ART SCENE

 MISSOULA ART PARK, MISSOULA ART MUSUEM.

ARTWORK COPYRIGHT JAY LABER, PHOTO BY CHRIS SAWICKI, COURTESY OF THE MISSOULA ART MUSEUM

Creativity here runs as wild as Montana’s rivers. From one-of-a-kind sculptures to photography, ceramics and contemporary paintings, the Missoula Art Museum and the Dana Gallery offer a stunning rotation of regional and American Indian artists. And that’s just the beginning—Missoula boasts numerous art galleries. Don’t miss the most prominent fine art collection (11,000 pieces) in the Rocky Mountain Northwest at the Montana Museum of Art and Culture. And don’t forget to check out First Friday Gallery Night when the downtown scene explodes with art on every block along with samplings of freshly crafted poetry and culinary delights…food for the soul and the belly. Be sure to visit The Artists’ Shop, Radius Gallery, and 4 Ravens Gallery where local artists display their dynamic work.

 MISSOULA ART MUSEUM.

ANDY AUSTIN

MISSOULA ART MUSEUMS

MISSOULA ART MUSEUM Missoula Art Museum (MAM), a contemporary art museum, offers a spectacular attraction in the heart of the historic downtown: a free, public museum that boasts eight exhibition spaces, displaying 26 contemporary art exhibits per year. See ad on page 29. 335 N. Pattee St., 406.728.0447 www.missoulaartmuseum.org MONTANA MUSEUM OF ART & CULTURE MMAC’s rotating exhibits and programs highlight historic and contemporary art from its holdings, as well as invitational and nationally renowned traveling exhibitions. See ad on page 29. 32 Campus Dr. in the PARTV Center, University of Montana, 406.243.2019 www.umt.edu/montanamuseum

MARK YOUR CALENDAR First Friday Gallery Night

Browse downtown galleries, museums and businesses to see the latest creations of local artists and new exhibits. First Friday of the month 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. Downtown Missoula destinationmissoula.org/blog/firstfridays-missoula ART AROUND EVERY CORNER

Missoula’s public art scene is flourishing, and everything is fair game. From over 50 traffic signal boxes dripping in colorful artwork to dozens of sculptures in every configuration, around each corner you’ll meet a testament to the city’s love of art.

Creativity is especially encouraged in Missoula’s outdoor spaces, where culture, community and nature interweave. The Missoula Art Museum’s Art Park features large-scale outdoor exhibits, and the alleyway outside of Radius Gallery has been transformed into a rotating outdoor urban mural space, also known as Allez! Missoula.

FEELING WELCOME: A MURAL FOR ALL OF MISSOULA

Public art decorates the streets of Missoula, and each piece tells a story. One downtown alleyway tells an especially inspiring story through four murals that make up the Feeling Welcome Mural Project, located behind the Zootown Arts Community Center (ZACC).

The project came to life in 2020, when the ZACC received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and formed a committee to select four muralists. Due to the nature of the project, preference was given to artists who are members of, identify with, or have a relevant history with one or more underserved groups. Those final four artists were Stella Nall, April Werle, Willow Kipp and Cristina Marian.

The theme, “Feeling Welcome,” was born out of a desire to make the ZACC’s new downtown location a place of creativity, diversity and acceptance. Kia Liszak, executive director at the ZACC, explained, “In 2019, as we were designing and remodeling our new space in downtown Missoula, I was spending a lot of time thinking about the concept of creating a welcoming space for everyone, and it occurred to me that the alley behind our building was part of our new space that we could transform through art.”

Each muralist was asked to have conversations with historically marginalized voices in Missoula, and they used those conversations to inspire their design. “The project aims to amplify the perspectives of various members of our community including BIPOC, LGBTQIA, and refugees,” said Liszak.

“Missoula is inherently a very welcoming place that is rich with artists and diversity,” Liszak explained, and Missoula was quick to embrace the Feeling Welcome mural. Thanks to the ZACC and four incredible artists, an alley that was once “dirty and drab” is now colorful, meaningful, and welcoming to all.

PARTV Center, UM Campus Open Tuesday-Saturday 12-6 p.m. 406.243.2019 www.umt.edu/montanamuseum

Photo: Matthew Hamon, from the project RatljÓst

free expression. free admission.

335 N. Pattee // Downtown Missoula Tuesday–Saturday, 10 AM–5 PM missoulaartmuseum.org