Fall 2011: Sept 9 – Oct 22
The Holter’s ongoing Narratives of the Land series highlights Montana landscape and continues through September and October. Events are held in conjunction with Andy Cline: Cruise Control and David Swanson: Sweat & Steel. The series will end with a gallery talk by Jean Albus, whose exhibition Rapture on the Plains celebrates women and Montana’s landscape.
All events are free and open to the public. Call 442-6400 with questions.
Friday . September 9 . 5:30–8pm
Opening Reception . David Swanson: Sweat & Steel
Livingston artist David Swanson has collected railroad poetry, songs, and folklore that enhance the striking exhibition of paintings of Montana’s railroads and their workers. Special music performance at 6:30 featuring David on acoustic guitar and Bill Devine on dobro.
Saturday . September 10 . 10am | 11am
Gallery Talk | Historic Photographs
10am . Join David Swanson for a gallery talk on Sweat & Steel and the unique influences on his work.
11am . Steve Jackson, Curator of Photography at the Museum of the Rockies, illuminates the museum’s photographic collection of Ron V. Nixon, a nationally recognized railroad photographer, telegrapher and dispatcher for Northern Pacific and Burlington Northern.
Friday . September 16 . 6:30pm
Roadside Montana
Willem Volkersz, artist and professor emeritus of MSU, presents images of roadside art he’s collected throughout Montana. From neon signs to folk art sculpture, these works are worth a detour.
Saturday . September 17 . 10:30am
Montana’s Historical Highways
While not sweating over the state’s historic roads and bridges, historian Jon Axline conducts cultural resource surveys for MDT and writes interpretive markers on everything from dinosaurs to missile silos.
Friday . September 23 . 6pm
Night at the {silent} Movies: The Railroad Men (1923)
Experience the silent movies the way they were meant to be! Cheer the hero as he rescues the boss’s daughter and boo and hiss at the villain. Alex Swaney will improvise the music! Come in historic costume if you like. Popcorn provided!
Friday . September 30 . 6pm
Night at the Movies: Danger Lights (1930) and Union Depot (1932)
Danger Lights was a Hollywood hit and largely filmed along Montana’s railroad lines. Two railroaders fall in love with the same girl, but when the chips are down everyone joins together to save the day. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Joan Blondell star in the steamy Warner Bros. classic Union Depot. Popcorn provided!
Saturday . October 1 . 10:30 am
Rails to Gold and Silver: Montana’s Historic Railroads
Bill and Jan Taylor are the authors of several books and articles on Montana mining and railroad history. They have walked and photographed most every railroad line (including the abandoned ones) in western Montana and have served as on-board host-lecturers for the American Orient Express and the Montana Daylight train between Livingston and Sandpoint.
Saturday . October 8 . 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Family Day: Everything Railroad!
Join us for a fun-filled railroad-themed day for the entire family. Model trains will take over the Museum’s Sherman Gallery against a backdrop of David Swanson’s railroad paintings as Ken Matthews from “Imagination Station” delights old and young alike with his gallery-sized modular railroad. Georgia Stinson (and other members of the Helena Rail Modeling Club) will give tips on model making. Enjoy railroad-themed art projects, food, and stories as we all get our “choo-choo” on.
Friday . October 14 . 5:30-8:00 pm
Jean Albus: Rapture on the Plains — Opening Reception (Bair Gallery Oct 14-Dec 31, 2011)
Jean is a feisty Montana native who now lives near Bridger, Montana. Her striking images have many layers of meaning relating to the history of the land, our connection to it and the human conditions of joy, transition and mortality.
Saturday . October 15 . 10:30 am
Jean Albus: Gallery Talk
Jean Albus will talk about her creative process and the importance of Montana landscape to her work.
Saturday . October 22 . 10:30 am
Helena’s Sixth Ward: History and Walking Tour
Learn about the importance of the Sixth Ward to the railroads in Montana and Helena’s history and about plans for its revitalization. Join Historian Ellen Baumler of the Montana Historical Society for a spirited walking tour — weather permitting. Call 442-6400 for details.
The Holter’s Speaker’s Series is made possible by grants from Humanities Montana, BNSF Railway, 
Montana Rail Link and MT AFL-CIO. Thank you!
Elizabeth Bass is interested in the way light strikes the subjects she paints, even more than the subjects themselves. Known for her rich paintings of cityscapes, figures, and plein air landscapes that range from Namibia to Natchez, she conveys a sense of presence and immediacy of place in her work. Her ink and watercolor illustrations have appeared in numerous books and magazines. Elizabeth lives in Missoula and Yaak, Montana with her husband and two daughters.
High Gallery
