This First Friday was pretty big for the University of Montana. The National Western Cast Iron Art Conference was brought to UM with the aid of sculpture professor Brad Allen. A number of Missoula galleries also hosted cast iron artworks in correlation with the conference, including the Missoula Art Museum. Right out of the BFA exhibition, The UM undergrad art students threw down with a showing at a temporary space dubbed "Gallery 48" denoting the 48 hrs of its existence. It really excites me when I see students working hard and making art happen. This town certainly lacks adequate exhibition space for younger artists, so mad props to the BFA'ers for fearlessly making it happen. Not to mention, a hand full of UM ceramic students displayed their work in the alley next to New West...damn it is good to see energized and prolific young artists making strong & engaging work. I think students are often thought of as simply "students" but from my experience they make some of the most engaging artwork. Also the newly founded and fabulous Brink Gallery hosted artworks by, adjunct UM art professor, Edgar Smith. His works are bold, simple, yet conceptually complex with a natural elegance. As usual there was a lot of other great art, like the fifth annual installment of "On Deck" at the Badlander. And for the most creative & ephemeral gallery space I vote for the guy who pulled up in a Budget moving van out front of the Dana Gallery. Great work Missoula, and now for less chatter and more pictures.
National Iron Exhibit at the Missoula Art Museum
More from the National Iron exhibit at the MAM
2007 UM MFA Sculpture Graduate Kendall Mingey, graced us with her artwork and presence over the weekend.
BOAT LOAD OF MORE PICS AFTER THE JUMP
Look at all that iron
View of National Iron exhibit at the MAM
Technically incredible painting with a sense of humor at Gallery 48. "Hypothetical Situation #1: Fredrick the Anteater as Napoleon" by Louis Habeck. HA! We most certainly need more anteaters and less Napoleons.
Ceramic Sculpture by Kelly McGonigal at Gallery 48. I have nothing to say but "Rad"
View of the alley next to New West where a handful of UM students showed off their well-crafted ceramics.
Some slick ceramic mugs in the alley
3 bowls by Rachael Jones. I really enjoy the ponderosa pine display and how the lines and patterns drawn by beetles reflect the lines and patterns on the bowls. Not to mention how it all works with the brick background...fantastic!
Do forms get more elegant? I feel like something is sucking the spout right out of the body "Birds 1 and 2" by Isabelle Tutwiler. I would go for mosquito, but who wants to reference those sucking little devils
I really like these "Owl Guys" by Kelly Stevenson
On Deck 5 at the Badlander. Art on skateboards is totally nar nar
Edgar Smith at the Brink Gallery
Future Creatives with an Edgar Smith piece...well actually they are quite creative right now!
I agree! Congratulations to all the artists, (students, faculty, and local) for putting together quite an array of artistic displays! The wood that was used for the display of the three bowls by Rachael Jones is the same wood that was used to fuel the wood-fired kiln that they came out of. The Anagama kiln is up at the Luebrecht Experimental forest, and the wood was chopped 4 miles away. It's kind of like the embryonic nutrients that birthed the bowls from the very start!! Much of the work from the "Alley Galley" was from this firing, which took place April 16-22, 2010.
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