Hockaday exhibit highlights Artist-Wilderness-Connection
The Hockaday Museum of Art will open a new exhibition in the Community Gallery, “James Weikert: Story of a Place: Two Weeks in the Great Bear Wilderness,” with a free opening reception and artist talk for the public from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27. The exhibition will be on view through Dec. 23.
In summer 2021, Bozeman-based artist James Weikert was selected for the Artist-Wilderness-Connection residency — an 18-year partnership with the Flathead National Forest, Swan Valley Connections and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation. This unique program places selected working artists in the Bob Marshall Wilderness complex for up to two weeks.
“Story of a Place” uses a visual narrative to tell landscape stories. Weikert’s work explores the unique geology, diverse plant life, and human effects on the land. The exhibition features a series of new oil paintings, sketches and excerpts from the journal he kept during his time in the wilderness. Originally from northern New Hampshire, Weikert moved to Montana in 2003 and immediately fell in love with the dramatic landscapes of the northern Rocky Mountains. Drawing on techniques learned from studying architecture, his unique painting style blends elements of illustration, painting and technical drafting.
After their residency, the artists in the program work with the Hockaday and other program partners to share the artists’ backcountry experience with a free community outreach program or exhibition and also donate a representative artwork to the Artist Wilderness Connection collection.
For more information about the program or application process, contact Kathy Martin at the Hockaday Museum of Art, 406-755-5268, education@hockadaymuseum.com; Teresa Wenum at the Flathead National Forest, 406-758-5218; or Rebecca Powell at the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, 406-387-3808. The online application and full program information is available at www.hockadaymuseum.com/artist-wilderness
