Upcoming Exhibitions

Portraits by Winold Reiss

March 2008 through June 2008

As a young boy growing up in Germany, Winold Reiss was influenced by two important factors: the romantic descriptions of the American West embodied in the stories of Karl May and James Fennimore Cooper, and the artistry of his own father, Fritz Reiss, an accomplished landscape painter. These early experiences eventually led to the portraits on display in Gallery 8. The portraits are evidence of a lifetime's work celebrating the history and wisdom of humanity through the faces of real people from different races, cultures, and places. As Paul Raczka said, "It's that touch of the soul that first strikes you when you see one of Winold Reiss's portraits. More than looking at just a painting, you have an awkward feeling of staring at another human being and struggle not to shift your eyes away in embarrassment. That soul, that power, that character, has captured many of us." 

Okan: Blackfeet Sundance Paintings by Gary Schildt

March 2008 through December 2008

The annual Medicine Lodge ceremony, or Okan, is known to most as the Sundance. The Blackfeet, of Browning, Montana, celebrate this important ceremony in July of each year. It is a process of renewal and reaffirmation, and has been for centuries. It is a day of thanksgiving for the creator of the world and to the myriad of spirits that inhabit it. And, it teaches the people their own history, traditions, and place on the earth.  

Gary Schildt, a noted western artist who happens to be Blackfeet, has put together a series of 42 paintings depicting the most meaningful aspects of the Sundance ceremony. The paintings show the ceremony and the life of the Blackfeet as it used to be, but also how it still is today. Schildt has long wanted to do a series of paintings on the Blackfeet, to give something back to the people. But this remarkable series of paintings is not only a gift to his people, it is a gift to all of us, as well as a confirmation of his roots.   

The Bison: American Icon, Heart of Plains Indian Culture

Fall 2008

http://bison.cmrussell.org

The bison are scheduled to roam once again at the C.M. Russell Museum, and this time they are sticking around! The Bison: American Icon, Heart of Plains Indian Culture is a new permanent installation scheduled to open in late 2008 at the Russell Museum.

Did you know that nearly 75% of the Museum’s entire collection of paintings, sculpture and works on paper depict bison and American Indians? Specifically, the Museum’s permanent collection features over 700 examples of American Indian art that has mostly remained in storage and never been exhibited. These objects have come into the Museum’s collection as gifts from patrons and collectors since the Museum opened in 1953. Some were given to Charlie Russell as gifts, and others were collected by the artist himself (Russell often used these objects as props which appear in many of his paintings).

This upcoming exhibition will examine the culture of the Northern Plains through the interactions of people with bison from 1750 to present. It will also allow the Museum to interpret and display its substantial collection of Plains Indian cultural artifacts for the very first time. The Bison will be installed in four galleries, including one brand new gallery space, located on the Museum’s lower level.