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Home My WebLink About09-03-26 Correspondence - MT Arts Council - ARTeries_ News from the Montana Arts Council for Early September 2026From:Montana Arts CouncilTo:Bozeman Public CommentSubject:[EXTERNAL][SPAM] ARTeries: News from the Montana Arts Council for Early September 2026Date:Friday, September 4, 2026 10:30:57 AM 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 86-year-old poet Robert Frost reciting his poem at the 1961 Presidential Inauguration. Due to the blur of the sun and his failing eyesight, Frost put aside the new poem he wrote for the occasion and instead recited his poem “The Gift Outright,” from memory. SPEAK YOUR POEM This week the national Poetry Out Loud program launched its 2026–27 cycle, reaching out to high-school students across the country to join. Poetry Out Loud (POL) is a dynamic and beautiful poetry recitation competition designed to improve public speaking skills, build confidence, and teach about our literary heritage. It’s amazing to watch teens learn, absorb, and embody poems, some written hundreds of years ago, that speak clearly to our present moment. This is the power of poetry: it pares away the noise to deliver a pearl of meaning that ignites the soul. Poetry spoken aloud, through the instrument of the self, is one of humanity’s most ancient and important traditions. Let’s encourage all our teens to participate in this universally human practice! Learn more here, or email our marvelous POL coordinator, Kaisa Edy, at poetryoutloud@mt.gov. If you’re a teacher, head to poetryoutloud.org for a deeper dive. If you’re not a teen, juice up your own soul by memorizing a poem that is meaningful to you. Write one of your own. We endure by speaking our poetry. Krys Holmes Executive Director krys.holmes@mt.gov Good To Know Artist Residencies are Essential but Expensive—SIG Can Help As technology’s dominance over our lives ramps up—pulling our focus in a million directions—finding the space and time to do creative work is increasingly difficult. For this reason, artist residencies are as important as ever. Residencies offer the chance to unplug and connect with the landscape and fellow artists. This value is often reflected in the high cost of attending a residency, making them seem unattainable. Strategic Investment Grants (SIG) can help ease the sticker-shock of an artist residency, offering $1000 of reimbursement for expenses like housing, registration, and travel. Fellow artists view Dan Haywood's video sculpture on the last night of the Idaho BaseCamp residency. Photo: Jamie Trupp Dan Haywood of Bozeman, is a multimedia artist who used a SIG grant to travel to the Idaho BaseCamp, near Ketchum, for a one-week residency in July. Dan often finds himself studio-bound and isolated, surrounded by screens and wires. At the residency, Dan was able to push his technical skills and break old habits. Perhaps most importantly, he was able to engage in deep collaboration and conversation with other on-site artists. He has returned from the experience better equipped to execute his ideas and create more meaningful artistic work. For more info on the SIG program email Brian Moody: brian.moody@mt.gov Artists Spotlight Stringing Indigenous artists together over distance Twice a week, Indigenous beaders meet online for Rock Your Beads Night, to create, share beading skills, laugh, and swap stories. It’s led by Montana Metis artist Carrie McCleary of Crow Agency, owner of Plains Soul, an Indigenous design business. Rock Your Beads artists gather virtually across state and national borders, and about once a year they showcase their work in one stunning collection on RockYourBeads.com. Check out their 2026 collection. A woven blue basket made with spiral-shaped fibers, with a plant growing from it Basketwork by Rock Your Beads artist Holly Pyke, of the Akwesasne Reservation in upstate New York. “The works here remind us that resistance is sometimes quiet, steady, and deeply rooted,” says the Rock Your Beads website. “Sometimes, it looks like revitalizing an art practice in one’s community or family. Sometimes, it looks like creating art for oneself or gifting it to a friend. Always, it is an act of survival.” News On Sept 1 the U.S. House passed a Continuing Resolution that extends federal funding at current levels through Dec. 11th. The Senate passed the resolution last month; it now awaits the president’s signature. This CR provides some temporary steadiness for the National Endowment for the Arts, but Congress will still be considering long-term funding for the remainder of FY2027. NEA funding is particularly important to rural states like Montana. Your advocacy is important right now. To learn more, go here. For Arts Organizations Arts education teaches innovation, collaboration, engineering, and a host of other skills important to a well-rounded education. Photo courtesy of The Myrna Loy (Helena). Coming up: National Arts in Education week Does any school teach a couple of extracurricular classes in math and call it good? Nope. In 2010 Congress established National Arts Education Week to highlight the essential role of arts—music, dance, theater, visual arts, media arts, and more—in supporting student learning, creativity, and overall development. This year it’s Sept 13-19th, and the theme is “Every Student, Every Community.” Americans for the Arts (AFTA) is working to ensure that the voices, experiences, and priorities of communities across the country are reflected in the development of a National Arts Agenda to ensure arts education for all students. AFTA has toolkits and information you can use to showcase your arts education efforts. A 2026 survey by a conservative pollster revealed that 89% of conservative leaders and voters think arts education is important. Use this opportunity to showcase the ways your arts education programs make your communities better and your students more successful. Go here for resources. Home schoolers from Glendive spent a day making art with teaching artist Bonny Beth at WaterWorks Art Museum (Miles City). “Their excitement shows how access to the museum inspires curiosity, builds confidence, and creates lasting memories for young learners,” writes Dixie Rieger, who sent us this photo. Public Value Partnership reports due If you’re one of the 46 Montana arts organizations who received a Public Value Partnership (PVP) grant for FY26-27, your annual report is due by 11:59 pm on Tuesday, Sept. 15th. Big thanks to those of you who’ve turned yours in early! (We process payments quickly, so there is incentive…) White Divider Get State of the Arts in your mailbox, inbox...or right from the source at our Helena office. Keep up on news, ideas, and people in the arts world across Montana. It’s free, statewide, and fun to read. You can subscribe here to get one in your mailbox. Or stop by and grab one out of our iconic news stand, designed by B.T. Livermore of Butte. Subscribe Now! Cool Quotes Reading poetry is an adventure in renewal, a creative act, a perpetual beginning, a rebirth of wonder. —Edward Hirsch 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 Granicus Communications Cloud on behalf of: MontanaArts Council