Artists selected for wilderness program

Two artists have been selected to participate in the 2018 Artist-Wilderness-Connection program this summer.

Kalispell musician and writer Mark McLean and painter Ted Hansen from Minneapolis will spend time in a remote forest cabin in the Great Bear Wilderness on Flathead National Forest. The remote setting offers artists an opportunity to focus on their art, and after completing their residency each artist selects a format to share their talents and residency experience with the local community.

The Flathead National Forest, Hockaday Museum of Art, Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation and Swan Valley Connections selected the artists.

Inspired by his own outdoor adventures growing up in the Flathead and listening to family stories with strong connections to the land, McLean hopes to share through music and the written word a personal account exploring what it means to be a Montanan and live in, alongside and in a healthy relation to our protected wild areas.

Hansen would like to reconnect with his wilderness roots, having grown up exploring the backcountry of southwestern Montana; and through his art, help others connect with wild places, artwork that depicts the wilderness landscape and the fish and insects that live in wild streams and lakes.

Flathead Valley artists Gini Ogle and Francesca Droll will showcase their 2017 Artist-Wilderness-Connection experience at the Hockaday Museum of Art, through their “Two Sides to Every Story” exhibit, Aug. 2 through Nov. 3. The exhibit shares their wilderness experience through field paintings, sketchbooks and journals, depicting two views of the same subject.

Art pieces created from past residency experiences over 12 years, are on display at the Hungry Horse Ranger Station.

For more information about the Artist-Wilderness-Connection Program and how to apply, visit http://www.hockadaymuseum.org/ under Artist Opportunities.