By GRACE STOPHER, Missoula Cultural Council
Missoula Colony 21
The Colony begins a new chapter in the 21st celebration of the playwright’s craft! From July 21 – 24 at the Masquer Theatre, come enjoy staged readings of five new plays by guest artists, including Chelsea Marcantel, Kevin Kicking Woman, Heather Benton, and more. Participate in a public forum examining the needs of a new generation of playwrights, as well as a keynote address from visiting writer Samuel D. Hunter, recipient of a 2014 MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship. To learn more, contact Salina at 243-6809 or visit Missoula Colony’s website.
Tuesday Night Farmers’ Market
The Missoula Farmers Market, a gathering of food and friends since 1972. Tuesdays 5:30 -7 PM, July 5 through September 27, 2016. Market opens with fresh local produce, flowers, baked goods and coffee provided by over 100 vendors. Located in Circle Square (at the north end of Higgins Avenue – by the XXX’s) the market will feature early spring vegetables, bedding plants and a wonderful social atmosphere. Don’t miss the Saturday Farmers’ Markets from 8 AM – 12:30 PM through October 29.
Mountain Dance Fest
The Mountain Dance Festival is in its first year offering professional-level contemporary dance training in the Northwestern United States. This year we are offering training experiences in contemporary technique, dance for camera, contact improvisation, composition, and performance. The festival will take place on the University of Montana campus the week of July 18-23. View the festival schedule & register!
The Wiz of the West
It’s The Wizard of Oz, but with a twist and a western drawl, when the Missoula Children’s Theatre presents The Wiz of the West July 23rd and 24th at 3 and 5 PM at the MCT Center for the Performing Arts. Follow Tinhorn, Lionel, Scared Crow, Dotty, and of course, her little dog Mooch through a saga of Western adventure! Sponsored by Missoula Federal Credit Union, Missoula Pediatric Dentistry, Langel & Associates, and Neptune Aviation. Tickets at MCTinc.org
7th Annual Big Sky BBQ Festival
Prepare your wet wipes & toothpicks! The 7th Big Sky BBQ is happening again in Caras Park on July 23rd. Live & local music performed by County Line and Milton Menasco & the Big Fiasco. Delicious BBQ food available from Big Mike’s BBQ, Burns St. Bistro, Covered Wagon Hotdogs, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, The Notorious PIG BBQ, Fuddruckers, Albertsons and many more. Big Sky Brewing Company on tap. Come early – the BBQ flies off the grills every year! This event is FREE ADMISSION.
This is a fundraising event for the Montana Food Bank Network. All proceeds will go to hunger fighting programs statewide including the BackPack Program, Mail-A-Meal, Grocery Rescue, Mobile Food, food acquisition & distribution and education and advocacy.
Fact & Fiction Downtown: Readings & Signings
Monday, July 18: Steven Faulkner, Bitterroot: Echoes of Beauty and Loss, 7 PM
Tuesday, July 19: Joe Wilkins, When We Were Birds, 7 PM
Thursday, July 21: Terry Tempest Williams, The Hour of Land, 7 PM
* This is a special event that will take place in the University Center Ballroom
Saturday, July 23: Bob Brown, Captain Charles Rawn and the Frontier Infantry in Montana, 10:30 AM
Shakespeare & Co: Readings & Signings
Monday, July 18: Shobha Rao reads from her new historical fiction novel, An Unrestored Woman, 7 PM.
Wednesday, July 20: Kathleen Snow reads from her popular nonfiction book Taken By Bear in Yellowstone and introduces her new mystery novel, Searching for Bear Eyes, 7 PM
Daly Days in Hamilton
Drive down the Bitterroot for Daly Days on July 22 & 23 from 9 AM – 4 PM. Arts, crafts, and food vendors with featured events throughout downtown Hamilton including a car show, weiner dog races, stage entertainment, kids activities, and more!
The Daly Days Street Dance is back and this year it’s FREE! Put your dancing shoes on and get down with Who Dat!
Call 360-9124 or visit Hamilton Downtown Association for more information.
Hardtimes Bluegrass Festival
This Hamilton festival has a “old timey mountain feel” and features traditional bluegrass music. The Hardtimes Bluegrass Festival, July 22-24, is an affordable, family friendly gathering in a beautiful setting, that is geared towards having good clean fun while celebrating the sounds of traditional bluegrass music. Visit the websitefor info about band schedule, camping, and tickets.
Evel Knievel Days in Butte
Evel Knievel Days is an annual non-profit event put on in Evel Knievel’s hometown of Butte, July 21-23.
Come celebrate the legacy of a world-wide icon and see the dozens of spectacles, world-record stunts and purse races-featuring motorcycles, BMX, mountain bikes, skateboards, and wakeboards, as well as activities for the whole family-all of it for FREE! evelknieveldays.org
Artists in Paradise
The 3rd Annual Artists in Paradise event will take place at the old elementary school in Paradise, MT on July 21-23. Sanders County artists sell their work and create a community painting in the historic schoolhouse on the hill. Also enjoy music, children’s activities, and food.
The Paradise Elementary School Preservation Committee will be hosting a reception on Friday evening, July 22nd, to celebrate the new life of this 100+ year old building as the Paradise Center. Call 826-0500 for info or visit the Sanders County Arts Council website.
Montana Baroque Music Festival
Set in the idyllic Clark Fork River Valley, steps from the Clark Fork River, the Montana Baroque Music Festival takes place July 19-21.
There’s nothing quite like hearing the elegant, exuberant music of the baroque played on ancient instruments by acclaimed instrumentalists in this beautiful setting. Located just an hour northwest of Missoula, the festival easy to find on the grounds of Quinn’s Hot Spring Resort in Paradise, Montana. Seating is limited, so get your tickets in advance.
Flamenco Montana Workshop
Fandangos de Huelva is an intermediate workshop. Complete choreography of a traditional Fandangos de Huelva, with focus on more advanced technique and interpretation. July 22, 6:30-8:30 PM and July 23-24, 2-4 PM Find out more!
Summer Camp at the Museum
The Missoula Art Museum offers several day camps for children, including printmaking, plein air painting, costume-making, and puppet-making. Be sure to register soon as slots fill up fast. Visit MAM’s website for details about upcoming summer camps for the kiddos!
July Classes at the ZACC
Zootown Arts Community Center always offers a colorful variety of art classes and workshops to fulfill your creative cravings. This summer, sign up for watercolors, silkscreen printing, glass fusing, kids puppet theater and mosaic camps, drop-in studio time, and more. Visit ZACC’s site for info or call 549-7555.
Youth Writing Camps
Missoula Writing Collaborative is offering several July writing camps for young writers ages 8 – 14 and high school age writers. Workshops and camps include poetry, fiction, non-fiction, songwriting, and more. Please visit MWC’s website to register your kids for these amazing young writers’ camps today!
VonCommon VonDays
Local artist collective, VonCommon, and the Roxy Theater are collaborating to bring you “VonCommon VonDays!” a screening series every other Monday night that showcases documentaries, short films, and stop motions about artists and art movements by local and regional filmmakers. Check out the Roxy Theater’s schedulefor details.
Summer Star-Gazing at the Planetarium
The University of Montana Department of Physics and Astronomy invites the public to its summer planetarium shows in the Payne Family Native American Center Star Gazing Room this May through August. Tickets and showtimes are limited. Shows generally sell out far in advance and are not available the night of the show.
Purchase your tickets online here.
Missoula City Band Free Summer Concert Series at Bonner Park
Missoula City Band’s open-air concerts are on each Wednesday evening at the Bonner Park Band Shell (corner of Ronald & Hastings Streets) at 8 PM, June 22 – August 12. This community service is provided by the generous support of the City of Missoula, hundred of willing musicians and supporters, and YOU!
This Month at Radius Gallery
Radius Gallery is delighted to present new works by Michael Haykin, Dana Boussard, and Dale Livezey, three highly accomplished painters. Exhibition dates: June 17 – July 23.
Upcoming Exhibit Events:
Jul 22 – 5pm – 10 Questions with Dale Livezey
Visit Radius Gallery’s website for more info.
MMAC Summer Exhibitions & Events
The Montana Museum of Art & Culture at the University of Montana carved out time this summer and space in its galleries for engravings by Frederic Remington, as well as 51 contemporary artists from around the world.
“Dramatic Moments: Frederick Remington’s Early Engravings, 1882-1895” and “The Wood Engravers’ Network Triennial Exhibition” will be on display from Thursday, June 9, to Saturday, Sept. 17, in the Meloy and Paxson galleries in UM’s Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center. Free docent tour: August 5 at 5 PM
Free public lecture: “Remington’s Formative Years,” by art collector and educator Lee Silliman, September 8 from 7 – 8:30 PM
For gallery hours and more info, visit MMAC’s website.
Current Exhibitions at MAM
Missoula Art Museum is a contemporary art museum with free admission every day. Current exhibitions include:
NEW: Devin Leonardi: In Memoriam
July 5 – September 10
Holly Andres: The Homecoming
April 8 – August 20
Abbie Miller: Exit Strategies
April 1 – August 13
Larry Thomas: Ammophilia
March 4 – July 23
Frank Stella: Henry Garden
April 18 – August 20
Karen McAlister Shimoda: Field Notes
June 3 – October 1
MAM Studio Art Teachers’ Exhibition
June 1 – August 27
On View at ZACC This Month
ZACC welcomes the traveling show “Bitter Pill: Montana Lives Affected by Rx Abuse“, an art exhibition that aims to express the human side of prescription drug abuse and recovery. This powerful show is the product of The United States Drug Enforcement Administration, the District of Montana U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the Montana Attorney General’s Office Resolve Montana initiative.
ZACC also welcomes “Emotion in Motion” an art exhibition by Kelly Loder to the hallway gallery. Loder is a bipolar abstract artist who does not limit herself to one medium.
Visit ZACC’s website for more info.
Seeking volunteers for the Carousel’s Fairy Tale and Superhero Festival on July 30
A Carousel for Missoula needs volunteers for its annual Fairy Tale and Superhero Festival, Saturday, July 30. Volunteers will help with set-up, activities, and clean-up from 8:30 AM – 1 PM on the day of the event. They also need volunteers to help stuff 500 goodie bags in preparation for the event. Please call the Carousel at 549-8382, or sign up to volunteer online.