About MAGDA

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401 N. 27th
Billings, Montana 59101

Telephone: (406) 256-6804

artinfo@artmuseum.org
yellowstone.artmuseum.org

Robyn G. Peterson, Executive Director
Robert C. Manchester, Senior Curator
Linda Ewert, Education Director
Jody Olson, Development Director
Dottie Oldencamp, Finance and Administration Director
Kim Morgan, Museum Store Manager
Carol Welch, Art Instructor and Outreach Coordinator
Rene Giovando, Marketing and Public Relations Manager
PK Madsen, Membership Manager
Barbara Wood, Volunteer and Special Events Coordinator
Sara Kindsfater, Auction Coordinator
Liz Harding, Educational Program Manager
Jet Holoubek, Reception
Jennifer DuBois, Reception
Nancy Clark, Registrar
Eva Morganthaler, Museum Store Assistant
 

The Yellowstone Art Center (now the Yellowstone Art Museum) opened in October 1964 in the former Yellowstone County Jail. Operating in a region where the established museums emphasized western genre art and historic artifacts, staff and volunteer leadership defined an alternate, wide-ranging mission. The goal was to develop exhibitions and programs on contemporary and historic art within an institution that would conform in all areas of its operations to recognized standards of the museum profession.

Initially the Museum featured exhibitions rented from traveling exhibition services, with a few works by local artists. In the late 1970s, upgraded climate-control, fire alarms, and security systems were installed. Programs and staff began to expand. Paid staff grew from three to nineteen, and the budget from about $70,000 to over $900,000. In 1982, the Museum was accredited by the American Association of Museums.

Public response to the Museums exhibitions and events, the growth of its collection (now numbering over 3,000 works of historic and contemporary regional art), its engaging educational programs, and sophisticated marketing and development efforts has been strong. A concerted effort was made to collect work from outstanding regional artists ranging from the internationally celebrated John Buck, Deborah Butterfield, and Rudy Autio to lesser-known individuals. At the time the Museum began to collect, these artists were not represented as a group in any Montana museum. The popularity and growth of the Montana Collection has exceeded expectations. Gifts from the estates of three prominent artists have tripled the size of the collection, and the acquisition of the Virginia Snook Collection, the largest gathering of cowboy writer and illustrator Will Jamess work, has given the collection another popular and resonant dimension.

In 1995, the Museum received the Montana Governors Award for Service to the Arts. This recognition of the Museums statewide importance underscored the fact that the Museum had outgrown its facility. Expansion plans and a capital campaign were launched. The campaign was a major success: $6.2 million was raised primarily from and through the local community, and the Museum closed for construction. Timing for the renewal of the Museums accreditation status unfortunately coincided with the closure, with the result that accreditation lapsed at that time. In February 1998, the Yellowstone Art Museum reopened its doors after a two-year period of renovation and new construction. Its beautiful new state-of-the-art facility is designed to protect its collections and display them to the public in the most inspiring and meaningful way possible. The Yellowstone Art Museum is now recognized nationally as a premier art museum; it is in fact the only one of its kind in both Montana and Wyoming.

Growth has not stopped since reopening. Surprisingly, Museum membership increased during the period of closure, primarily due to the effectiveness of the Museums educational and outreach programs. It has continued to expand, peaking at 2,300 people. Temporary exhibitions on a wide range of themes are central to the mission. Education also continues to be a key focus; class and workshop programs are continually expanded and evaluated. Lectures featuring nationally known contemporary artists and critics, art history and art appreciation lectures, gallery talks, and special events are the main programs for the adult audience.
 

Yellowstone Art Museum