MISSOULA, MO.- Missoula Art Museum invites Indigenous and descendant artists to participate in a juried exhibition focused on bringing awareness to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relative crisis in Montana. The exhibition welcomes a variety of Indigenous voices, including artists residing in communities across the state with any Tribal affiliations. It is only open to artists who are Indigenous or who identify as descendants but does not require proof of enrollment status or blood quantum. MAM asks the public to please share this call for art widely. The submission deadline is Jan. 5, 2024 (11:59pm Mountain Time); artists will be notified of jury results Feb. 29, 2024.
Rachel Allen (Nimiipuu/Nez Perce) serves as juror of this exhibition in her role as MAM’s first Indigenous guest curator. Allen grew up in Great Falls and is exhibition special project manager and co-curator of the upcoming Joe Feddersen retrospective at the Northwest Museum of Art and Culture in Spokane, WA. This position is part of MAM’s initiative to expand the curatorial voice to include broader Indigenous representation and to create new opportunities for Indigenous museum professionals and leadership in the arts.
To participate, artists can apply through MAM’s Submittable account, linked on the museum website. There is no cost to apply. If the Submittable process is not accessible, artists can contact MAM Senior Curator Brandon Reintjes for alternative instructions. Participating artists receive honoraria, support shipping artworks, and a Friend Circle Membership.
Participants and their loved ones will be invited to an artist/family preview on Apr. 22, 2024. The exhibition will open to the public with a First Friday reception on Friday, May 3, 5-8 PM, and will run through Sept. 7, 2024.
The Missoula Art Museum: Founded in 1975 and accredited by the American Alliance of Museums since 1987, MAM is emerging as the leading contemporary art museum in the Intermountain West. MAM is a fully accessible, free public museum boasting eight exhibition spaces, a library, and an education center in the heart of Missoula’s historic downtown. MAM is situated on the traditional, ancestral territories of the Séliš (Salish or “Flathead”) and Ql̓ispé (upper Kalispel or Pend d ’Oreille) peoples in Missoula, Montana, USA. MAM is committed to respecting the indigenous stewards of the land it occupies. Their rich cultures are fundamental to artistic life in Montana and to the work of MAM.
