Ray Sikorski writes about local artists

Ray Sikorski is a Bozeman-based freelance writer who sometimes writes about local artists. He has written about Kevin Connolly for the Christian Science Monitor, Gary Bates for the High Country News and Montana Magazine (that one’s not out yet), and an itinerant artist named Jim Mott who passed through Bozeman, staying at artist Mary Keefer’s house, also for the Christian Science Monitor. The article links are listed below:

A Legless Artist Documents the World in 32,000 Stares
Christian Science Monitor, January 22, 2008

Sculpting a reason to love the wind
High Country News, August 20, 2007

Itinerant Artist Will Paint for a Bed and a Meal
Christian Science Monitor, Oct. 16, 2007

I’ve seen firsthand on this site what happens with national media attention. When Kevin Connolly appeared on 20-20, Art Bozeman received over 2500 hits in the following 24 hours, thanks to appearing fairly high in search engine listings for some searches that people entered trying to track him down on the web.

Ray can be reached at logorhythmic AT hotmail.com.

L. A. Hoffman photography at Exit Gallery

Bozeman has many excellent photographers, and, not surprisingly, many are inspired by the surrounding landscape. In contrast, L. A. Hoffman turns a more conceptual eye on the Bozeman urban environment, expressing her ideas by altering the photographs. A good place to see her work is an exhibit at the MSU Exit Gallery, which runs from January 28th through February 8th. A free opening reception will be held Friday, February 1st from 6 – 9 pm.

From the press release:
As the national housing market slumps, Bozeman remains expensive and inaccessible to many residents, limiting options for young families. This photographic exhibit examines the artist’s struggle to find a place to call home in the town that she loves, and delves into the nature of house hunting in Bozeman — what is out there, what is not out there, and what is simply unattainable.

Driven away from the beautiful downtown areas and near-to-campus options by high prices, she has expanded her search to the suburbs, where repetitiveness and the uninspired rule. Even then, with the average cost of a suburban dwelling costing over $300,000 the American Dream seems far away. This scenario is familiar to many people. When limited by a bank account, there are few options for first-time home seekers. Neighborhoods close to the center of town and stand-alone housing units can be out of many people’s price range. The remaining options include condos, multiple family structures, or one in a row of cookie cutter houses devoid of identity. Some of these housing developments even go so far as to offer their fares in wide ranges of color options including Tan, Sand, Sandstone, Beige, or Taupe.

The MSU Exit Gallery is located in the Strand Union Building room 106E. Parking is located to the South of the Strand Union Building and is free after 6 pm. L.A. Hoffman is a Bozeman resident and recent graduate of Montana State University, where she received degrees in Photography and Marketing. Her work is on permanent display at the Infusion Art Gallery, located in the Emerson Cultural Center at 111 South Grand Avenue. For more information about this event, please call (406) 579-7626 or email lahoffman@gmail.com.

[Ed. note, in the spirit of full disclosure: this writer has already invested in a Hoffman photograph, which could gain in value if demand for her work rises.]

Harold Schlotzhauer at the Helen E. Copeland Gallery, MSU

From the MSU News page:

An exhibition of recent digital print constructions, “Objects in Motion,” by Harold Schlotzhauer will be on display at the Helen E. Copeland Gallery Jan. 14 through Feb. 8. An opening reception with the artist is slated for 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22.

The exhibition contains thirty limited edition digital construction prints which incorporate a variety of mixed media materials and print surfaces. The prints were created by importing an original line drawing on a computer, which was then manipulated and painted using program tools and a digital drawing tablet. Printing surfaces include paper, wood, aluminum and bamboo mat.

Harold Schlotzhauer has been a professor of painting and printmaking at Montana State University for 27 years, and his work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States, Germany, Canada, China and Japan.

The Helen E. Copeland Gallery is located on the second floor of Haynes Hall on the MSU campus. All exhibitions and receptions are free and open to the public. For more information, call Erin W. Anderson at 994-2562.

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A brief bio of Schlotzhauer and another image can be found at AskArt.

The Flying C Art Gallery at the Bozeman Co-op

I eat breakfast upstairs at the Co-op almost every week. I have a special fondness for that exhibit space, probably because I once had a show there myself. You can have one, too, but note the upcoming deadline of February 15 mentioned in the Gallery Interview below. (However, if you miss it, there are group shows you can submit to later, including one for April to be announced soon.)

1. Please introduce yourself and your exhibit space.
I’m Lori Keeling Campbell, Art Coordinator for The Flying C Art Gallery. It is located upstairs in the Coffee Bar at the Community Food Co-op (908 W. Main St., Bozeman, MT). We accept any media that can hang from a wall. Individual exhibits are one month long while group shows hang for two months.

2. Do you have a defined mission or niche?
We provide a forum for emerging artists who are Co-op Members. We accept a broad range of subject matter that is appropriate in a public eating area. The Co-op displays the art and allows the artist to include price and contact information, but does not handle sales. The Co-op charges no fee or commission.

3. What local/regional/national mix of artists have you had?
We only show the art of Co-op members, so the artists have been mostly local, though some, well known. We have Co-op Members living all over the U.S. who are all eligible to apply.

4. How do artists usually connect with you?
They can reach me by email at art@bozo.coop, or by phone at (406)587-4309, ext. 3038.

5. How should an artist looking for a show or advice best approach you?
Submission and information forms are located at the Customer Service Desk at the Co-op. A submission can be made at any time, but the Co-op Art Committee meets annually in order to select upcoming shows. Submissions should represent an accomplished body of work with a sense of theme or personal style. The next deadline is February 15, 2008.

Calling for cover art: Discovery Map of Bozeman & Big Sky

From Ellie Staley, Program Director at the Downtown Bozeman Partnership:

Local artists in the Bozeman & Big Sky area have a rare and exciting opportunity to depict the tourist appeal qualities of this area at an Art Show this winter that is being sponsored by Discovery Map of Bozeman & Big Sky (see this pdf flyer). In an unprecedented event, semi-professional and professional artists are invited to create paintings, drawings, and other artistic renderings of this magnificent visitor destination. The 1st-place winner will have their artwork displayed on the cover of the upcoming edition of the Discovery Map of Bozeman & Big Sky and on the Discovery WebMap!

I am attaching a flyer for your review and posting that outlines the details of this Art Show. With the premium quality art featured on Discovery Map and the rich arts heritage in this area, this alliance between Discovery Map of Bozeman & Big Sky and the local arts community is a natural partnership.

The Art Show Awards Reception is scheduled to be held at The Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture on Feb. 28 in the ballroom.

[Ed. note: the submission deadline is February 15.]

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Update: Congratulations to the winners: Richard Jensen (1st place), Linda Abbott (2nd), and Marsha Karle (3rd)!

Art at the Nova Café

Bozeman is fortunate to have a number of restaurants and cafés that offer display space to artists. I always look around at what’s on the walls, but I especially appreciate the chance to live with an artwork over the course of a meal, discovering things I didn’t notice at first glance. I’ve been several times to the Nova and always found interesting work there, so I was glad to get the following Gallery interview response from Julia.

1. Please introduce yourself and your exhibit space.
My name is Julia McLeod; I work as the Gallery Coordinator at the Nova Cafe (312 E. Main St.) in Bozeman, Montana. The Nova strives to create an eclectic environment that appeals to a diverse clientele through locally featured artists.

2. Do you have a defined mission or niche?
Our venue is best suited to the visual arts, but we are open to any and all possibilities.

3. What local/regional/national mix of artists have you had?
The Nova has hosted a number of local artists working in a variety of media.

4. How do artists usually connect with you?
My contact information is available through the Nova Cafe (406-587-3973).

5. How should an artist looking for a show or advice best approach you?
It is easiest to contact me by phone or e-mail. I will personally meet with each artist to preview their work before entering into an agreement.

6. Anything else you’d like to tell artists and art aficionados?
In the short time I have been doing this, I have met artists who are doing amazing work. The Nova is honored to be a venue for the many talented artists living in the Bozeman area. We try to rotate the art every one to two months, so there is often something new to see. Come check us out!