July /August /September - MonDak Heritage Center

MonDak Heritage Center
120 3rd Ave SE
Sidney, MT. 59270
Phone: 406-433-3500
Fax: 406-433-3503
Email: [email protected]
www.mondakheritagecenter.org
Please check if your Membership
needs renewed. You will find the
expiration on the mailing label.
Where Art & History Meet
Staff: Sandy Turner - Center Coordinator,
Leann Pelvit - Administrative Assistant,
Debi Fox - Experience Works
Board of Directors: Dave Branson President, Gerald Navratil -Vice President,
Margaret Bradley -Treasurer, Jean Campbell Secretary, Sara Berndt, Carrell Evans, Bill
Forrester, Stephan Jaronski, Linda Mann,
Candy Markwald, Duane Pust, and Cami
Skinner
Speaking Volumes - Transforming Hate
August 22nd - September 26th
Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate, an exhibition by artists inspired to
counteract prejudice, will be on display at the MonDak Heritage Center
August 21-September 26, 2009. Curated by the Holter Museum of Art, this
exhibition seeks to challenge and expand its audience by bringing its viewers
face-to-face with different perspectives, breaking through the limits of our
comfort, and taking them beyond familiar ground to new territory, opening
the way for turning dark into light. Art by 47 artists and teams from Montana
and across the country are represented in the travelling exhibition. The
show’s story began when the Montana Human Rights Network acquired 4,000 volumes of white
supremacist propaganda from a defecting official of the World Church of the Creator. MHRN approached
the Holter Museum of Art in Helena with the idea to use the books to create art for an exhibition. The art
varies widely from sculpture, video, painting, photography, collage, printmaking, book arts, beadwork,
fiber, and performance. The astonishing and moving result is thought-provoking and insightful.
The statewide tour of this exhibition is sponsored by the Museum and Art Gallery Curators Association of
Montana (MAGDA). Education and outreach programs accompanying the exhibition will provide visitors
with opportunities to reflect on the artists’ content and develop their own ideas. The Holter Museum’s
highest hope for this exhibition is that it will start conversations within families and between strangers, and
help us all create a better community.
Page 2
JULY-AUG-SEPT 2009
Coming Exhibits and Events
Prairie Painters
Montana By Food
August 4th - September 15th
June 15th - July 31st
The exhibit
features thirtythree appetizing
images from the
Photograph
Archives of the
Montana
Watermelon Party near
Historical
Helena
Society, sixteen
graphic reproductions of historic
artifacts from Montana’s Museum, and
tasty vintage recipes from the MHS
Library’s Community Cookbook
Collection. The photographs cover a
wide time-span, from the 1880s to the
recent past, and
represent all
geographic
regions of the
state. Recipes
range from
historic fare - like
Winners of the County
Corn and Potato
pickled beaver’s
Growing Contest,
tail and pork
cake - that might
not have widespread appeal to
modern palates, to First Lady Betty
Babcock’s formula for “Grandmother’s
Christmas Pudding.”
The Prairie
Painters Art
Association are
a group of
independent
artists from
Montana and
North Dakota
who are being showcased in the North
Gallery. Artwork will be shown in many
different mediums; watercolor, pen and ink,
pastels, pencil oil, acrylic, and ink on silk
have
brought
their work
together to
create this
unique
show. The
artwork
consists of
portraits,
animals and landscapes.
Summer Series Ranger Talks
In collaboration with Fort Union Trading
Post NHS we will be hosting two ranger
talks this summer.
July 17th - 7pm
“Firewater at Fort Union:Alcohol and
the Fur Trade”
by Ranger Lisa Sanden-Larson
August 14 -7pm
“George Catlin’s Ridiculous Idea”
by Ranger Audrey Barnhart
Richland County Fair & Rodeo
The MonDak Heritage Center will be
having a display booth at this year’s fair
in the Agricultural Building.
If you have a couple of hours on
Thursday, Friday or Saturday and would
like to man the booth, please call Sandy
or Leann at 433–3500.
Page 3
M O ND A K H IS TO R IC A L & AR T SO C IE TY
Invite a Friend to become a
Member
Memberships and tax-deductible donations
help make the increasing number of
exhibitions, special events and shows
possible. Please encourage your friends to
become members.
•
•
Membership dollars are primarily used for
programming and collections preservations.
CHECK YOUR MAILING LABEL FOR YOUR
EXPIRATION DATE
We occasionally publish our membership
list in our newsletter and display it on our
donor wall. If you wish your name to be
excluded please let us know.
The board meetings of the MonDak
Historical Society are open to the public
and held the 3rd Tuesday of each month
at 7pm at the MonDak Heritage Center.
Nancy Simonsen
Art Show
September 15th November 14th
A native Montanan from
Great Falls, Nancy
graduated from Montana State University,
Bozeman and has lived in the Sidney
area for over 30 years. She has a lot of
enthusiasm for color and the transparent
nature of watercolor. Her subject matter
includes landscape and floral forms.
Nancy’s work can be found in the art
collection of Theodore Roosevelt IV. She
is a signature member of both the
Montana and the Northern Plains
Watercolor Societies. Her art has been
juried into numerous regional shows. She
was chosen as Featured Artist at Sidney
2001 Sunrise Festival of Arts.
Your membership counts
Basic
Supporter
Senior
$15
$30
Senior Couple
$25
$50
Individual
$20
$40
Family
$35
$70
Business
$50
$100
Sustainer
$100 to $249
Sponsor
$250 to $499
Patron of the Arts
$500 to $999
Benefactor
$1000 to $2499
Director’s Circle
$2500 and up
Consider raising your membership support
above the basic level, as even an extra $20
helps. All support above the minimum level
is tax deductible.
Tibetan Monks
The Sacred Arts of Tibet Tour 2009
The MonDak Heritage Center is hosting an
open house on August 27th for the Tibetan
Children's Education Foundation. They are
brining two Tibetan sand mandala makers to
our region to raise awareness about Tibetan
Art and Culture. Both of these men are
Tibetan monks - one at a monastery in
Kalimpong and the other at a monastery in
Dharamsala. The group is bringing original
Thangka paintings for display at the MonDak
Heritage Center. On August 27th the
Executive Director of the Children’s
Education Foundation will give a presentation
on Thangka paintings and the monks will
present on the meaning behind mandalas.
This will be a rare opportunity to meet
Tibetan Monks and learn about their culture.
_____________________________________________________________________
*You will be able to watch them create a sand
mandala at the Missouri River Confluence
Center August 26th-30th. A mandala is an
offering. They are round and are created out of
sand. It is an amazing, wonderful process to
experience.
www.tibetansandmandala.com
Coming Events:
• Speaking Volumes - Transforming Hate
Aug 22nd - Sept 26th
• Prairie Painters Art Show
Aug 4th - Sept 14th
• Nancy Simonsen– Sept 15th-Nov 14th
July-Aug-Sept 2009
MonDak Heritage Center:
Where Art & History Meet
President’s Letter by Dave Branson, Board President
M O N D AK H E R I TA G E C E N T E R
MonDak Historical & Art Society
I am happy and excited to report that two major renovation projects that have been in the works
for well over a year are now completed!
New elevator installed!
Our new elevator that provides handicap access to the downstairs
museum has been installed and passed inspection by the state of
Montana! The elevator (technically a vertical lift) was installed in the
existing freight elevator shaft. Two of our members donated a total of
$33,000 towards the cost of this project. We also want to thank the
Foundation for Community Care, Richland County, the City of Sidney
and other members for making significant contributions for this
upgrade.
Combined with the new handicap accessible front entry, we are able to
offer visitors safe access throughout the Center – regardless of their
physical abilities. Given the aging population of the MonDak region,
these are clearly our most important renovations at the Center.
Leann and Debi try out the
new lift
Acoustic curtains installed!
Shortly after I became president of the board two years ago, we hired an
acoustic engineer to assess the acoustics of the Center and provide advice as to what renovations
would allow use of the center gallery more as a meeting room. Based on his recommendations of
installing acoustic curtains and advice from numerous
people, I designed the curtains and a system for
vertically lifting three sides. Don Byer and his crew at
B&B Builders did a great job on a difficult
installation. I want to especially thank Bernie Braden,
Ken Stennes, Sarah Parsons, and Kate Knels for their
advice. This will allow us to use the center gallery
more for meetings during the day.
Our staff is always trying to come up with new ways to
utilize our facility – helping to turn the Center into the
cultural center of the MonDak region. As an example,
a dance class organized by Sandy Turner and taught by
Acoustic curtains shown here lifted.
Deb Moore from Glendive brought ~60 people to the
Center! Over the next few months, we hope to install a high quality sound system, build a
performance stage, install a security camera system, and finish raising money for our dishwasher
(We still need $1000 towards the $3200 cost). If you would like to contribute to a special project,
we have a list of needs at the Center. If you have suggestions on how we can improve things at the
Center – please contact Sandy or myself.
All members are welcome to attend a board meeting or bring issues to the board. Our normal
summer board meeting time is the third Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m.