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Home My WebLink About04-08-26 Correspondence - MT Arts Council - ARTeries_ News from the Montana Arts Council for Early April 2026From:Montana Arts CouncilTo:Bozeman Public CommentSubject:[EXTERNAL]ARTeries: News from the Montana Arts Council for Early April 2026Date:Thursday, April 2, 2026 3:01:42 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. The latest from Montana's state arts agency ARTeries - The Lifeblood of Arts In Montana White Divider Democracy may be a mishmash of many strong colors. The art of it is in synthesizing multiple ideas, imagining a new form, and creating something inspirational. Artwork by Chicago painter David Berkotwitz (b. 1943). The Art of Democracy A healthy democracy relies on art—on the free expression through creative means by imaginative people who reflect back to the nation who we are as a people in our place and time. But democracy doesn’t just rely on art—democracy is an art. It requires a capacity to imagine a future, to inspire communities, to express shared cultural values, and to create something new in collaboration. It’s an improvisational art, like jazz. Protests, like those we’ve seen across the country in the past week, are fertile ground for art, music, and theater. But art also has an important role to play in imagining and creating what comes next. Whether the art you make or experience is intentionally connected to issues of democracy or not, the creation of it—and the experience of it—is the lifeblood of a healthy nation. I’m thinking about all this as I prepare to speak, alongside Cameron Green of Creative West, at the University of Montana’s Democracy Summit on April 14th—free and open to all. Go here to learn more. But if you’re not in Missoula that day, now’s a good moment to think about how your own art, and the art you love, make this world a better place. Be brave. Carry on. Krys Holmes Executive Director krys.holmes@mt.gov ARTFUL LIFE logo type Are you passionate about creating access to arts learning for older adults and interested in your own professional development? Are you someone who likes to be at the forefront of making things happen? Thanks to a recent grant to the Montana Arts Council by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), we'll be leveling up our Creative Aging initiative to reach more Montanans over the next two years—and we're inviting you to join us! To learn more about leading a community team, bolstered by MAC funding, please join us on April 16 at 11 AM for an informative session on this program. If you are unable to attend or would like to speak with Arts Education Director Monica Grable about your readiness to participate, please be in touch with her at Monica.Grable@mt.gov or (406) 444-6522 . Learn More and Register Teach in the Realm of Creative Aging Since beginning our Creative Aging initiative in Montana in 2021, teaching artists statewide have expanded their work opportunities by getting professional development training in the field of Creative Aging. For those who haven’t yet had the chance, a fresh three-part opportunity is just around the corner! Creative Aging Foundations Cohort Training is being offered free of charge and will take place virtually on Wednesdays: April 29th, May 6th and 13th, 2026 from 10 am - 12 pm MT. Registration Instructions Click here by April 15th, 2026 to attend this training. Upon submission, you will receive a confirmation email from Lifetime Arts which will include the Zoom link to attend all three training sessions. Spotlight Ivan Doig. Christopher Parkening. Myrna Loy. Jackie Larson Bread—all recipients (over the years) of the Governor’s Arts Awards, presented every two years by the Montana Arts Council. Awards celebrate outstanding Montanans and organizations whose achievements in the arts—or on behalf of the arts—benefit all Montanans. We know you already have a name in mind as you’re reading this, so go here to make your nomination. Nominations are open until Thursday, April 30 at 11:59 pm. Awards will be presented at a ceremony this December. Questions? Email Kristin Han Burgoyne: kburgoyne@mt.gov. Make A Nomination For Artists Collage of Artists Thrive attendees playing guitar, sketching, participating in workshops Meeting artists, making art, learning about the business of art, growing an artist community across Montana and the nation—that was the Artists Thrive Summit 2026. Next year’s Summit: same time, same place! Artists Thrive: Making Connections Matter About 60 artists, arts presenters, and people in the art business gathered in Billings last week for the Artists Thrive Summit 2026, supported by the Montana Arts Council and hosted by MSU Billings. There were Zoom sessions with Summit gatherings in five other cities—plus local tours, hands-on workshops led by great artists, panels, readings, opportunities to share new work—and ten online resources to tap into over the coming months. We learned a lot this first year, and plan to expand the offerings to include more artists, more activities, and more ways to learn at Artists Thrive Summit 2027. Registration for next year will open January 1. “The whole thing was so helpful to be a part of and it gave me a lot to think about,” says artist Emma Wickens from Winifred. She’s a member of this year’s Art Works program (formerly called the Montana Artrepreneur Program), a two-month learning series for working artists to develop their careers. Performers on stage with a harp play and sing, surrounded by instruments and speakers A great way to build your performing career: showcase at Montana Performing Arts Consortium’s booking conference. Great networking, learning opportunities, deeply rewarding. Showcase at MPAC Performing artists of all kinds have till April 24 to apply to showcase at the Montana Performing Arts Consortium, the small-but-mighty booking conference for Montana- based performing tours. Musicians, puppeteers, storytellers, tap dancers—it’s open to all performing artists. Special application fee ($30) for Montana artists. Make a visit to see why you should participate, and apply. Professional development for touring artists For many artists, the work of touring begins long before the first note is played. SouthArts is offering a free webinar for touring artists next Thursday, April 9th, 11:00 MT time. International touring musician and producer Christian Tamburr will share practical guidance for navigating contracts, planning tours, and building sustainable performance opportunities. Participants will learn how to approach artist contracts and tech riders, evaluate performance opportunities, and develop tour budgets that support stronger, more sustainable tours. Go here to register. Calligraphy arose as an art form in 1590. Big Sky Scribes hasn’t been around quite that long, but calligraphers are an important part of Montana’s arts scene. Artwork by Deb Parsons Menke. Montana Calligraphy Guild Did you know there’s a statewide calligraphy guild? There are regional groups in Bozeman, Missoula Great Falls, Helena, and Billings. Big Sky Scribes hosts calligraphy workshops and other events through the year. Check them out here. They’re offering a free public lecture by Holly Monroe in Helena on Friday May 15, 6:00 pm., at the Lewis & Clark Public Library. For information: katieluther@hotmail.com. For Arts Organizations VisitMT's online events calendar helps build your audience for free! Arts centers, museums, and presenters: Take advantage of VisitMT.com’s robust event marketing muscle by listing your events free in their much-improved, user- friendly events calendar. Your listing receives high-budget marketing and social media support, with emphasis on rural areas and off-the-beaten-path events. “We put a lot of budget into getting eyes on our site,” says Chief Marketing Officer Mitch Staley. If you’re not using it, you’re leaving free marketing help on the table. List your events here. Get in the habit of it! It’s hard to be more rural than the Schoolhouse History & Art Center in Colstrip. If you run an arts organization in a community off the beaten path, you'll definitely benfit from signing up for the free Empowering Rural workshop series. Empowering Rural: Free webinar series for small towns Arts organizations in small towns face some unique challenges. The Arizona Commission on the Arts (our sister agency in the Grand Canyon state) is offering a series of free webinars, Empowering Rural, focused on building capacity in rural and remote communities. The series will cover grant writing, youth engagement, marketing, finance, audience development and volunteer management—all presented through a focused rural-oriented lens. They welcome arts and culture administrators, from the newly-minted to seasoned veterans. The first course begins next week on Thursday, April 9th. Learn more and register here. Community Development Cross Peer Group Session Accessible Arts and Placemaking Toolkit For those who couldn't attend, and for those who'd like a second look, the presentation slides and video of the Accessible Art and Placemaking session are now available on NASAA’s website [nasaa-arts.org]. You can access the toolkit itself via the STEPS website here. [docs.google.com] Living Traditions: Folk Art and Beyond Grant This grant program, funded by Creative West and the National Endowment for the Arts, invests in the cultural practices and creative expressions that connect communities across the West and the Pacific Jurisdictions. Eligible projects include apprenticeships, consultations, field works, cultural events, and convenings that bring traditional artists, cultural specialists, and communities together. Montana applicants are a special focus. Learn more and apply here. Grants up to $1,000. Deadline June 30th. Photo courtesy of Western Heritage Center in Billings, always extending a welcome, including to MAGDA on April 11 —and offering intriguing exhibits to view while you’re there. Art, Art History, and...a Hug? The Montana Art Gallery Directors Association (MAGDA) invites arts and culture professionals to a fun meetup at Western Heritage Center in Billings on Saturday, April 11, 6-8 pm. “If you’re interested in waxing intellectual about history, art, or art history, meeting artists and professionals from around the state, or need a hug, please come by and see us,” the MAGDA folks say. Plus: free pizza and drinks. Please RSVP by April 10 to MAGDAdirector3@gmail.com. Two Great Ways to Promote Your Arts Event! Need to get the word out about your upcoming arts event? A pair of robust, online— and free—events calendars offer outstanding exposure and reach for artists' and organizations' events in the coming year. Get your events in today! Lively Times text logo Livelytimes.com Click on “Submit an Event” in the upper right corner. Montana state tourism text logo VisitMT.com/events Scroll bottom, and click on: “Add your event to our calendar here.” White Divider A series of three recent State of the Arts front pages Do you receive the State of the Arts Newspaper? New issue fresh off the stands! State of the Arts is free, statewide, and fun to read. You can subscribe here to get one in your mailbox. Subscribe Now! Cool Quotes "I really like meeting artists from communities I am unfamiliar with and seeing that great work happens outside the major metro areas." "I met some fantastic new folks and have thoughts on where I can lean in to grow as an artist so appreciate that." —Comments from two attendees at last week's Artists Thrive conference 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