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Our story thus far...
Five Years ago we opened Montana Gallery in Red Lodge. The small mountain town served us well for three years. Two years ago I chose to move closer to my friend group and relocated the gallery to Billings.
Below are the memories and aspects of the gallery I’m most proud of.
BBQs...
In hindsight, I think the first two years of Montana Gallery were built on BBQs. We we’re fortunate to find ourselves as a hub for a handful of Red Lodge residents. And several of these “Cool Kids” (that’s what we called the BBQ club) kept us in business with regular patronage. Nearly every weekend during the summer we threw on brats and burgers and called up the friends. They’d arrive with a potato salad or a bottle of wine in one hand and leave with a painting in the other. Often tourists from out of state or around the globe wandered in during one of our epic cool kid parties, and we’d hand them a marshmallow and stick and learn a little about them.
Painting Trips...
Being an artist can be a lonely job. Luckily we found that gathering our lineup of artists for a week every couple months proved to be not only beneficial to our souls but also provided compelling stories -- the kind that help sell paintings. Collectors saw and purchased from this group of talented young artists (known as the Young Guns) traveling across Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and...Italy, enjoying friendship and creating paintings along the way. I’m so thankful for the friend group we’ve created. Together we’ve enjoyed innumerable good times and have worked through harder times. This summer we’ll paint in Yellowstone, and we’ll have the paintings we create featured in our August Exhibition.
Story Nights...
Of the various events Montana Gallery has been a part of...I’m most proud of Story Night. Every month or two we gather and provide a space for anyone and everyone to come share a story to a room full of people. I’ve heard stories from individuals I would have sadly, most likely not given the time of day to. I believe to my toes that this practice of sensitizing ourselves to the story of the “other” is so important, and is our most effective tool if we are to work through the great existential challenges we all face.
Concerts...
Our gallery space transforms nicely into a wonderful, intimate concert venue. Many times I’ve been transported to another place entirely while listening to Parker Brown, Grant Jones, Ryan Kabeary, Ben Cosgrove, impromptu jazz nights, Maracuja, John Roberts and more...If you’re in town for our June 14th anniversary party, please come treat yourself to Parker Brown’s beautiful songs.
In conclusion, thank you! It gives me great pleasure to be reminded of all the people that have purchased art from us, thereby making all the above possible.
In these days we can easily fill our lives with the impersonal and the mass produced, but we strive to offer another way -- telling our stories, singing our song of creating the handmade, the heartfelt, the one of a kind.
Best,
Tyler Murphy
