Archived Exhibits

This page contains an archive of recent special exhibits mounted at Montana's Museum.

Splendid was the Trail

December 8, 2005 - February 28, 2006

Photographs of the National Forest by K. D. Swan. A Harvard-educated Easterner, Swan arrived in Missoula in the summer of 1911 to begin a job with the newly created Forest Service. Although trained as a forester, his work eventually led him into public information. Through his pictures and many public presentations, Swan revealed the unique beauty of remote wild places in Montana, Idaho and the Dakotas. This traveling exhibit-which was produced by the Northern Region of the U.S. Forest Service in observance of that agency's 100th anniversary-reflects both Swan's artistry as a photographer and his mission of promoting the value of public lands. For more information visit: http://www.fs.fed.us/rl/centennial/swan.shtml

To Picture a People

May 16,2005 - February 28, 2006

Part of an ongoing series of temporary exhibits mounted in observance of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial, this show highlights portraits of Montana's first inhabitants-the Native Americans who remained largely unseen by Lewis and Clark, but who have captured the imagination of artists ever since. Although motives varied from artist to artist, and styles changed to fit evolving aesthetics, the continuing efforts of these painters and sculptors over the last two centuries have combined to form a rich and colorful legacy of images depicting Indian peoples and their cultures.

Painting the Corps: Artistic Visions of Lewis and Clark

January 2005 - November 2005

Painting the Corps: Artistic Visions of Lewis and Clark, provides a colorful look at how artists have depicted this pivotal event in American history. This exhibit - which is the latest in a series of shows mounted in observance of the bicentennial of
Thomas Jefferson's Corps of Discovery - includes both contemporary works created expressly for Painting the Corps, and historic works from the museum's permanent collection. Don Prechtel - who is widely noted for his expertise in art relating to military history - helped organize the show by recruiting eight of his colleagues as contributors to the show. An artists' reception will be held for the general public in August 2005 during the Western Rendezvous of Art.

Montana Botanical

June 3, 2004 - November, 2004

Since the time that humans first inhabited Montana, people have depended upon the Treasure State's diverse plant life as a source for food, medicine, and building materials. In addition to relying on plants for these necessities, however, Montanans have also frequently turned to the local flora as an important component in the art they created, employing plants as both a subject matter and as a medium. Montana Botanical presents a small cross sampling of the many ways in which artists working under the Big Sky have transformed these essential elements of the region's natural beauty into works of art.

Watercolors by Montana State University's first art professor, Frederica Marshall, will compliment the exhibit. Montana adopted Mrs. Marshall's depiction of the bitterroot as the state flower. The exhibit includes numerous other works featuring, and composed of, plants.

Youth Discover the Lewis and Clark Expedition

October 2003-May 15, 2004

For almost 200 years artists, both amateur and professional, have created artistic representations of the Corps of Discovery. Because the art of photography had not yet been invented when the Corps of Discovery left St. Louis, Meriwether Lewis resorted to artwork to record what he saw. Since then many others have used various media oils, clay, charcoal to depict Lewis and Clark triumphs and misfortunes.

In commemoration of the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the Montana Historical Society solicited artwork from Montana's school children in grades kindergarten through 12. The art created represented episodes from the Corps of Discovery journals, landscapes of Montana in 1804-1806, oral histories from tribes, or the contributions and impacts of the expedition to 19th century science, geography, and exploration. The illustrated episodes must have occurred in the geographic region now known as Montana. Each student composed a statement on how the artwork relates to the expedition, and included a quote from the journal if they interpreted a specific episode.

L. A. Huffman: Photographer of the West

October 2003 - April 24, 2004

Laton Alton Huffman (1854-1931) came to Fort Keogh, Montana, in 1879 as post photographer, and later operated photographic studios in nearby Miles City. Huffman - who also spent time ranching - dubbed the 1880's as the golden era of the cowman. While he had a special interest in documenting the "picturesque industry" of cattle ranching, Huffman also took exceptional photographs of Cheyenne and Crow Indians, military life, the slaughter of the buffalo, and the Custer Trail Expedition in 1916. L. A. Huffman: Photographer of the American West featured a wide variety of vintage prints and related memorabilia documenting all aspects of this remarkable photographer's career.

F. J. Haynes: Photographer

1983 - 2003

The life and work of the official photographer for both the Northern Pacific Railroad (1884-1904) and Yellowstone National Park (1887-1916) was portrayed in this 4,000 square-foot exhibition. In addition to photographs, cameras and related equipment, F. J. Haynes: Photographer featured artifacts related to both Yellowstone National Park and the National Pacific Railroad like a Yellowstone stagecoach, furniture from the Canyon Hotel, and a 1930s touring car. The exhibit also included several vignettes that recreated a photography studio (1879), a train station (1904), and a Yellowstone gift shop (1930s).

An Honest Try: Rodeo Bronzes By Bob Scriver

2002 - 2003

Robert MacFie Scriver was born on Montana's Blackfeet Reservation, where his family operated a mercantile company in the community of Browning. Growing up amid vast plains and "shining" mountains, the young Scriver was influenced by the geography, people, and animals of the Glacier Park area, as well as by the romance of the Wild West. As an adult, he devoted his considerable talents to music and taxidermy before becoming one of the nation's most celebrated sculptors of Western life.

Largely self-taught, Scriver opened the first major exhibition of his sculpture at his studio in Browning in 1961. This initial showing received critical acclaim. Increasing national recognition soon followed, along with an ever-growing audience of admirers and collectors.

Although Scriver began his sculpting career by focusing on wildlife-a subject that represented a natural progression from his taxidermy work-in 1968 the artist's efforts headed in a new direction. In that year Scriver received a commission from the Rodeo Cowboys Association to create a heroic-size statue of the legendary Bill Linderman for the Rodeo Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City. Scriver's enthusiasm for that project ultimately led to the creation of an entire series of bronzes depicting the events, activities, and personalities of professional rodeo. His admiration for the daring men and women of the rodeo culminated in 1975 with the publication of his book An Honest Try: An Essay in Bronze. The exhibit featured 25 rodeo bronzes and 35 historic photos of Montana rodeos.

Documenting the Corps of Discovery

January 2003 - September 2003

The exploration of the Louisiana Purchase by the Corps of Discovery, led by Captains Lewis and Clark, resulted in one of the most thoroughly documented and extensively interpreted investigations of unknown territory, ever. This five-part exhibit highlighted the extraordinary Montana Historical Society collection of primary documents, interpretive resources, art, and artifacts about the Corps' journey. Maps, documents, journals, artwork, and pop culture illustrate the exhibit. A traveling version of this exhibit is available for booking.

F. Jay Haynes: Fifty Views

These fifty views are taken from the Haynes Collection, which illustrate the development of the upper Midwest and the Northwest from 1876 to the turn of the century. Haynes was the official photographer for the Northern Pacific Railroad and for Yellowstone National Park. Through photographs he hoped to encourage immigration into the region and also to provide views of the area's scenic splendors both to visitors and to those eager to see the wonders they could not visit. The exhibit begins with images of Haynes' early career in the Dakota and Montana Territories; it continues with views of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska; and concludes with Yellowstone, the area of Haynes' most abiding interest.

A Capital Capitol

The Montana Historical Society celebrates the State Capitol's 2002 centennial with a traveling exhibit that documents the building's colorful history. This exhibit explains the unique history and aesthetics of the people's house with 31 framed vintage and contemporary photos. The photos show the Capitol throughout its lifespan, from construction to renovation, and give a sense of the state' territorial history. The exhibit includes interactive, hands-on panels that bring the Capitol to life for people of all ages.

Treasure State Treasures

Montana is a unique place with an exceptionally colorful past. The exhibit is designed to delight viewers with spectacular remnants of this past and features a wide array of items from the Montana Historical Society's holdings, including rare gems from the library, archives, photograph archives, and museum collections. Treasures showcases "the best of the best" in order to illustrate the incredible legacy that earlier residents of the Treasure State not only created for themselves, but also preserved as a gift for future generations.

Got Art?

May 1, 2006 - February 28, 2007

IT STARTED WITH A PROMISE

The Ed Craney Collection of Montana Art
Through June 7, 2008

Throughout his life Edmund B. Craney, a prominent Montana radio pioneer, encouraged Montanans to embrace their own artistic culture. This is illustrated by his utilization of local musicians and entertainers on his early radio broadcasts, and is further reflected by the paintings and sculptures that he collected. Consequently, Ed Craney's art collection was comprised solely of art created by Montana artists. By limiting his collecting in this way, Craney not only amassed a stellar sampling of Montana art, he also furthered the careers of many Montana artists by purchasing their works.

Having witnessed many of Charles M. Russell's treasured art pieces leave the state, Ed Craney wanted to insure that his collection of Montana art stayed in the Treasure State for future generations to enjoy. As a result of this concern, he promised Olaf C. Seltzer that he would leave his collection in Montana. Through the generosity of the Greater Montana Foundation in their recent donation to the Montana Historical Society this promise has been fulfilled.

Artists represented in the collection include: Olaf C. Seltzer, Charles M. Russell, William Standing, Ralph DeCamp, Edgar S. Paxson, Ace Powell, Nancy McLaughlin, James Masterson, and Charles Biel.

In addition to the Craney Art Collection, received as a gift from the Greater Montana Foundation, in 1978 Ed Craney gave the Montana Historical Society an extensive collection of early radio broadcasting material including equipment, photographs, and archival records. For more information on Ed Craney and early radio in Montana, read Mary Murphy's article, "Messenger of the New Age", in Montana Magazine of Western History, Autumn, 1989.

Jointly sponsored by the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association, the Montana Department of Transportation, and the Montana Historical Society, On Track: The Railroad Photographs of Warren McGee features the stunning photographs taken by Warren McGee over a 60-year period, beginning in the 1930s and continuing through the 1990s. The exhibit celebrates the photograph collection as it chronicles and pays tribute to trains in 20th century Montana and the surrounding region. This exhibit will also be part of the Museum's traveling exhibit program beginning in June 2008.

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