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Home My WebLink About10-01-26 Correspondence - Montana Arts Council - ARTeries_ News from the Montana Arts Council for Early October 2026From:Montana Arts CouncilTo:Bozeman Public CommentSubject:[EXTERNAL]ARTeries: News from the Montana Arts Council for Early October 2026Date:Thursday, October 1, 2026 4:10:40 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 The Milky Way rises spectacularly beyond Bearhat Mountain and Hidden Lake in Glacier National Park. Photo by Jeffrey Prior, courtesy of the Glacier National Park Conservancy 2022 photo contest. The ever-creative sky Every day we spend ourselves out in service to what matters: keeping our arts centers and museums funded; carving time between jobs to paint; scratching out a poem while the coal train runs past. Americans are worn out. In a 2024 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just released in September, 71.5 percent of adults reported existential fatigue, described as “physical or mental tiredness or exhaustion that does not improve with additional sleep or rest.” Is that you? Here at the Arts Council, we see you. We witness the incredible work you do daily. You turn blank walls into beauty, you transform grief into meaning, you wrangle groups of addled, anxious kids into choirs of angels. I could buy you a coffee, or send you an “attaboy” email. Instead I’ll give you this: right now the sky is conjuring up immense beauty of spectacular proportions. October brings two meteor showers, an orange-tinted full moon, and one of the year’s last chances to see the Milky Way’s glittery core. Learn more here and spend some time with these free gifts of bewonderment. At peace. Be dazzled. Krys Holmes Executive Director krys.holmes@mt.gov FBI special agent Christopher Dudley has been instrumental in recovering many purloined artworks and artifacts in Montana and across the world. This great guy serves on the Montana Arts Council, too, but will only share stories if you ask him. The story behind the story We all celebrate that a tombstone stolen from the Little Bighorn Battlefield Natonal Monument decades ago was returned to its home ground this week. When it was discovered, inside a wall in Libby, the marker was reported to the National Park Service, who called up Montana Arts Council member Christopher Dudley. Dudley, a supervisory special agent with the FBI, investigates and recovers art and cultural artifacts all over the world. We sure are proud of our Council member and the role he plays in investigating art fraud, sleuthing out stolen treasures, and restoring them to their rightful place. Watch the story here. MAC’s Strategic Investment Grants support artists in all genres. Here, a gamer tests out Cory McKague’s VR horror game at PAX West Indie Incubator in Seattle in September. The creative economy of Montana includes all the fields traditionally thought of as art, but also professionals who are expanding into newer modes of expression. Cory McKaugue of Missoula is a great example of this. Cory is a video game developer and professor at the University of Montana whose artistic practice centers on interactive storytelling, and the use of immersive media to create emotionally and physically situated experiences. His recent project, “Watsonville,” is a virtual reality horror game that explores deeper themes like childhood, memory, and place with users. In September, McKague had a chance to exhibit the new game at the PAX West Indie Incubator in Seattle. This event attracts a large audience of players, developers, students, educators, and industry professionals. With the help of a MAC Strategic Investment Grant, Cory demonstrated his work to hundreds of people, call attention to the excellent immersive media work happening in Montana, and drive recruitment of students and developers to the state. At MAC, we believe that supporting artists in their work contributes to the state’s workforce development and entrepreneurial strength. The 10 Rules, composed by Sister Mary Corita Kent (1918-1986), hold true today. Learn more about the artist and her work, and order a poster of the Rules, at www.corita.org. Corita Kent’s 10 rules It’s been a while since artist/educator Corita Kent and her students laid down the “10 Rules” at the Immaculate Heart College Art Department in the 1960s. The 10 Rules have influenced artists ever since. Now a group of her former students have unpacked and reflected on each rule, which you can listen to while you clean your studio/organize your brushes/sharpen your pencil/apply for a grant. Listen here. Maybe you’ll be inspired to write your own. Arts in Health: Making a nationwide splash This year the Montana Arts Council introduced a new Arts in Health initiative, offering small grants for projects that pair healthcare providers with artists to address a community health goal. So far four pilot projects have taken root in three communities: Helena, Glasgow, and Browning. More on those projects as they progress. The health benefits of art have long been studied, but are just now making it to the forebrain of public attention. This substack by Aly Maier links to 90 headlines about Arts in Health from just this summer! For example, the Washington Post published this article: “How ten minutes of drawing can reset your nervous system.” And from NPR, this story on how arts engagement slows down aging. Hundreds of studies over the last 25 years indicate that arts engagement is a healthcare tool we are not using enough. One local example: Befrienders (Bozeman) is a nonprofit dedicated to reducing isolation among older adults. They’ve received MAC Creative Aging support for their Senior Improv program, led by teaching artist Kate Britton, teaching comedy improv to seniors and intergenerational groups. Participants reported improved mental health, stronger communication skills, increased confidence, and a greater sense of connection. Building health, building fun, building skills, building connection: Befrienders of Bozeman says their intergenerational comedy improv classes do all of the above. Apply for a Spark! Arts Across Montana Education Program Spark! Arts Ignite Learning (Missoula) will offer two Montana communities the opportunity to participate in a two-year collaborative project to build local arts education capacity. SPARK! Arts staff will work with local partners to build a strong local arts education ecosystem appropriate for individual communities, their needs, and their capacity. They’re looking for communities with curiosity, commitment, emerging momentum, and local arts ed champions. Go here to learn more and apply. The newest State of the Arts newspaper is out now 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! “It’s dark because you’re trying too hard. Lightly, child, lightly. Just lightly let This email was sent to comments@bozeman.net using Granicus Communications Cloud on behalf of: MontanaArts Council things happen and lightly cope with them.” —Aldous Huxley Manage Subscriptions | Unsubscribe All | Help Montana Arts Council | 830 N. Warren Street | Helena, MT 59601 | art.mt.gov