Exhibitions & Events

Through its rotating exhibitions program, the MMAC regularly displays works from its Permanent Collection, curates traveling exhibitions, and showcases important regional, national, and international artists. See the Events page for programs associated with these shows. The museum hosts free tours of these exhibitions. Interested in a docent-led tour of our current show? Contact our Program Coordinator at (406)-243-2019 or email museum@umontana.edu. We're happy to schedule a tour during regular hours for any group of 5 to 10 people.

In addition to exhibitions currently on display we are working hard on our upcoming exhibitions!

Ornithological print, aquila chrysaetus,

print on paper, Lee Silliman Collection.

Ludwig Hohlwein 1936,

Olympic Skiing Poster for Tyskland Germany.

Richard S. Buswsell, "Seeds in a Corral" 2008,
duotone photograph, courtesy of the artist

Current Exhibitions

Avis marvelous: Ornithology in 19th CE. Art and Science

The Montana Museum of Art and Culture will open two new exhibitions with avian themes. The first, “Avis marvelous: Ornithology in 19^th Century Art and Science” opens on Friday, September 24, and runs through January 8, 2022 in the Paxson Gallery of UM’s Performing Arts and Radio/TV Center.

This exhibition about one of the most popular and fertile areas of study in the 19th century, will explore the convergent interests of artists and scientists. It combines prints from the Lee Silliman Collection and specimens from the University of Montana’s Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum.

“This exhibition presents the ways artists and scientists analyzed, documented, and celebrated avian life in the 19th century and explores the various strategies employed by artists and scholars of the natural sciences to create visual representations for works of art, publications and other printed works. It also recreates museum displays meant to educate and enlighten the public about bird life in the Americas,” said H. Rafael Chacón, the museum director.

Recent Exhibitions

Movement: Graphics and the Olympic Games

Since their creation in 1896, the modern Olympic games have become an important cultural phenomenon in our world. The games are an attempt to revive the ancient values of athleticism, sportsmanship and peaceful competition within a united global community. The graphic arts, primarily in the form of colorful posters, have been a prominent way of broadcasting those values and promoting the individual games hosted by nation states over the last 125 years. 

This exhibition brings together 35 compelling posters on loan from the collection of Paul Thomas representing the exciting history of the Olympic games and th epower of the graphic arts to articulate important social movements. In addition to revealing the evolution of graphic design, these posters also highlight the importance of global events and the development of mass culture across the 20th and 21st centuries. 

The MMAC wishes to thank Paul Thomas for the loan of these works. We also greatly appreciate the efforts of Curatorial Intern Ashley Rickman and UM Student Gallery Attendants Kain Brauneis, Hannah Davis and Ronin Hoffman for assisting in the installation of the exhibition. Additionally, we thank Humanities Montana, the Montana Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and a private donor whose generous financial contributions have made this exhibition possible.

Visit out Virtual Visits page for a Virtual Docent Tour to "Movement: Graphics and the Olympic Games" at the Montana Museum of Art and Culture. The exhibition catalog and other publications are available at MMAC and can be ordered online. 

Richard S. Buswell: Fifty Years of Photography

The Montana Museum of Art and Culture features “Richard S. Buswell: Fifty Years of Photography” from May 28 through Aug. 28 in the Paxson Gallery of UM’s Performing Arts and Radio/TV Center.

For over five decades, Richard S. Buswell has photographed Montana’s ghost towns and homesteads. This 50-year retrospective exhibition reveals the wide range and variety of his photographs. Beautifully crafted, always thought-provoking and sometimes unnerving, Buswell’s photographs of abandoned places, buildings and artifacts demonstrate his powers of observation and his affection for his home state.

“The exhibition, Buswell’s sixth solo show at MMAC, brings together 72 duotone photographs that span his long and productive artistic career,” said MMAC Director H. Rafael Chacón.

Visit out Virtual Visits page for a Virtual Docent Tour to "Movement: Graphics and the Olympic Games" at the Montana Museum of Art and Culture. The exhibition catalog and other publications are available at MMAC and can be ordered online. 

Art Under Pressure: Function and Form in Prints from the MMAC Collection