Upcoming Events
MINE Closing Reception and Panel Discussion
MINE: Excavating Ecologies
Closing Reception and Panel Discussion
Monday, July 28 6-7:30 pm
co-presented by Open AIIR and the Clark Fork Coalition
4th floor, Missoula Public Library
Join us for a closing reception of MINE: Excavating Ecologies. MINE is an exhibition inspired by the Upper Clark Fork Ecosystems featuring artists Eric Jensen, Lane Chapman, and Manette Bradford.
We will celebrate with food, drinks, and a facilitated panel discussion with the artists and representatives from Clark Fork Coalition.
Artists, Jensen and Chapman completed their residencies in partnership with the Clark Fork Coalition, where they shared a studio space at the Cottonwood Field Station, allowing for close collaboration and creative exchange. Manette Bradford held her residency at the Hungry Hill Art Center in Butte, Montana, a location rich with the mining heritage that continues to shape the region’s identity. The Clark Fork Coalition’s impact reaches beyond restoration, employing a wide range of science-based strategies to tackle the complex challenges facing the Clark Fork Watershed. In this case, CFC collaborated with Open AIR in support of creative interpretations of those challenges, evidenced in the artworks featured in this exhibition.
The panel discussion will feature reflections on the artists' residency experiences and the role of art in engaging with environmental narratives.
Panelists
Manette Bradford, Artist
Lane Chapman, Artist
Stoney Samsoe, E.D. Open AIR
Brian Chaffin, E.D. Clark Fork Coalition
Open AIR is best known for its unique place-based Artist-in-Residence program that connects artists from all disciplines and origins, with culturally, historically, and ecologically significant locations through collaborative partnerships in Montana. With innovative opportunities available in places such as remote wilderness areas to historically significant sites closer to town, artists have the opportunity to draw inspiration from a regional community dedicated to preserving place, environment, and the arts.
The Clark Fork Coalition, founded in 1985, works to restore and protect the Clark Fork River and its tributaries. Montana’s largest river by volume and the headwaters of the mighty Columbia River, the Clark Fork River serves as a critical lifeline for communities, fish, and wildlife across the region. CFC aims to bring Western Montana’s rivers and streams back to health and protect them in perpetuity.
Kids workshop at Philipsburg Public Library
Free kids workshop ages 6+
More info coming soon!
Intro to Junk Journaling with Taylor Stein
Open AIR Artist-Led Workshop
Introduction to Junk Journaling with Taylor Stein
Register Here! https://form.jotform.com/251605864385161
About the Workshop:
If you'd like to turn your sketches, scribbles, postcards, pamphlets--all of life's detritus that is just too good to throw away--into a meditative, multimedia arts practice, this is the class for you. Artfully preserve your memories and clear your mind with this popular, accessible craft. Please bring in materials you'd like to work with, such as letters, pictures, ticket stubs, stickers, pressed flowers, maps, the sky is the limit!
About the Artist:
Taylor Stein (she/her) is a writer and mixed-media artist based in Missoula. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from the University of Montana in 2018, where she served as Fiction Editor for Cutbank Literary Magazine. Her short stories have appeared in Word Dog Quarterly and in Duplicitous: A WriteHive Compilation. Her innovative arts books combine 3D elements with story and play. Taylor is currently producing and directing a puppet theater production, Excuse Us, co-written with Bob Giordano, which will debut at Free Cycles in September and close a series of free arts workshops.
Taylor is also a teacher with the Free Verse Writing Project, which brings writing and art into Montana jails and prisons, and has taught creative writing workshops through Open AIR, Word Dog, the Missoula Writing Collaborative, Arts Missoula, and the University of Montana's MOLLI program. She also does freelance editing and creative coaching. Her latest adventure is the Wonder-Gizmos, a Snail Mail Creative Writing Club and Whimsy Machine. Please hop over to her website, https:// taylorwstein.wixsite.com/my- site/projects, for more information.
Audience: This workshop is suitable for individuals 18+.
What to bring: Journal and anything you'd like to work with from home.
Cost: The workshop is free, but a suggested donation is appreciated!
Registration: Registration is required and will close 24 hours before the workshop begins.
Cancellation: If you are registered and cannot attend the workshop, please let us know at program@openairmt.org so we can open the spot for another participant!
Questions? Email program@openairmt.org
Amanda Bielby Plein Air Workshop Series Session Four
Plein Air along the Clark Fork Watershed - Amanda Bielby Workshop Series
Five guided sessions with artist Amanda Bielby
When: Every other Thursday from June 26th - August 21st, 2025
Session One: June 26th - Enhance Your Soft Pastel with Watercolors
Session Two: July 10th- Find Your Color Palette With Grey Scale
Session Three: July 24th- Loose Watercolor Landscapes
Session Four: August 7th- Nature's Molecular Abstract Patterns in Watercolor
Session Five: August 21st- Speed-Scapes
Session Time: 9am - 12pm
Place: Varying locations along the Clark Fork Watershed- each destination will be approved by MT FWP. All locations will be sent out via google maps leading up to the workshop.
Audience: This workshop is suitable for individuals 18+.
What to bring: Camp chair, water bottle, sunscreen, all workshop materials will be provided!
Cost: The workshop is free, but a suggested donation is appreciated! All participants will need a MT FWP issued conservation License.
https://form.jotform.com/251315585689166
Questions? Email program@openairmt.org
Kids Workshop at Philipsburg Public Library
Join Open AIR every Thursday at the Philipsburg Public Library this Summer!
Explore watercolor, soft pastels, poetry, interactive art and more! Featuring Open AIR alum Amanda Bielby and Taylor Stein.
Audience: These workshops are suitable for ages 6+.
What to bring: Everything you need will be provided!
Cost: The workshop is free, but a suggested donation is appreciated!
Kids workshop at Philipsburg Public Library
Free kids workshop ages 6+
more info coming soon!
Amanda Bielby Plein Air Workshop Series Session Five
Plein Air along the Clark Fork Watershed - Amanda Bielby Workshop Series
Five guided sessions with artist Amanda Bielby
When: Every other Thursday from June 26th - August 21st, 2025
Session One: June 26th - Enhance Your Soft Pastel with Watercolors
Session Two: July 10th- Find Your Color Palette With Grey Scale
Session Three: July 24th- Loose Watercolor Landscapes
Session Four: August 7th- Nature's Molecular Abstract Patterns in Watercolor
Session Five: August 21st- Speed-Scapes
Session Time: 9am - 12pm
Place: Varying locations along the Clark Fork Watershed- each destination will be approved by MT FWP. All locations will be sent out via google maps leading up to the workshop.
Audience: This workshop is suitable for individuals 18+.
What to bring: Camp chair, water bottle, sunscreen, all workshop materials will be provided!
Cost: The workshop is free, but a suggested donation is appreciated! All participants will need a MT FWP issued conservation License.
https://form.jotform.com/251315585689166
Questions? Email program@openairmt.org
MINE: Excavating Ecologies at Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives
MINE: Excavating Ecologies
August 21 - October 20
Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives
MINE: Excavating Ecologies, showcases both new and existing work by Montana-based artists Eric Jensen, Lane Chapman, and Manette Bradford, all participants in Open AIR’s 2024 Artist-in-Residence program.
Jensen and Chapman completed their residencies in partnership with the Clark Fork Coalition, where they shared a studio space at the Cottonwood Field Station, allowing for close collaboration and creative exchange. Bradford held her residency at the Hungry Hill Art Center in Butte, Montana, a location rich with the mining heritage that continues to shape the region’s identity.
The exhibition, titled MINE, explores themes of place, extraction, ecology, and personal connection to the land.
Kids workshop at Philipsburg Public Library
Join Open AIR every Thursday at the Philipsburg Public Library this Summer!
Explore watercolor, soft pastels, poetry, interactive art and more! Featuring Open AIR alum Amanda Bielby and Taylor Stein.
Audience: These workshops are suitable for ages 6+.
What to bring: Everything you need will be provided!
Cost: The workshop is free, but a suggested donation is appreciated!
Kids workshop at Philipsburg Public Library
Join Open AIR every Thursday at the Philipsburg Public Library this Summer!
Explore watercolor, soft pastels, poetry, interactive art and more! Featuring Open AIR alum Amanda Bielby and Taylor Stein.
Audience: These workshops are suitable for ages 6+.
What to bring: Everything you need will be provided!
Cost: The workshop is free, but a suggested donation is appreciated!
Amanda Bielby Plein Air Workshop Series Session Three
Plein Air along the Clark Fork Watershed - Amanda Bielby Workshop Series
Five guided sessions with artist Amanda Bielby
Register Here: https://form.jotform.com/251315585689166
When: Every other Thursday from June 26th - August 21st, 2025
Session One: June 26th - Enhance Your Soft Pastel with Watercolors
Session Two: July 10th- Find Your Color Palette With Grey Scale
Session Three: July 24th- Loose Watercolor Landscapes
Session Four: August 7th- Nature's Molecular Abstract Patterns in Watercolor
Session Five: August 21st- Speed-Scapes
Session Time: 9am - 12pm
Place: Varying locations along the Clark Fork Watershed- each destination will be approved by MT FWP. All locations will be sent out via google maps leading up to the workshop.
Audience: This workshop is suitable for individuals 18+.
What to bring: Camp chair, water bottle, sunscreen, all workshop materials will be provided!
Cost: The workshop is free, but a suggested donation is appreciated! All participants will need a MT FWP issued conservation License.
Questions? Email program@openairmt.org
Kelsey Dzintars Artist Presentation
Join us on Wednesday, July 23rd, at the Lolo Brewery & Grill for an artist presentation with Open AIR's Selway Bitterroot Frank Church Artist-in-Residence Kelsey Dzintars. Snacks will be provided. Let us know if you'll be joining us with the optional registration form linked here.
https://form.jotform.com/251314891218153
Kelsey Dzintars is a versatile fine artist, tattooist, muralist, and illustrator rooted in Bozeman, Montana. Growing up pursuing art and music in Rapid City, South Dakota, she followed her creative passion to Montana State University, earning a BFA in Graphic Design in 2009. Dzintars’ acrylic paintings draw from her personal experiences in the wilderness, weaving together expressive landscapes and surreal portrayals of nature’s divine feminine essence. Her work often merges with the mission of outdoor-centered brands and nonprofits, aiming to nurture and protect both the wilderness within us and the wild places beyond. She also spent time as a guide on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, which deeply influenced both the visual and symbolic narratives of water in her work. When not creating in her studio at the Emerson Center in Bozeman you'll find her snowboarding, on the river (probably in costume), or engaged in a deeply philosophical—yet entirely pointless—Seinfeld-esque debate with her partner, Aaron, and their mischievous mutts, Neko and Ripley.
Kids Workshop at Philipsburg Public Library
Join Open AIR every Thursday at the Philipsburg Public Library this Summer!
Explore watercolor, soft pastels, poetry, interactive art and more! Featuring Open AIR alum Amanda Bielby and Taylor Stein.
Audience: These workshops are suitable for ages 6+.
What to bring: Everything you need will be provided!
Cost: The workshop is free, but a suggested donation is appreciated!
Molly Burki Artist Presentation
Join us on Thursday, July 17th, at Home Resource for an artist presentations with Open AIR's Home Resource Artist-in-Residence Molly Burki. Snacks will be provided. Let us know if you'll be joining us with the optional registration form linked here.
https://form.jotform.com/251314891218153
Molly Burki is an artist, educator, baker, and friend who is passionate about creating uplifting environments through community building and intentional and accessible resources. They are a weaver of many forms, primarily floor loom and basket weaving, and are committed to spreading awareness of accessible death care options and how weaving can guide us during those transitions. They are inspired by patterns, cycles, and the natural world's ease of flowing through them. Through playful exploration and devoted connection, they have hope we can, too.
Eleanor Qull & Deborah Dohne Artist Presentation
Join us on Tuesday, July 15th, at the G.W. Marks Exploration Center in the Balsomroot room for two artist presentations with Open AIR's Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium Artist-in-Residence Eleanor Qull and Rocky Mountain Gardens Artist-in-Residence Deborah Dohne. Snacks will be provided. Let us know if you'll be joining us with the optional registration form linked here.
https://form.jotform.com/250627326609156
Eleanor Qull - [Alias Eleanor Tullock, Delano Roosevelt] is a maker, sound artist, and Australian exile based in California and the western states.
After graduating with a Master of Architecture in Design, Eleanor has put formal design training under scrutiny and intense stretching - to experiment with free-form creative practice in experimental audio, sculpture, writing and theoretical inventions. This has included large scale projects such as ‘Flog’ (an architecture magazine), the Graham Foundation supported ‘Never Discuss Politics at Home’ (an attempt to make architecture TV) and a daily practice of making objects both small (dueling gloves, horns, instruments) and large (a 40 ft X 28 ft hand painted kabuki drop curtain, ‘The Mountain’ for a performance in the Festival of New Works, Red Cat Theatre 2021).
She moved to the Western states to explore the complex intersections between the landscape, the built world, ecology, and diverse, and sometimes secret, communities.
Deborah Dohne - is a visual artist and environmental advocate with an art practice rooted in sustainability. Her artwork is a reflection on the meaning of place, its histories, truths and interconnected human and ecological communities. She works with fibers, mixed media, beach plastic, wood, and other biodegradable materials. Deborah also engages place through participation in public science research projects.MFA, Ohio State University. Recognitions: Greening USA Community Advocacy Sustainability Award, Levine Award for NYS Ornithological Association illustrated journal article. New York State Council on the Arts Grant, Artist Trust Grant, Washington State Arts Commission Fellowship.
Kids Workshop at Philipsburg Public Library
Join Open AIR every Thursday at the Philipsburg Public Library this Summer!
Explore watercolor, soft pastels, poetry, interactive art and more! Featuring Open AIR alum Amanda Bielby and Taylor Stein.
Audience: These workshops are suitable for ages 6+.
What to bring: Everything you need will be provided!
Cost: The workshop is free, but a suggested donation is appreciated!
Amanda Bielby Plein Air Workshop Series Session Two
Plein Air along the Clark Fork Watershed - Amanda Bielby Workshop Series
Five guided sessions with artist Amanda Bielby
When: Every other Thursday from June 26th - August 21st, 2025
Session One: June 26th - Enhance Your Soft Pastel with Watercolors
Session Two: July 10th- Find Your Color Palette With Grey Scale
Session Three: July 24th- Loose Watercolor Landscapes
Session Four: August 7th- Nature's Molecular Abstract Patterns in Watercolor
Session Five: August 21st- Speed-Scapes
Session Time: 9am - 12pm
Place: Varying locations along the Clark Fork Watershed- each destination will be approved by MT FWP. All locations will be sent out via google maps leading up to the workshop.
Audience: This workshop is suitable for individuals 18+.
What to bring: Camp chair, water bottle, sunscreen, all workshop materials will be provided!
Cost: The workshop is free, but a suggested donation is appreciated! All participants will need a MT FWP issued conservation License.
https://form.jotform.com/251315585689166
Questions? Email program@openairmt.org
Anne Yoncha Artist Presentation
Join us on Wednesday, July 9th, at the Moon Randolph Homestead for an artist presentations with Open AIR's Moon Randolph Homestead Artist-in-Residence Anne Yoncha. Snacks will be provided. Let us know if you'll be joining us with the optional registration form linked here.
https://form.jotform.com/250627326609156
Anne Yoncha - Anne Yoncha (US) is currently Assistant Professor of Art + Painting Area Coordinator at Metropolitan State University Denver. She was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware. After earning her MFA at the University of Montana in 2019, she was awarded a Fulbright fellowship at the Natural Resources Institute Finland, working with restorationists to make collaborative art-science work about former peat extraction sites outside Oulu. Her practice combines digital sensing technology, such as bio-data sonification, and analog, traditional processes, including painting with ink she makes from locally-sourced plant matter. Her ongoing research with the HAB (High Altitude Bioprospecting) working group began in Fall 2019 at Field_Notes, a residency of Finland’s Bio Art Society at Kilpisjärvi Biological Station in subarctic Lapland, where she worked with artists, biologists, and programmers to detect high-altitude microbes using a heli-kite. Outside the studio she can often be found doing another kind of environmental “research” via bicycle.
Nikki Cully Artist Presentation
Join us on Tuesday, July 1, at Garden City Harvest (GCH) for an artist presentation with Open AIR's GCH Artist-in-Residence Nikki Culley. Snacks will be provided. Let us know if you'll be joining us with the optional registration form linked here.
https://form.jotform.com/251314891218153
Nikki is a documentary photographer from Manchester UK who shares stories of people, place and community. Nikki first learned manual photography on an art foundation course at Sunderland University in 2004 but pursued a first career as a journalist in London.
In 2015, Nikki returned to visual storytelling, studying a masters degree in History of Art Photography at Manchester University and building a darkroom in her home.
Currently, Nikki is working on long-term projects with; women working the land and at sea in remote areas of Iceland; and, with male fighters in mixed martial arts communities in UK cities. She has had on-location assignments across the UK, in Tanzania, India and Iceland, with photographs published in a raft of magazines, for the BBC and shown at exhibitions for various galleries and festivals.
Kids workshop at Philipsburg Public Library
Free workshop for kids ages 6+
More info coming soon!
Amanda Bielby Plein Air Workshop Series Session One
Plein Air along the Clark Fork Watershed - Amanda Bielby Workshop Series
Five guided sessions with artist Amanda Bielby
When: Every other Thursday from June 26th - August 21st, 2025
Session One: June 26th - Enhance Your Soft Pastel with Watercolors
Session Two: July 10th- Find Your Color Palette With Grey Scale
Session Three: July 24th- Loose Watercolor Landscapes
Session Four: August 7th- Nature's Molecular Abstract Patterns in Watercolor
Session Five: August 21st- Speed-Scapes
Session Time: 9am - 12pm
Place: Varying locations along the Clark Fork Watershed- each destination will be approved by MT FWP. All locations will be sent out via google maps leading up to the workshop.
Audience: This workshop is suitable for individuals 18+.
What to bring: Camp chair, water bottle, sunscreen, all workshop materials will be provided!
Cost: The workshop is free, but a suggested donation is appreciated! All participants will need a MT FWP issued conservation License.
Register Here: https://form.jotform.com/251315585689166
Questions? Email program@openairmt.org
Anne Yoncha Artist-Led Workshop
| Improvisations With The Trees: Drawing, movement, sound, and taste explorations in collaboration with Moonrandolph Homestead Orchard |
More about the workshop:
Join artist Anne Yoncha for 12 immersive experiences combining drawing, movement, sound, and taste in the Moon Randolph Homestead Apple Orchard. Through these experimental exercises, you'll explore deep listening and use elements like sound, shadows, and wind to inspire your drawings among the trees.
About the artist:
Anne Yoncha (US) is currently Assistant Professor of Art + Painting Area Coordinator at Metropolitan State University Denver. She was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware. After earning her MFA at the University of Montana in 2019, she was awarded a Fulbright fellowship at the Natural Resources Institute Finland, working with restorationists to make collaborative art-science work about former peat extraction sites outside Oulu. Her practice combines digital sensing technology, such as bio-data sonification, and analog, traditional processes including painting with ink she makes from locally-sourced plant matter. Her ongoing research with the HAB (High Altitude Bioprospecting) working group began in Fall 2019 at Field_Notes, a residency of Finland’s Bio Art Society at Kilpisjärvi Biological Station in subarctic Lapland, where she worked with artists, biologists, and programmers to detect high-altitude microbes using a heli-kite. Outside the studio she can often be found doing another kind of environmental “research” via bicycle.
Register Now: https://form.jotform.com/251314933108148 Questions? Email program@openairmt.org
Taylor Stein Artist-led Workshop at Philipsburg Public Library
FRAGMENTS FIND FORM: Glimpses, Story, & Creative Play with Taylor Stein
Thursday, June 19
6:00 - 7:30p
Philipsburg Public Library
Philipsburg, MT
18+
Free
Register: https://form.jotform.com/251605864385161
Kids workshop at Philipsburg Public Library
Free kids workshop ages 6+
More info coming soon!
Eleanor Qull Artist- Led Workshop
| FLY: a kite-making workshop to explore the shapes and sounds of insect futures |
About the workshop:
Learn to make a singing kite and maybe communicate with local insects and butterflies.
Findings about insect wing patterning, flight, and behavior can suggest new approaches on how we cohabitate with insects and can apply to a creative kite making process – experimenting with pattern, shapes, movement and sound.
This workshop is an open discussion through direct insect observation, conversation, and three-dimensional hands-on kite making, on xenobiotic and environmental changes that are affecting and changing insect behaviours and biology, and how we can respond to those changes.
About the Artist:
Eleanor Qull [Alias Eleanor Tullock, Delano Roosevelt]
Maker, sound artist, and Australian exile based in California and the western states.
After graduating with a Master of Architecture in Design, Eleanor has put formal design training under scrutiny and intense stretching - to experiment with free-form creative practice in experimental audio, sculpture, writing and theoretical inventions. This has included large scale projects such as ‘Flog’ (an architecture magazine), the Graham Foundation supported ‘Never Discuss Politics at Home’ (an attempt to make architecture TV) and a daily practice of making objects both small (dueling gloves, horns, instruments) and large (a 40 ft X 28 ft hand painted kabuki drop curtain, ‘The Mountain’ for a performance in the Festival of New Works, Red Cat Theatre 2021).
She moved to the Western states to explore the complex intersections between the landscape, the built world, ecology, and diverse, and sometimes secret, communities.
Register Now: https://form.jotform.com/251475301226146
Questions? Email program@openairmt.org
Nikki Culley Artist-Led Workshop
| CYANOTYPE HAND PRINTING at GARDEN CITY HARVEST |
About the workshop:
Come and join documentary photographer and artist Nikki Culley at Garden City Harvest this summer to learn the cyanotype process and make your own photographic prints. We will have a wander across the garden to collect plants and flowers that are most interesting to us and use the natural sunlight to make individual and group prussian blue holographic prints together. All materials will be provided and you can take your prints home or leave them behind to be included in an exhibition that will share the story of the garden’s community in photographs.
About the Artist:
Nikki is a documentary photographer from Manchester UK who shares stories of people, place and community. Nikki first learned manual photography on an art foundation course at Sunderland University in 2004 but pursued a first career as a journalist in London.
In 2015, Nikki returned to visual storytelling, studying a masters degree in History of Art Photography at Manchester University and building a darkroom in her home.
Currently, Nikki is working on long-term projects with; women working the land and at sea in remote areas of Iceland; and, with male fighters in mixed martial arts communities in UK cities.
She has had on-location assignments across the UK, in Tanzania, India and Iceland, with photographs published in a raft of magazines, for the BBC and shown at exhibitions for various galleries and festivals.
Register Here! https://form.jotform.com/251315634095152
Questions? Email program@openairmt.org
Open AIR Open: Call for art DEADLINE
Open AIR invites artists, designers, tinkerers, and builders to design and construct one-of-a-kind mini-golf holes for our inaugural Open AIR Open, a wildly imaginative fundraiser where art meets play.
Using the base forms from MiniGolf Company, each selected artist or artist team will create an interactive, artist-designed mini-golf hole that celebrates creativity, community, and joyful engagement. This is your chance to bring your wildest ideas to life—whimsical obstacles, unexpected materials, or kinetic features are all welcome!
Application Form - Register today!
FAQ
Timeline:
● Call Opens: May 15
● Applications Due: June 17
● Notification of Selection: By July 1
● Installation + Artist Pizza Party & Test Round: September 20
● Event Date: Saturday, September 21st from 10a-8p at Fort Missoula Iris Gardens
Opening of MINE: Excavating Ecologies
MINE: Excavating Ecologies
June 13-July 28
4th floor
Missoula Public Library
MINE: Excavating Ecologies, showcases both new and existing work by Montana-based artists Eric Jensen, Lane Chapman, and Manette Bradford, all participants in Open AIR’s 2024 Artist-in-Residence program.
Jensen and Chapman completed their residencies in partnership with the Clark Fork Coalition, where they shared a studio space at the Cottonwood Field Station, allowing for close collaboration and creative exchange. Bradford held her residency at the Hungry Hill Art Center in Butte, Montana, a location rich with the mining heritage that continues to shape the region’s identity.
The exhibition, titled MINE, explores themes of place, extraction, ecology, and personal connection to the land. It will be on the fourth floor of the Missoula Public Library through July 28, 2025. The exhibition will conclude with a closing reception and panel discussion, featuring the artists and representatives from the Clark Fork Coalition, reflecting on their experiences and the role of art in engaging environmental narratives.
Scarabic Serenades
If you are in Helena, MT - join us for a screening of Scarabic Serenades, a film about beetle courtship and the folks it inspires.
Get your tickets now for Scarabic Serenades: A Documentary!
Click here for tickets.
The film will screen on Thursday, May 29, at The Myrna Loy
7:00 pm
followed by a Q&A
Watch the movie trailer HERE!
Screening - begins at 7:00
$12
All ages
Screening includes a brief introduction and a Q&A with filmmakers after the film.
Scarabic Serenades chronicles two artists’ collaboration inspired by the mating songs and dances of the Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle. Part documentary, part art film, this film braids together researchers from the Emlen Biology Lab at the University of Montana, music by composer Jessi Harvey, and dance by choreographer Julynn Wildman into a story as captivating as the beetle itself.
With their oversized, pitchforked horns and an enigmatic mating ritual that includes both battle and a courtship song/dance, the Japanese Rhino Beetle captures hearts and imaginations alike.
Scarabic Serenades is a tongue-in-cheek film featuring over 20 Montana artists and researchers exploring the quirks of and questions about these charismatic critters.
A brief artist Q&A will follow the premiere screening.
This project is made possible in part by The University of Montana Emlen Evolutionary Biology Lab, Open AIR, The University of Montana School of Music and Dance, the National Science Foundation and the Prop Foundation, the Awesome Foundation, and the Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium.
Becky Roberts Artist Presentation
Join us on Thursday, May 1, at Home ReSource for an artist presentation. There will be snacks provided. If you plan on attending, feel free to fill out the optional registration form linked here.
https://form.jotform.com/250627326609156
Home ReSource Artist-in-Residence Becky Roberts is a California native and Montana transplant. She has always been a maker of sorts. Aside from being an artist, Becky can add mom, florist, film student, cat lover, slinger of vintage clothes, and art framer to her resume. She finds her true passion as an assemblage and collage artist, reimagining the world around her through found objects. As such, she has a lifelong love of tacky glue.
Missoula Gives
On May 1–2, Open AIR is proud to join the Community Foundation of Missoula for Missoula Gives, a 24-hour celebration of generosity and community spirit!
This year, our goal is to raise $10,000 to support creativity in our communities—and we need your help to get there. The giving portal is open soon, and whether you can give $10 or $1,000, your contribution helps fuel the creative spark that powers everything we do.
When you support Open AIR, you support all of us.
You uplift:
Artists pushing boundaries in their craft
Partnerships that bring art to unexpected places
Collaboration that invites open dialogue
Communities strengthened through creativity
Amanda Baker Artist Presentation
Join us on Tuesday, April 29, at the Montana Natural History Center for an artist presentation. Snacks will be provided. Let us know if you'll be joining us with the optional registration form linked here.
https://form.jotform.com/250627326609156
Montana Natural History Center Artist-in-Residence, Amanda Baker (b.1994) is a Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist and educator. She received an MFA in printmaking from Pratt Institute in 2024, and a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2016. Her work investigates 19th-century naturalist illustration through a contemporary print-based lens. Amanda has been a former artist in residence at COPE NYC, has curated and shown work in numerous group exhibitions, and was a 2023 Pratt Graduate Student Engagement Fund recipient. She also participates in various NYC-based bird and wildlife conservation advocacy groups and teaches community printmaking workshops.
Jackie Vetter Artist Presentation
Join us on Thursday, April 24, at the Missoula Public Library in the 4th-floor Cooper Room for an engaging artist presentation. Light refreshments will be provided. Let us know if you are attending with our optional registration form linked here.
https://form.jotform.com/250627326609156
Missoula Public Library's Artist-in-Residence, Jackie Vetter, is a Theatre Artist and Actor/Director based in Anaconda, MT. She's the Founding Artistic Director of the new Anaconda Ensemble Theatre (AET). As a director, Jackie has led productions of 'Little Women' (Orphan Girl Children's Theatre), 'Peter and the Starcatcher' (Orphan Girl Community Theatre), 'A Mile High and a Mile Deep' (The Clark Chateau Radio Players), 'The War of the Worlds' (AET), and most recently 'The Harvest' by Havre playwright Jason Pyette (AET). Montana theatre acting credits include Kayleen in 'Gruesome Playground Injuries' (The Ballroom Players, Butte), Annie Sullivan in 'The Miracle Worker' (Orphan Girl Theatre), Janet in 'Five Kinds of Silence' (The Ballroom Players, Butte), 'Pitiful Beautiful Pittance' (Last Chance Play Festival, voted the best actor), Sylvie in 'Sports of Nature' (ZDK Arts/Third Ear Productions), Mrs. Wormwood in 'Matilda' (Mother Lode Series Butte), Phyllida in 'The Margins' (AET), as well as two seasons with the Virginia City Brewery Follies. Her Montana acting credits expand to the screen with commercials for PureView Health Center and the Grub Hub 2019 Year in Review, as well as a co-star on Yellowstone Season 4, Cindy in Heart and Home's Finding Love in Big Sky, MT, and the supporting role of Maria in Broke (Working Title) with Wyatt Russel.
Cory McKague and Kaitlynn Radloff Artist Presentation
Join us on Tuesday, April 22, at Travelers Rest State Park for two artist presentations. There will be an opportunity to meet and mingle with the artists. Snacks will be provided. Let us know if you are attending at the optional registration link below.
https://form.jotform.com/250627326609156
Travelers Rest Artist-in-Residence Cory McKague is an educator, storyteller, creative technologist, and artist. These all contribute to being a game designer in an expansive sense. Cory researches emerging creative technologies to build bridges, connect communities, and develop more immersive and inclusive spaces through avenues of teaching, technology, research, and social practice. Cory McKague is an Assistant Professor in Game Design + Interactive media at the University of Montana. Cory has degrees in education, social practice, and creative technologies. Cory currently teaches courses in the areas of game design and development and immersive media. Through interactive experimentation, Cory aims to expand expectations, break barriers, and promote engagement. Cory is a parent of two small children, coffee drinker, a backpacker, rock climber, an overall nature enthusiast, a humanitarian and Lolo local.
Kaitlynn Radloff is an interdisciplinary artist, musician, and educator living in Missoula, Montana. Her artwork focuses predominantly on celebrating the natural world and shedding light on/bringing focus to a variety of social issues. Kate has worked as a public school teacher for the last decade in Milwaukee, WI, and Frenchtown, MT. When not creating or teaching, she spends time outside with her dogs and plays music with friends.
Printmaking From the Montana Natural History Center's Collection Workshop with Amanda Baker
Register NOW for Open AIR’s next Artist-Led Workshop:
Printmaking from the Montana Natural History Center’s Collection with Amanda Baker
Register HERE:
https://form.jotform.com/250556337763160
About the workshop:
This workshop brings naturalist illustration and printmaking traditions into a contemporary context. Participants of all experience levels will draw an animal or specimen from the museum's collection and translate that drawing into a linoleum block print.
Participants will be guided through drawing specimens from the museum’s collection, carving images into easy-carve linoleum blocks, applying ink, and pressing their images onto heavyweight printmaking paper.
In working through this print-based project, participants will gain knowledge of a print-based process and generate new ideas about how nature can be represented in visual art.
Audience: This workshop is suitable for all ages 12+. Please bring your grown-up if you are under 16.
What to bring: Everything you need will be provided!
Cost: The workshop is free, but a suggested donation is appreciated!
Registration: Registration is required and will close 24 hours before the workshop begins.
About the Artist:
Amanda Baker (b.1994) is a Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist and educator. She received an MFA in printmaking with a Certificate in College Teaching from Pratt Institute in 2024 and a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art in 2016. Her work centers around natural history aesthetics and representations of nature.
Cancellation: If you are registered and cannot attend the workshop, please let us know at program@openairmt.org so we can open the spot for another participant!
Questions? Email program@openairmt.org
Fair is Fair Opening Reception
Fair is Fair is a group exhibition featuring recent works from Open AIR’s 2024 Western Montana Fair Artists-in-Residence.
In August 2024, artists were invited to Missoula, MT, to spend a week as Artists-in-Residence at the Western Montana Fair. They were given a studio space on the second floor of the Culinary Arts Building and asked to immerse themselves in and be inspired by the fair! The result was a unique and joyful experience where the fair’s animals, food, rides, culture, crafts, rodeo, etc. became part of daily life instead of an afternoon visit.
The featured artists in Fair is Fair are local, regional, and national artists.
Montana Artists:
Chris Alveshere (Missoula)
Sarah Cook (Missoula)
Kaisha Gerhardt (Missoula)
Zola Kell (Missoula)
Stacey Klocke (Missoula)
Ladypajama (Missoula)
Kia Liszak (Missoula)
Christine Martin (Butte)
Jennifer Ogden (Hamilton)
Sarisa Rodriguez (Missoula)
Out-of-State Artists:
Lori Damiano (Oregon)
Megan Karls (Washington)
Ben Nathan (Wyoming)
David Raba (Washington)
Renée Reizman (California)
Matthew Wuorinen (Minnesota)
Carrie Moran McCleary: “Rock Your Beads Night - An Unexpected Art Practice Windfall” Artist Talk
Join us for our next Open AIR Indigenous Art: Indigenous Minds Online Artist Presentation!
Register here for the online event:
https://form.jotform.com/250497707825164
Topic Description:
Carrie Moran McCleary shares the story of Rock Your Beads Night, which started as a spontaneous denial of isolation and became a community of Indigenous love, art education, and mentorship.
Where:
Online
Cost:
Free
About the Artist:
Carrie Moran McCleary is a fashion designer, beader, and doll maker from the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe. She lives on the Crow Reservation in Montana. In 2016, she founded Plains Soul to share her unique style and artistry with a wider audience.
Euphoria Starts Now - Group Artist-in-Residence Exhibition
Visit this exhibition during gallery hours or reach out to Bob’s Your Uncle to make an appointment!
Gallery Open Hours:
Friday, March 14, 1:30 - 5 pm
Saturday, March 15, 12 - 5 pm
Friday, March 21, 1:30 - 5 pm
Friday, March 28, 1:30 - 5 pm
Saturday, March 29, 12 - 5 pm
Euphoria Starts Now features new work from 25 artists who participated in Open AIR’s 2024 Artists-in-Residence. Open AIR collaborates with artists from all disciplines. Euphoria Starts Now includes works of sculpture, painting, printmaking, singer/songwriter, ceramics, film, composing, mixed-media, performance, quilting, poetry, furniture design, musical theater, illustration, and video, all inspired by the residency experience.
-Featured Artists-
Montana Artists:
Manette Bradford (Billings)
Lane Chapman (Missoula)
Bev Beck Glueckert (Missoula)
Stephen Glueckert (Missoula)
Eric Jensen (Billings)
Hannah Laga Abrahm (Missoula)
Danielle O'Malley (Helena)
Melissa Thompson (Missoula)
Eliza Weber (Helena)
Out-of-State Artists:
Arwen Baxter (Idaho/UK)
Reilly Blum (Rhode Island)
Jiayi Chen (Illinois)
Anteo Fabris (Arizona)
Nyki Fetterman (Ohio)
Samuel Fisch (New York)
Linnea Fitterer (Ohio)
Jessica Jones (Ohio)
Rachel McGovern (California)
Melliot (New York)
Jacob Riddle (Idaho)
Vera Ting (Connecticut)
Genevieve Waller (Colorado)
Amy Whitcomb (Washington)
Opening Reception - Euphoria Starts Now
Join us for the Opening Reception of Euphoria Starts Now!
Euphoria Starts Now features new work from 25 artists who participated in Open AIR’s 2024 Artists-in-Residence.
-Featured Artists-
Montana Artists:
Manette Bradford (Billings)
Lane Chapman (Missoula)
Bev Beck Glueckert (Missoula)
Stephen Glueckert (Missoula)
Eric Jensen (Billings)
Hannah Laga Abrahm (Missoula)
Danielle O'Malley (Helena)
Melissa Thompson (Missoula)
Eliza Weber (Helena)
Out-of-State Artists:
Arwen Baxter (Idaho/UK)
Reilly Blum (Rhode Island)
Jiayi Chen (Illinois)
Anteo Fabris (Arizona)
Nyki Fetterman (Ohio)
Samuel Fisch (New York)
Linnea Fitterer (Ohio)
Jessica Jones (Ohio)
Rachel McGovern (California)
Melliot (New York)
Jacob Riddle (Idaho)
Vera Ting (Connecticut)
Genevieve Waller (Colorado)
Amy Whitcomb (Washington)
Cameron Worden (Illinois)
Participating Site Partners:
Missoula
Garden City Harvest, Home ReSource, Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium, Missoula Public Library, Montana Natural History Center, Moon-Randolph Homestead
Outside of Missoula
Clark Chateau, Butte, MT; Clark Fork Coalition Field Station, Deer Lodge, MT; Explore the ARTS, Hamilton, MT; Flathead Lake Biological Station, Polson, MT; Hungry Hill Center for Art, Butte, MT; Philipsburg, MT; Selway Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation, Selway Bitterroot Wilderness; Travelers’ Rest State Park, Lolo, MT.