MINE: Excavating Ecologies
Closing Reception and Panel Discussion
Monday, July 28 6-7:30 pm
co-presented by Open AIIR and the Clark Fork Coalition
4th floor, Missoula Public Library
Join us for a closing reception of MINE: Excavating Ecologies. MINE is an exhibition inspired by the Upper Clark Fork Ecosystems featuring artists Eric Jensen, Lane Chapman, and Manette Bradford.
We will celebrate with food, drinks, and a facilitated panel discussion with the artists and representatives from Clark Fork Coalition.
Artists, Jensen and Chapman completed their residencies in partnership with the Clark Fork Coalition, where they shared a studio space at the Cottonwood Field Station, allowing for close collaboration and creative exchange. Manette Bradford held her residency at the Hungry Hill Art Center in Butte, Montana, a location rich with the mining heritage that continues to shape the region’s identity. The Clark Fork Coalition’s impact reaches beyond restoration, employing a wide range of science-based strategies to tackle the complex challenges facing the Clark Fork Watershed. In this case, CFC collaborated with Open AIR in support of creative interpretations of those challenges, evidenced in the artworks featured in this exhibition.
The panel discussion will feature reflections on the artists' residency experiences and the role of art in engaging with environmental narratives. We’ll also touch on the impact that art can have upon the mission to restore and protect ecosystems.
Panelists
Manette Bradford, Artist
Eric Jensen, Artist
Lane Chapman, Artist
Stoney Samsoe, E.D. Open AIR
Brian Chaffin, E.D. Clark Fork Coalition
Open AIR is best known for its unique place-based Artist-in-Residence program that connects artists from all disciplines and origins, with culturally, historically, and ecologically significant locations through collaborative partnerships in Montana. With innovative opportunities available in places such as remote wilderness areas to historically significant sites closer to town, artists have the opportunity to draw inspiration from a regional community dedicated to preserving place, environment, and the arts.
The Clark Fork Coalition, founded in 1985, works to restore and protect the Clark Fork River and its tributaries. Montana’s largest river by volume and the headwaters of the mighty Columbia River, the Clark Fork River serves as a critical lifeline for communities, fish, and wildlife across the region. CFC aims to bring Western Montana’s rivers and streams back to health and protect them in perpetuity.