Henry Freedman: Imagining New Worlds
August 8 - September 21, 2013 | Paxson Gallery

This exhibition presents innovative collages and assemblages by Missoula artist Henry Freedman. Freedman’s art, like that of assemblage pioneers Joseph Cornell and Kurt Schwitters, combines “the formal austerity of Constructivism with the lively fantasy of Surrealism.” Freedman is professor emeritus of art history from Keene State College in New Hampshire. His art work references a vast knowledge of art history, passion as a collector and love of travel. Freedman takes advantage of the spontaneity of collage as an art form, relying on the Surrealist technique of irrational juxtaposition. Collage is sometimes referred to as the poetry of the commonplace, but Freedman’s art incorporates toys, letters, photographs, fine art prints, books and other objects

Four Collections
August 8 - September 21, 2013 | Meloy Gallery

This exhibition features the breadth and strength of local collections from in and around Missoula. Collecting is defined as “a group of objects or an amount of material accumulated in one location, especially for some purpose or as a result of some process.” Designed to complement Henry Freedman’s collages and assemblages, this exhibition highlights outstanding local collections and focuses on issues related to assembling objects together in a collection.

A Hundred Years Later: Julius Seyler Among the Blackfeet
May 2 - August 3, 2013 | Meloy Gallery

A Hundred Years Later: Julius Seyler Among the Blackfeet commemorates German painter Julius Seyler's (1873-1955) centennial visit to Glacier National Park at the invitation of Great Northern Railway President, Louis W. Hill.  Seyler, a celebrated German Expressionist painter, trained at the Munich Academy.  He spent two summers in Glacier creating a body of work that endures as a record of Blackfeet culture.  Though he never revisited Montana, Seyler continued to make paintings based on his experiences in Glacier.  In 2010, UM Professor Emeritus William E. Farr wrote the first-ever monograph on Seyler which chronicled his life and career. Julius Seyler and the Blackfeet, An Impressionist at Glacier National Park is available for sale at MMAC.

Richard S. Buswell: Close To Home
May 2 - August 3, 2013 | Paxson Gallery

Richard S. Buswell, M.D., a fourth generation Montanan, has been photographing western settlement sites, ghost towns and frontier homesteads for over forty-one years.  In this new body of work, Buswell moves closer to his subject matter.  His close-up photographs are rendered abstractly.  He uses silver selenide gelatin prints, among the most stable material for long term photographic preservation, to capture fleeting instances, or as he states, "the inspired moment", that may vanish soon after the shutter clicks.  The University of New Mexico Press published Buswell's most recent book which reproduces all 59 images in the exhibition and is available for sale at MMAC.

Nancy Erickson: Kindred Spirits
January 24- April 20, 2013  | Meloy Gallery

Nancy Erickson’s artwork speaks to the dignity and integrity of individual wild creatures, whom she views as our equals.  A nationally recognized fiber artist, she is the 2013 Odyssey of the Stars featured artist.  Erickson was born in the Midwest and raised on a cattle ranch in Livingston, MT.  She holds a BA in Zoology and an MS in Nutrition from the University of Iowa and an MA and MFA from The University of Montana. Since the 1960s, she has created remarkable fabric constructions, quilts, paintings and drawings. Her work resides in numerous public and private collections and has been featured in over 500 exhibitions nationally, most recently in a fiber work invitational in Raleigh, NC and the Museum of Art & Design in NY.  Nancy Erickson: Kindred Spirits honors her achievements and features her pioneering large-scale, free-form textile compositions which combine paint and stitched fabric.  This exhibition highlights work inspired by the magnificent cave art found at Chauvet Pont d’Arc and Lascaux that is seldom seen or never before exhibited. Nancy Erickson: Kindred Spirits is presented in conjunction with a series of textile-related exhibitions across the UM campus.

Follow That Thread: Fashion and Textiles from the MMAC Permanent Collection
January 24- April 20, 2013 | Paxson Gallery

A selection from the MMAC Textile Collection, which numbers more than 1,800 objects, the exhibition includes 100 years of fashion spanning 1860 - 1960 from the vintage clothing collection accompained by an array of accessories.  

Labor & Leisure: Impressionist and Realist Masterpieces from a Private Collection 
September 6, 2012 - January 5, 2013 | Meloy Gallery

This selection of masterpieces from a Private Collection features scenes of labor and leisure by important 19th and early 20th century artists including: Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renior, William Adolphe Bouguereau, John William Waterhouse, Jules Breton, Pierre Eugene Montezin, Leon August Lhermitte, Stanhope Alexander Forbes, Eugene Boudin, Edouard Bisson, John William Godward and Sir Alfred James Munnings.  The 19th century marked a time of major social, cultural and economic change.  The Industrial Revolution dramatically transformed human existence.  Technology advanced, rural populations declined and urban centers flourished.  The exhibition brings together select Impressionist and Realist masterpieces that document these radical changes.  Numerous 19th century artist were drawn to subjects such as nostalgic scenes of rural life and pastoral themes.  In contrast, many Impressionist artists depicted images of leisure, including boating scences, promenades, picnics and grand-fetes.

Impressionism: Masterpieces on Paper 
September 6, 2012 - January 5, 2013 | Paxson Gallery

This exhibition combines selections from the MMAC Permanent Collection and private loans to highlight seldom seen etchings and lithographs from important Impressionists.  Although Impressionism originated in France, this exhibition includes artists from England and Sweden as examples of how Impressionism revolutionized art history.  Artists include: Pierre-August Renoir, Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas, Jean Louis Forain, Honore Daumier, Gustave Leheutre, Jean-Baptiste Armand Guillaumin, Jean-Francois Millet, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Augustus Edwin John and Anders Zorn.