Persistence in Clay: Contemporary Ceramics in Montana
Carnegie Galleries and Faith Pickton & Josephine Aresty Gallery
June 3 – September 10, 2011
Missoula Art Museum is excited to present Persistence in Clay: Contemporary Ceramics in Montana. While many regions of the country are known for their mastery of other mediums, in Montana, the ceramic arts are the touchstone of art and culture. This exhibition serves as a snap shot of the world class activity that is happening today in the state. The exhibition coincides with the Archie Bray Foundation’s 60th birthday and is intended to celebrate not only this milestone birthday, but the long-lived strength of the clay medium in the state of Montana. The professional artists in this exhibit are a selection of the many clay artists who are currently recognized leaders in their communities.

Video Artists Holly Andres, Grace Carter, and Gerd Aurell
Missoula Art Museum
March 16 – May 29, 2011
Missoula Art Museum screens two video artworks in the Goldberg Library, to reacquaint visitors with ideas about video art. The videos presented, Holly Andres and Grace Carter’s Dandelion, and Gerd Aurell’s Montana is a Harsh Mistress, each tells a painful story but use different means of expression.

Contemporary American Indian Art
Missoula Art Museum
March 9 – June 26, 2011
One of the great pride and joys of the Missoula Art Museum is our Contemporary American Indian Art Collection, a steadily growing group of artworks featuring some of our nation’s finest American Indian artists. The cornerstone of this collection is Jaune Quick-to-See Smith’s donation of a significant selection of prints from her extensive body of work, as well as those of other American Indian artists.

During a museum residency at MAM between March and April, local artist Andy Smetanka will create a stop-motion animated movie about Missoula

Cathryn Mallory: Levitate/Gravitate
Missoula Art Museum
February 23 – May 22, 2011
Cathryn Mallory expressed an interest in creating a body of work that would utilize the unique architectural elements of MAM’s Aresty Gallery and Travel Montana Lobby. The majority of the works in this exhibit are being created from fiber and metal to specifically address the architectural elements of the space. The atrium, different height levels in the gallery, and the opening at the top of the wall are all factors.