Menu
Opening Reception:
The badlands are nature’s sculpture garden, an environment born from erosion creating intense shadows and contrast, of interweaving land formations and marked by the passage of elements and time. This exhibit explores this otherworldly landscape in abstraction.
Montana is famous for its mountains and fishing streams, but much of the eastern third of the state is badlands, sandstone hills sculpted for millennia by wind and water. Next to the town of Glendive is Makoshika State Park, home to some of the most fascinating and bizarre rock formations in the state. The name Makoshika (Ma-ko’-shi-ka) is a variant spelling of a Lakota phrase meaning ‘bad land’ or ‘bad earth’.
Drawing on the influences of artists like Georgia O’Keefe and Evelyn Cameron, Beckman captures the energy of the landscape, honing in on specific features to highlight quiet contemplative works out of a rugged environment.
Born in Eastern Montana, Dale Beckman continued to earn a B.A. at Rocky Mountain College in Billings and conducted post-graduate work at the University of Montana. Following graduation, Beckman moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, exhibiting in regional and online galleries. After eleven years in Santa Fe, Dale moved to Abiquiu, New Mexico, and spent the next eight years painting the desert badlands. He now continues his art practice in Helena, Montana.
Museum Hours:
Tues – Sat: 10 am – 5:30 pm
Sunday: 12 pm – 4pm
