Current Exhibitions

Masters in Miniature Art Show and Sale

June 2008 through September 2008

This year's Masters in Miniature Art Show and Sale features 184 small paintings, drawings, and sculpture by over 104 local, regional, and national artists. These works will be on exhibit throughout the summer to allow our visitors a chance to enjoy contemporary Western art. Interested buyers will have the opportunity to purchase these artworks during the cocktail/buffet reception on the evening of September 6. The funds that are raised from the Masters in Miniature sale support collections, exhibitions, educational programs, and operations at the Museum. For those who cannot attend the sale in person, absentee and phone sales may be arranged. In addition, we are offering a "Buy It Now" option throughout the exhibition. Any time before the sale, buyers are able to purchase their desired piece at a special "But It Now" price. See the full web gallery of art included in this year's exhibition.

From Study to Studio: The Art of the Montana Painter's Alliance

May 2008 through August 2008
From Study to Studio is a fascinating collection of original landscape paintings by 23 professional Montana artists belonging to the prestigious Montana Painter’s Alliance. This show and sale features field studies painted on site, as well as paintings developed from those field studies later in the studio.

These artists have gathered for “paint outs” in some of the most magnificent areas of Charlie Russell’s country. The paint outs, each involving three or four days of intensive plein air painting in typical Montana weather, have been in preparation for this show. Each artist’s different style and perspective, as well as a variety of painting mediums portraying some of the most beautiful areas of Montana, make this an intriguing show. Also included in the show will be photos of the artists at work, documenting the challenges of plein air painting.

The Montana Painter’s Alliance is a group of artists from all over Montana who are dedicated to establishing, preserving, and promoting excellence in the works of representational Montana outdoor paintings. For information about Montana Painter’s Alliance and its individual members, please visit www.mtpaintersalliance.com. For more information about the show, please contact the Russell Museum at 406-727-8787.

The Art of C.M. Russell

Enjoy six galleries of works done by Charles M. Russell. Displayed in chronological order, you can see the evolution of Charlie as an artist. Gallery 2 proudly displays artifacts from the life of Charlie Russell, as well as an interactive computer station. Be sure to check out the ever-popular illustrated letters, now on display! Guided tours are available upon advanced request. Please call the Museum at (406) 727-8787 for more information.

Okan: Blackfeet Sundance Paintings by Gary Schildt

March 2008 through December 2008

The annual Medicine Lodge ceremony, or Okan, is known to most as the Sundance. The Blackfeet, of Browning, Montana, celebrate this important ceremony in July of each year. It is a process of renewal and reaffirmation, and has been for centuries. It is a day of thanksgiving for the creator of the world and to the myriad of spirits that inhabit it. And, it teaches the people their own history, traditions, and place on the earth.

Gary Schildt, a noted western artist who happens to be Blackfeet, has put together a series of 42 paintings depicting the most meaningful aspects of the Sundance ceremony. The paintings show the ceremony and the life of the Blackfeet as it used to be, but also how it still is today. Schildt has long wanted to do a series of paintings on the Blackfeet, to give something back to the people. But this remarkable series of paintings is not only a gift to his people, it is a gift to all of us, as well as a confirmation of his roots.