatre and sat around in a circle talking about how interpretation is like making a story. Sometimes there might be missing parts, but you can look for clues and imagine your own ending. Then students went around drawing and writing about their favorite pieces. Afterwards, we had lunch and students talked about their upcoming skiing trips up to Maverick Mountain.


JACKSON ELEMENTARY
Culture was exploration, was travel, was education in Dianna Peterson's classroom at Jackson Elementary. Ms. Peterson creates incredible units based on cultures all across the world that include reading, writing, math, science, and art activities. So, when it came to interpreting their favorite artworks, students had a lot to say and made predictions about an artist's personality based on their artwork. MaryAnn Bonjorni was a cowgirl who lived on the road, Steve Glueckert was probably really funny, Bob Durden spent a lot of time looking at things, and Julia Becker was full of energy. I think most of their predictions were very close!


They also shared some of their other artwork with me...and they got it going' on there! Each unit typically culminates with a visual art project related to the history and traditions of the region they are studying. Ms. Peterson explained their upcoming project was going to be mosaic-related because they were studying Italy at the time and would finish the adventure off with an Italian feast.
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