By TOM BENSEN
It’s First Friday Gallery Night once again this Friday evening from 5:00-8:00 p.m. This month’s sponsor is one of Missoula’s newest galleries, Repertoire Art & Design at 113 West Broadway. Visit the MCC website later this week to get the most up to date information.
Missoula, Montana’s official 150th birthday is this Saturday: November 8, 2014. To commemorate the official holiday, Missoula’s own Tate Jones, Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History, will host a special presentation in conjunction with First Friday Gallery Night. Mr. Jones will present “The Birth of the Garden City” at 6:00 p.m. in the Historic Florence Hotel Lobby (111 N. Higgins). Following the 30-minute presentation, complete with temporary exhibits, Mr. Jones will lead attendees down to the original site of the Missoula Mills, adjacent to the Higgins Avenue Bridge near the Clark Fork River. Those who join in will have the opportunity to win one of three local history books.
Current exhibits at the Missoula Art Museum include The Art of Human Conflict Conflict through December 24; Pamela Caughey: Ubiquitous: Migration of Pathogens through December 2; Helen McAuslan: The Kent State Paintings, on loan from the Museum of the Rockies, through November 22; Crossing the River: Hmong Story Cloths through December 24; Kate Hunt: Recent Works through February 21, 2015; Elizabeth Dove: Corpus of the Unknowable through January 31, 2015; Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts: Selected Works through March 21, 2015 (pictured here).
The Montana Museum of Art & Culture presents Amanda Browder: End of the Infinite in the Meloy Gallery (pictured here), and Vanessa German: Bitter Root in the Paxson Gallery. Both exhibits run through January 10, 2015.
The UM School of Music presents Celebrate Piano Series III: Anderson & Roe, Wednesday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the Dennison Theatre.
The University of Montana’s ninth annual diversity symposium, DiverseU, will take place Wednesday, November 5. DiverseU is a campuswide symposium focused on topics of diversity. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members discuss, present, perform and exhibit art that explores topics such as race, gender, ethnicity, ability/disability, religion, sexual orientation, class, social hierarchy and privilege. The event aims to provide a forum for honest dialogue in order to explore the complexities of human experience, promote understanding and create community among participants through the practice of civil discourse. Included are 15 free educational sessions that begin at 9:10 a.m.; a political issues debate titled “Civil Discourse in Action” in the UC Theater at noon; and a limited-space lecture titled “Do words Kill? Hate speech, Propaganda and Incitement to Genocide” will be held in the UC Theater at 7:00 p.m. The Mansfield Library is hosting the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s traveling exhibition “Fighting the Fires of Hate: America and the Nazi Book Burnings” now through December 17. All the events are free and open to the public, though the 7:00 p.m. lecture requires advance online registration here. The diversity symposium, formerly known as Day of Dialogue, was renamed in 2014. To learn more about the DiverseU, visit the website.
“Light our Bridges Missoula,” the project to light two Missoula pedestrian bridges, has started to light the Van Buren Street Foot Bridge, and is continuing with the “Light Our Way” fundraising campaign. For $25, donors can buy a “light” in honor or memory of a loved one. The Missoula City Council and the Missoula County Commissioners both approved the plan to light the Madison Street walking bridge and the Van Buren Street footbridge with tasteful non-blinking LED white lights. For more information, visit the website.
Fact & Fiction presents Sherry Jones reading and signing The Sharp Hook of Love, at 5:30 p.m. on November 7 at F&F Downtown.
Shakespeare and Co. presents local author Jesse Bier reading and signing his latest novel Ocho Rios, 6:00 p.m. on November 7.
Wall Weeks at the University of Montana runs through November 10, at the Gallagher Business Building. A commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Join UM as it looks back through film, discusses and lectures about the past 25 years since the Berlin Wall fell. A temporary wall constructed on the Oval will be torn down this Friday, November 7. Information: call 243-5001, or contact Liz.
The UM School of Music presents Jason T. Laczkoski, saxophone, and Geraldine Org, piano, November 3, at 7:30 p.m. at the UM Music Recital Hall; and Brigit Baglien, soprano, and Emily Daniels, mezzo-soprano, November 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the UM Recital Hall. Call 243-6880.
The Downtown Dance Collective presents lessons in Salsa, Tango, Swing and more this month! Visit their website for more information.
Radius Gallery is inviting artists to submit works for its first annual Holiday Show, a juried fine arts exhibit to run throughout the holiday season. The show will be advertised as a holiday shopping opportunity-a place where discerning buyers can find original, high quality yet affordable works to collect or give as gifts. Prizes will be awarded in multiple categories. Visit the website for submission guidelines.
Living Art of Montana presents a holiday bottle glass etching workshop with Odette Grassi on November 8, from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. This Creativity for Life workshop is open to anyone facing illness or loss including care providers and family members. All materials will be provided. No charge and art experience is not necessary. 10:30 am-12:30 pm. Living Art of Montana, 725 W. Alder St #17 (Warehouse Mall). For more information, call 549-5329.
The Missoula Symphony Association presents “Red, White & True.” The Symphony Orchestra celebrates the grandeur and magnetism of the American West with a program that features selections of musical Americana and closes with the Bolero. November 8 at 7:30 p.m. and November 9 at 3:00 p.m. in the Dennison Theatre. Call 721-3194 for tickets and more information.
Missoula Community Theatre presents Jekyll & Hyde The Musical, continuing November 5-9 at the MCT Center for the Performing Arts. This show contains violence and adult situations and is not suitable for children. Get your tickets at the Box Office, at 728-PLAY (7529), or or at the MCT site.
University of Montana School of Theatre & Dance presents Dance Up Close, November 4-8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Masquer Theatre, PARTV Center on the UM campus. Matinee Performance November 8 at 2:00 p.m.
The Jeannette Rankin Peace Center presents a series of International Dinners available for sale. They are offered by fabulous cooks in our community and each one becomes a memorable evening with friends new and old. Kyrgyz Dinner on Friday, November 7; Soltanto Pizza! Parte III (Just Pizza-Part III) on Saturday, January 17; Un Tour de France with jazz and joy on Saturday, January 25; Turkish Adventure on Saturday, February 21; Authentic Indian Dinner on Saturday, March 28; Saluting the Gay Men’s Choir on Saturday, May 23. Call 543-3955 for more information or to get in on some of them before they are gone.
U.S. Senator Jon Tester will be speaking about Veterans’ Issues at the next City Club Missoula Forum, Monday, November 10 at teh Doubletree Hotel from 11:15 to 12:45 p.m. Call 541-2489 or visit the website.
It’s First Friday Gallery Night once again this Friday evening from 5:00-8:00 p.m. This month’s sponsor is one of Missoula’s newest galleries, Repertoire Art & Design at 113 West Broadway.
The 20th Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition will open Wednesday, November 12 in the Gallery of Visual Arts at the University of Montana. An opening reception for the exhibit will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. that day, with juror’s remarks and award presentation at 5:30 p.m. The exhibition will be on display November 13-December 5. For more information, visit the website.
The Montana World Affairs Council presents Global Gauntlet 2014, a dinner, raffle, and Team Trivia Fundraiser, benefiting the Montana World Affairs Council’s Classroom and Community Programs. Also included is the presentation of the Montana Global Educator of the Year Award. Saturday, November 15 at the DoubleTree Hotel Ballroom beginning at 5:00 p.m. Call 728-3328.
Master silversmith and consummate teacher Haddon Hufford will share all about his ancient metalsmithing techniques at the Art Associates of Missoula monthly meeting, Wednesday, November 19, at 10:00 a.m. in the Education Center at the Missoula Art Museum, 335 N. Pattee St, Missoula. Art Associates meetings are free and open to the public. For more information please call Susie at 544-0891.
The UM School of Music presents Celebrate Piano Series III: Anderson & Roe, Wednesday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the Dennison Theatre. Reserved seating $35/$25/$15
The premiere piano duo of their generation, Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe have excited audiences around the globe, and will play their Missoula debut immediately following their European Tour Preview their stunning performances on youtube.com. For tickets, visit go to griztix, call 243-4581, or stop by the UM Arts Box Office.
The International Choral Festival and the UM School of Music will present their annual benefit performance of George Frederic Handel’s “Messiah” on Sunday, November 30 at 7:30 p.m. in the Dennison Theatre on the UM campus. This free concert is a beloved community sing-a-long with a volunteer chorus, which has delighted local singers and audiences annually since 1995. The chorus will be conducted by Dr. David Edmonds, Director of Choral Activities at the University of Montana, and accompanied by an orchestra of professional area musicians. And, honorable Mayor John Engen will be there too to welcome everyone and to mark the official kick-off of the holiday season in Missoula with this concert.
Join the Chorus by signing-up online at either website. The concert is free to the public, but as a fundraiser, singers are required to raise or donate a minimum of $75 to join the chorus ($40 for students), and are encouraged to obtain sponsorships from friends and family that exceed these minimums. Exciting prizes such as overnights with deluxe lodging, float trips, gift certificates, etc. will be awarded to those singers who bring in the highest level of sponsorships. Proceeds will equally support Missoula’s 10th International Choral Festival scheduled for July 13-17, 2016, and the UM School of Music students traveling to Vienna.
The International Wildlife Film Festival is now accepting submissions for the 2015 festival, happening in Missoula, Montana April 18-25 at the historic Roxy Theater. Now in its 38th year, the week-long event will feature new and exciting films, special guests, workshops, seminars, field trips, technology sessions, product demos, parties and dynamic networking events. With 6,000 annual attendees, IWFF engages Missoula’s progressive community with dozens of screenings and events like the WildWalk Parade. A filmmakers’ festival, IWFF focuses on films and filmmakers, and celebrates emerging artists and the future of wildlife & environmental media. Our expanded programming welcomes all films about the natural world, from environmental and conservation films, to issue driven explorations of earth and its inhabitants.
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.