Opening Reception: Friday, September 11, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Curator Talk: Wednesday, October 21, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
JM Cooper considers himself “fortunate to have been born and raised in Helena, Montana.”
He is a Black and White documentary photographer with over 40 years of experience. He started trying to document the Montana of his youth that was quickly vanishing– outdoor movie theaters, small-town rodeos, brandings, sheep shearings, and other aspects of Western life.
Cooper was first introduced to B&W photography in 1971 at the University of Montana in Missoula, in a night class taught by the infamous character Lee Nye. When Lee walked into class wearing aviator sunglasses, Cooper knew he wanted to be a photographer. It truly became his passion the first time he witnessed a print being developed in Lee’s dark room.
Cooper shot the photos in this exhibit over three years: 1995, 2000, and 2007, when he documented the Adel Ranch annual spring sheep shearing. Adel Ranch is owned and operated by the Sieben Live Stock Company near Cascade, MT, where five generations of Sieben and Hibbard families have kept the cattle and sheep business operating since 1864.
The images were captured in available light using analog Black-and-white film, which Cooper then custom hand-processed. He shot thirty rolls of film, or approximately one thousand images. He then digitized the negatives at a high resolution, edited them, and printed them on archival ink-jet paper.
Cooper thanks the Sieben family for allowing him to complete this documentation. The project also benefited from the time and generosity of Charlene Porsild, Executive Director of The Foundation for Montana History, who supported the project with funds for printing and framing the artwork, and the Missoula Art Museum.
All works in the exhibition are Untitled, circa 1995-2007, digital images scanned from 35mm negatives and printed on Hahnemühle paper
This exhibition is sponsored by the Montana Art Gallery Directors Association; The Foundation for Montana History; Montana Arts Council, a state agency funded by the State of Montana; the National Endowment for the Arts; and additional support from coal tax placed into Montana’s Cultural and Aesthetic Projects Trust Fund.
