By TOM BENSEN
The River City Roots Festival occurs this weekend – August 23-24 – in downtown Missoula, and includes outdoor music, an art show, a 4-mile Fun Run, the Lake Missoula SUP Classic, and a Family Fun Festival in Caras Park. Music on West Main Street features Sam Bush, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Chas, Lil’ Smokies, the New Reeltime Travelers, Reverend Slanky, Shakewell, the Whizpops, and more. Visit the website for all information.
The Our Missoula Growth Policy Listening Sessions have begun. This week’s sessions include Downtown on Tuesday, August 19 and Art, Culture and History on Wednesday, August 20. Both sessions will be held in the Jack Reidy Conference Room at City Chambers at 11:30 a.m. These sessions are open to the public.
The City of Missoula Public Art Committee has extended the deadline for two art calls in Silver Park. The new deadline is October 6, 2014. Visit the website for all information and the application.
Current exhibits at the Missoula Art Museum include Blessingway: Prints by Melanie Yazzie through September 6; Bill Ohrmann: Tainted Revelations through October 11; Crossing the River: Hmong Story Cloths through October 25; The Art of Human Conflict Conflict through December 24; the newly refurbished Edgar Paxson Murals are on display through September 6, before returning to the Missoula County Courthouse; Pamela Caughey: Ubiquitous: Migration of Pathogens through December 24; Helen McAuslan: The Kent State Paintings, on loan from the Museum of the Rockies, through November 22.
The Montana Museum of Art & Culture at the University of Montana presents Sandra Dal Poggetto: Meditations on the Field, in the Paxson and Meloy Galleries. Throughout the summer and early fall of 2014, Helena-based artist Sandra Dal Poggetto will be featured in a solo exhibition of new and recent works at the Montana Museum of Art & Culture at The University of Montana. Dal Poggetto uses an abstract language and fragments of the western landscape-hide, feathers, wood and wire-to create evocative paintings and drawings. She draws on and deconstructs both Euro-American pictorial language and American Indian visual traditions.
The Missoula Downtown Association’s Out to Lunch and Downtown Tonight continue through August. This week features Joan Zen on Wednesday and Tom Catmull’s Radio Static Thursday evening.
Shakespeare and Co. presents Poetry: Matt Pasca and Terri Muuss reading from their new work, August 20 at 7:00 p.m.
Fact & Fiction presents Pete Fromm reading and signing If Not For This 7:00 p.m. on August 22 at F&F Downtown.
Missoula Outdoor Cinema presents Persepolis (2007) PG-13 on August 23 beginning at 8:32 p.m. at 1001 Worden Street on the North Side.
Summer Camps and Classes are offered through August at Missoula Writing Collaborative, The Clay Studio of Missoula, Zootown Arts Community Center ,The Missoula Art Museum ,Downtown Dance Collective, Montana Natural History Center, MCAT, and Tangled Tones Music Studio.
The next Tell Us Something is at the Top Hat August 19 at 6:00 p.m. The theme is “Busted.” Tell Us Something is Live storytelling. True stories shared live, stories are true, told from memory, and last ten minutes. 11 storytellers share their true stories.
Auditions for the Dirty Sexy Chocolate Show at the Top Hat are August 20 from 7:00-10:00 p.m. Producers of the show are looking for actors who can move or dancers who can act. Audition slots will be booked in 15 minute increments and will involve movement and cold reading from the script. Participants must reserve a slot ahead of time by calling 773-241-4858 or via email here. Rehearsals begin in September with the production in October. No nudity, but the show does have adult themes, so we’re looking for performers
over the age of 21. There is pay.
The Radius Gallery, Missoula’s newest art gallery, opens this month with an Open House August 21 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. at it’s location at 114 East Main Street. The gallery features the work of Melissa Bangs, Courtney Blazon, Lucy Capehart, Susan Carlson, John Cook,Ric Gendron; Karen Kemp, Louise LaMontagne, Bobbie McKibbin, and Megan Moore.
The Friendship Force of Missoula & Western Montana hosts a Potluck Picnic at Bonner Park August 20 at 5:00 p.m.
The Clay Studio presents a Summertime High Tea on August 24 at 4:00 p.m. at 2405 Dodd Ranch Road. Visit the website for more information
The Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre presents a Julliard Master Class with Charla Glenn, August 24-26. Visit their website for more information.
UM Theatre & Dance production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol are August 27 at 6:15 p.m. in the PAR TV Building on UM Campus. Please contact here for questions and more information.
The Missoula Community Theatre is holding auditions for the production of Jekyll & Hyde The Musical on Sunday, August 31 at the MCT Center for the Performing Arts. Those wanting to audition may arrive anytime between 12:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., using the Main Street entrance. There are approximately 20 roles for men and women in the production and all of the roles are available for men and women ages 18 and older. There are no roles for children. The dates of the production are October 30-November 2, and November 5-9.
For questions regarding auditions, please call MCT at 728-1911 Monday-Friday between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. MCT has a limited number of perusal scripts that may be checked out in advance.
David Grisman Sextet
The 21st annual Germanfest, produced by the Missoula Cultural Council, occurs September 7 from 2:00-6:00 p.m. in Caras Park, and features brats, beer and oom-pah music by Kalispell’s Bavarian Echoes. This annual event supports our sister-city partnership with Neckargemuend, and helps raise funds for the local high school exchange program with our sister-city.
Snowbowl Mountain Music presents the David Grisman Sextet, September 14 at 5:00 p.m. Visit the website for more information.
Registration is open for theFlamenco Montana Festival, featuring Teo Morca, Carlos Lomas, and Vicente Griego, is September 18-21. Visit the website for more information.
For more information about arts events in the Missoula area, visit our website
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Tom Bensen has lived in Missoula since 1986, and has been the executive director of the Missoula Cultural Council since June 2004. He has directed First Night Missoula each New Year’s Eve since 1997. He is a member of Missoula’s choral ensemble Dolce Canto, and enjoys being outdoors, whether it is hiking, biking, skiing, walking the dogs, or mowing the lawn. His wife Susan works for Montana Public Radio, and their son Peter attends Hellgate High School.