Glacier painting donated to Hockaday

The Hockaday Museum of Art has a major new painting in its permanent collection, thanks to a group of benefactors.

Inspired by the “Timeless Legacy: Women Artists of Glacier National Park” exhibition that ended July 25, anonymous donors purchased “Alpine Reverie” by acclaimed artist Carole Cooke, then donated the painting to the Hockaday’s permanent art collection.

The 40-inch by 48-inch painting was purchased for $24,000. The purchase marks the establishment of a major new acquisition fund in honor of the late Dr. Van Kirke Nelson of Kalispell.

“We are thrilled to be able to add a painting of this magnitude to our collection,” Hockaday Executive Director Barry Conger said. “We rely on the generosity of our supporters to continue to increase our holdings. The ‘Timeless Legacy’ exhibition was incredibly popular and certainly touched on a theme that struck a chord.”

Cooke is an Arizona-based painter, considered one of the leading women landscape artists in the country.

She has won national awards from the “Masters of the American West Fine Art Exhibit” and several other major shows and has been featured in Art of the West, Southwest Art, and Western Collector magazines.

She was invited to participate in the “Timeless Legacy” project along with three other artists — Kathryn Stats of Utah, Montana artist Linda Tippitts and Flathead Valley native Rachel Warner. The project and exhibit showcased women artists who have painted in Glacier over the last century, highlighting stories that have mostly been lost to history.

Cooke said she was thrilled to have her painting become a part of the Hockaday’s collection.

“I was absolutely delighted, surprised and so very honored upon getting the call from the Hockaday Museum telling me about the acquisition of ‘Alpine Reverie’ for their permanent collection,” Cooke said. “Throughout my career, I have set goals of what I want to accomplish and being part of an important art museum collection has been one of the coveted dreams.

“I am so very grateful to the museum and all the contributors that made this happen. I couldn’t be happier that it will be displayed so close to Glacier National Park. I hope when people view this painting they will take a deep breath and be inspired to go to the park to take in its incredible beauty.”

The acquisition also began a project at the Hockaday to build a long-term fund to support future art purchases for the permanent collection. In honor of Van Kirke and Helen Nelson, longtime benefactors of the museum, the Hockaday created the Nelson Program and Acquisition Fund.

Donations to this fund will help the Hockaday with future exhibitions and programming and will form a reserve to assist the museum in acquiring major works of art in the future. Several major gifts have already been committed to this fund.

“Alpine Reverie” will be placed on display at the Hockaday on Sept. 15 after a private reception to thank donors. It will then become part of the museum’s ongoing presentation of works from the permanent holdings, which represent one of the largest Glacier Park-oriented collections in the country.

“‘The Timeless Legacy’ exhibition demonstrated that there is a strong interest in the stories of women artists,” Conger said. “This beautiful work of art represents women in this field who have struggled not only against the inherent challenges of a career in art that all artists face, but also against the cultural biases that have shaped much of our history.

“We are proud to be able to present these stories, and especially proud to be bringing the work of such a gifted artist into our permanent collection.”

The Hockaday Museum of Art is located at 302 Second Ave. E. in Kalispell.

For more information, visit www.HockadayMuseum.org or call 406-755-5268.