Dear Holter Family and Friends,
The autumnal season is well upon us and we have been blessed with bluebird skies and the golden colors and sparkling light from the trees’ last hurrahs! October is our “getting ready for the real work of the museum year” season. We head into our Annual Appeal campaign by the end of the month, and of course, it’s when we will be asking our community to once again renew your membership or give a donation to get the museum set in our operating fund for the remainder of the year.
This Annual Appeal season, we have the pleasure and honor of launching with a special performance, Painting with Music — in concert (Ha! see what I did there?) — with our friends at the Helena Symphony and guest performer Tiana Grisé. Join us October 20th at 6:30 for a night of classical music set against the backdrop of an exciting exhibition of paintings and objects by Frank Hyder (by way of NY, Miami, and Philadelphia). See details and ticket information inside of this newsletter. I hope to see you all there to spark the giving that helps us meet our annual goal of $90,000!
Our Raise the Roof Campaign is going well, and we sit on bated breath to hear whether we will be awarded a Community Development Block Grant from the Department of Commerce to help us meet our goal. One part of the project will be accomplished next week when we replace the last of our defunct HVAC systems on our roof, which will make our gift shop and administrative offices much more comfortable for years to come. We will also be removing years of abandoned units and debris off the roof so that we can continue to progress toward actually replacing the membrane and repairing the parapets. Every time I work on a project like this I am reminded that time really only moves at two speeds: lighting speed or glacial speed (which used to be a lot slower…). Or as my military parents liked to say “Hurry up and wait!” Patience is not always easy for me.
As always, we have some very interesting exhibits up right now, all of which are underwritten by the Andy Warhol Foundation of the Visual Arts and Montana Arts Council. Each gallery speaks to the next — from the Atrium all the way to the Baucus. You will see how many different artists are responding to the land, their environments, the beings that we share with this land with, and an overall feeling of care and compassion that we must hold within ourselves and for our fellow human beings as we grapple with the changes we see in our region. Don’t be too daunted by the subject matter, though; you can also come to just experience beauty and color and light and texture. Indeed, the museum is a place for thinkers AND feelers, observers AND creators.
Have a wonderful October. I can’t thank all of you enough for your care and love and support of the work we do here at the Holter. We are so blessed to live in such a generous community.
Christina
