Jessie Wilber, Abidjan Market, 1966 Serigraph

Printmaker Jessie Wilber (1912-1989) and ceramics artist Frances Senska (1914-2010) helped forge the contemporary arts community in Montana. As teachers at MSU in Bozeman, they influenced generations of artists and were central to the energy and innovation of the era. Frances most noticeably mentored Rudy Autio and Peter Voulkos of the Archie Bray Foundation, whose 60th Anniversary we are celebrating this year. In 1966 they visited Cameroon, Africa, where Frances was born. The result was Jessie’s dynamic serigraph series Impressions of Africa, a portfolio of 15 prints that remains timeless.