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Home My WebLink About10-23-25 Correspondence - MT Arts Council - ARTeries_ News from the Montana Arts Council for Late October 2025From:Montana Arts CouncilTo:Bozeman Public CommentSubject:[EXTERNAL]ARTeries: News from the Montana Arts Council for Late October 2025Date:Thursday, October 23, 2025 1:46:04 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. ARTeries - The Lifeblood of Arts In Montana White Divider A lit match being held to a candle Click on the candle to see some illumination on art as light. Art is light in the darkness—a lodestar, a flashlight, a candle in the window, an illuminated idea that enlivens. As we plan the winter edition of State of the Arts we want to hear from you about a moment art has brought light into your life, your being, your community. We invite you to submit anecdotes of 100 words or less—or a photograph with a caption. A poem, a drawing, a painting. Share with us how art has illuminated your life, your world. Visit this link for prompts and instructions to submit your own creative contribution. We’ll be sharing them out in social media, and in the winter State of the Arts. And all of you creating in the shadows, in solitude, in the distance, in the margins—we see you. You are candles on our horizon, and in our windows. For those of you fiercely protecting your own tiny flames of creativity through the windstorms and tumult, have faith. Candles blow out, lights extinguish…and the artists are always there to light another. As my brother, the poet Steve Garnaas-Holmes wrote, “Be a struck match.” A single light changes our world, as expressed here in “Buying Apples on the Nightmarket” by Dutch painter Johannes Rosierse (1818-1901). Art has always been a small light that changes everything. How has it changed something for you? Krys Holmes Executive Director krys.holmes@mt.gov Spotlight Es wičms č̓ es mlk̓ʷmulexʷ t snč̓l̓ep – Coyote is Seeing All of the Land, a 22-foot steel sculpture, embodying both playfulness and power and affirming the enduring Indigenous presence in our land, was installed at the Missoula Art Museum last week. The sculpture was created by the late Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (1940–2025, Citizen of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation) and her son, artist Neal Ambrose Smith (Salish descendant). The sculpture represents the culmination of a decades-long friendship and collaboration between Quick-to-See Smith and MAM. A tireless advocate for equity and representation, she sought to “change the face of racism and sexism” through her art and activism, and to elevate Indigenous art and artists to the forefront of contemporary society. Putting the final touches on the installation of Coyote is Seeing All of the Land, at Missoula Art Museum. Stop by so Coyote can see you, too. Grantee Spotlight Jason Elliott Clark’s prints are on exhibit till Oct 27 at Colstrip’s Schoolhouse History & Art Center, just 123 miles east of Billings and worth the drive. Who in the world expects to see the work of a premiere Indigenous artist out in the coal fields of Colstrip, Montana? This is the power of public funding of the arts, bringing great art into the rural hinterlands so all Americans can be enriched and inspired. This month the gutsy little Schoolhouse History & Art Center (SHAC) in Colstrip is exhibiting the works of printmaker Jason Elliott Clark, who explores his native Algonquin legends mixed with personal stories and misinformation about contemporary Native culture. Clark says, “My work is rooted in the traditional teachings and beliefs of my ancestors and the erroneous teachings and beliefs of western society about Native Americans.” The SHAC is a grantee of the Arts Council, as is the Montana Art Gallery Directors Association, which organizes statewide tours of exhibits by Montana artists. With just a tiny percentage paid by public dollars, Montana gleans important statewide paybacks like this exhibit, returning social, educational, cultural, and creative benefits to towns like Colstrip. White Divider For Arts Educators Poetry Out Loud ramps up: Poetry Out Loud engages high school students in performing poetry as a powerful oral tradition. The program builds confidence, creativity, and a deeper love of language among students everywhere. No matter your subject—English, theatre, music, art, or something else—your encouragement can help a student discover their voice and maybe even represent Montana at the national competition in Washington, D.C. Find key dates, materials, and registration here. Our Poetry Out Loud outreach coordinator, poet Kaisa Edy, created this charming video inviting teachers to participate. Know another educator who might be interested? Please share this opportunity. Let’s help Montana students speak their poems—and their truths—out loud. Contact Kaisa for more information at poetryoutloud@mt.gov. For Artists Liz Chappie-Zoller leads a MAP session with students at tables around her Liz Chappie-Zoller leading a MAP session at the Imagine Butte Resource Center MAC’s business school for artists will open in November. We’re excited to announce that the program formerly known as Montana Artrepreneur Program (MAP) will start accepting applications next month, after taking a pause to update and broaden the program a bit. If you’re a Montana artist looking to accelerate your career, this program could be an ideal fit. Now open to artists across disciplines— visual, performing, and literary—the program covers topics ranging from business planning to marketing to brand development. Exact dates and locations for in-person sessions are being finalized but the program will run March through May 2026. Stay tuned to ARTeries for the official announcement of application details. All artists are entrepreneurs. You can up your business game, and learn new skills, in the professional development program for artists. Stay tuned for more info—and for the new name! Residency opportunities: Artists of all mediums are invited to apply for place-based, immersive artist residencies. Apply to become an Artist-in-Residence at one of Open AIR’s 13 inspiring sites across Montana—from remote wilderness areas to historic cultural landmarks. Deadline to apply: Dec 17 at 11:59 PM. Learn more & apply here. Deborah Dohno was 2025 artist-in-residence at Rocky Mountain Gardens in Missoula. This could be you! What a fun, inspiring place to reflect and create! Apply before Nov 16 for an artist residency at Yellowstone Art Museum’s Visible Vault. (Photo blatantly stolen from their website.) Residency at the Yellowstone Art Museum sound good to you? The YAM offers a unique opportunity to develop your work in a supportive, engaging environment. Relish time to experiment, reflect, and deepen your practice in an 800-square foot creative hub at the heart of the YAM’s Visible Vault. Deadline Sun., Nov. 16. Go here for info and application. New public art project at MSU is soliciting proposals from artists for a new interactive exterior art installment commemorating students who have died during their time at MSU. Max budget is $20,000. Deadline Dec 13th. More information here. Sunspot Literary Journal out of Durham, N.C., publishes works of all genres in its mission to amplify diverse multinational literary voices. Sunspot is currently calling for novelette-length works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and graphic novels, up to 29,000 words. Closes Nov. 15th. Guidelines and submission form here. Pour a cuppa tea and treat yourself to a free webinar on crafting your artist bio, from Creative West. It’s part of their capacity-building series held every second Tuesday 4:00-5:30. While most sessions focus on arts nonprofits, the next one, on Nov 11., is for artists: “Storytelling for Impact: Artist Statements and Bios.” Register here for the free webinar. Broadside Contest: [This section is baldly stolen from Chris La Tray’s “Irritable Metis” Substack.] Chris write: “Poets, listen up! Expedition Press is having a poetry broadside contest! The story behind the hows and whys of the contest are HERE and all the details for submitting are HERE. I was a fan of Myrna’s work long before I ever met her and she makes beautiful broadsides (and she’s also a delight to hang out with and talk poetry and broadsides and nerd-heavy stuff like that). I’m also a huge fan of broadsides as another way to experience poetry so I urge any of you who have fantasized about seeing your work in letterpress to submit. It would be cool if an Irritable Reader won it!” For Arts Organizations Queen City Ballet performs The Nutcracker AISC Experiences grants bring art lovers to the arts, including kids from communities surrounding Helena who attended Queen City Ballet's "The Nutcracker." Last grant deadline of the year: Artists in Schools and Communities Grant Program MAC’s “Experiences” grant is part of our arts education program called Artists in Schools and Communities (AISC). These are grants up to $2,500 to support a wide array of arts learning experiences, and could include in-person art experiences, arts- related field trips, virtual visits with artists, or the purchase of tools, supplies and equipment. Deadline is December 11. Learn more here. Applicants are encouraged to contact arts education director, Monica Grable before submitting: Monica.Grable@mt.gov Is your Board behaving well? The best boards know their jobs, support the E.D., bring resources to your arts nonprofit, and advocate for the arts with community leaders and lawmakers. In this shifting landscape, more arts nonprofit boards are asking MAC to come talk to them about how to increase board effectiveness, set goals, and advocate more powerfully. We are collaborating with Montana Nonprofit Association to develop effective support materials to strengthen the arts nonprofits around Montana. What are your challenges right now? What are you grappling with? Would your board like a visit? Let us know how we can help. Email krys.holmes@mt.gov. Boards of directors can be a handful. Let MAC know how we can help. Montana's Creative Industries infographic Good Things Butte Arts Conference banner with images of participants Butte Arts Conference this Saturday at the Clark Chateau will offer free, hands-on presentations with artists-in-residence Olivia Berkey, Tess Fahlgren, Aubrey Edwards, and Richard Apper. Meet the artists, make stuff, write stuff, eat food, be nourished by Butte’s powerful sense of place. What a lovely way to hold a Saturday. It’s free, but registration is required (food doesn’t make itself.) Go here to learn more & register. Are you passionate about the humanities? Do you enjoy Montana literature, poetry and history? Are you dedicated to providing civic education for youth, and making a difference across the state? Consider joining the Humanities Montana board of directors. Scholars, educators, cultural leaders, civic and business leaders—really any Montanan who cares about living a fulfilled life—is welcome to apply. Go here to learn more. Interested applicants may send a letter of interest, resume, and two letters of recommendation to info@humanitiesmontana.org. Hard-hats for the humanities: The Humanities Montana board of directors visits the world Museum of Mining. Yes, the work is always this fun. Do you receive the State of the Arts newspaper? The Winter 2026 issue is coming out soon! You can subscribe here – free to all Montanans! Cool Quotes “Art carries what is too heavy for language to hold.” – Jennifer Cavanaugh, U of M Dean of Arts and Media. Rectangular horizontal shape in red-purple color Manage Subscriptions | Unsubscribe All | Help Montana Arts Council | 830 N. Warren Street | Helena, MT 59601 | art.mt.gov This email was sent to comments@bozeman.net using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: MontanaArts Council