By TOM BENSEN
First Friday Gallery Night is August 7, this month sponsored by Repertoire Art and Design, 113 West Broadway, featuring the group exhibition Photo Op. MCC’s website will have all the most up to date First Friday information here.
The Missoula Art Museum presents continuing exhibits
Andy Warhol Collection: Museum of Art/Washington State University through August 15; Jeneese Hilton: Raven Reviewing Modern through August 22; American Abstract Artists through August 29; Montana Triennial: 2015 through September 4; Neil Chaput and Keith Graham: Montana’s One-Room Schools through September 19 (pictured here); Kathryn Schmidt: Seen In Broad Daylight through October 24.
The Montana Museum of Art & Culture presents Human Condition: The Art of Ben Steele and Hometown: Images of Missoula from the MMAC Permanent Collection in the Paxson and Meloy Galleries, now through September 12. MMAC presents From Goya to Picasso: A History of War in Art presented by artist and scholar Henry Freedman,
Thursday, July 30, 7:00 p.m. at the UM PARTV Center – Masquer Theater
The Missoula Downtown Association presents Out to Lunch on Wednesdays 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. and Downtown Tonight Thursday evenings 5:30-8:30 p.m. through the summer at Caras Park. This week features the Mudslide Charlie on Wednesday and Salsa Loca on Thursday. All events are free.
The Missoula City Band presents free concerts in Bonner Park beginning at 8:00 p.m. each Wednesday. This week’s program features Gary Herbig, and next week is the Season Finale.
The Missoula Symphony Orchestra returns to Caras Park on Sunday, August 9 at 7:00 p.m. for its 11th annual Symphony in the Park concert. Music Director Darko Butorac will lead the orchestra through a lively program of movie scores, dance numbers and light classics. Food and beverage may be purchased from on-site vendors and lawn chairs are encouraged. The event is free and fun for the whole family. For more information on Symphony in the Park and the Missoula Symphony Orchestra, please call 721-3194 or visit the website.
The Missoula International Friendship Program (MIFP) is seeking volunteer families, couples and single people to become Community Friends to a growing number of international students and scholars who will begin studies at the University of Montana this fall. This is NOT a home stay and Community Friends have no financial obligations for the students or scholars. Many international students want to get to know Americans on a more personal basis and are eager to share their culture with you. For questions please call Foreign Student & Scholar Services at 243-2226. Completed applications should be submitted by August 29.
Fact and Fiction presents Pferron Doss reading and signing Ole Freedom, 7:00 p.m. August 3; Craig Lancaster reading and signing This is What I Want, 7:00 p.m. August 5; Sally Thompson presenting and signing People Before the Park, 5:30 p.m. August 7; Philip Donlay signing Aftershock, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. August 15; David Neiwert reading and signing Of Orcas and Men, 7:00 p.m. August 19. All events are at F&F Downtown. On Tuesday, August 18, there is a Tribute to Ivan Doig, a celebration of his life and new book Last Bus to Wisdom, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. August 18 at Ten Spoon Winery, 4175 Rattlesnake Dr.
Shakespeare and Co. presents Jacob Kahn reading from his new book A Circuit of Yields: Conventional Wisdom for Giants, with guest Alicia Mountain, 6:30 p.m. on August 6; Robby Nadler reading from his new book jesse garon writes a love letter, 6:00 p.m. on August 7; Zach Dundas reading from his new book The Great Detective: The Amazing Rise and Immortal Life of Sherlock Holmes, 7:00 p.m. on August 12; Margaret Grundstein reading from her new book Naked in the Woods: My Unexpected Years in a Hippie Commune, 7:00 p.m. on August 27.
Tickets for the Missoula Community Theatre season are now on sale. Order your subscriptions online anytime, night or day at the website. Don’t miss Sweeney Todd, The Sound of Music, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), and Mary Poppins. MCT is theatre FOR the community BY the community, so plan now for your friends and family to enjoy live theatre all season.
The Fine Grain Group is a small group of photographers who are committed to the art of photography. They meet regularly to share work and critiques. Nine of the members recently opened a group show at the Catalyst, showing a total of 21 images. 111 North Higgins downtown.
Radius Gallery presents Scapes: Land, Sea, Mind, an exhibit featuring 80 artworks and 61 artists, now through August 8. This week features LeAnn Boyd, a painter and muralist who specializes in fresco. Boyd studied painting at the University of Montana, most notably with the Chinese painter Tu Baixoing. Her work will be in the through August 8.
The Missoula Outdoor Cinema is back at it for another summer at 1001 Worden Ave (Head Start) every Saturday evening at dusk. The August 8 film is Dead Man. Other films this season are Iron Man, A League of their Own, The Chronicles of Narnia, and And When We Were Young.
The Missoula Summer Dance Intensive is in its second season at the Downtown Dance Collective, and this year is offering evening classes to the larger community of movers, shakers, doers, and embodied beings. August 10-15. Classes meet 6:00-7:30 p.m. at the Downtown Dance Collective.
SPARK! – Arts Ignite Learning is currently seeking individual artists and arts organizations to apply for our 2015-2016 teaching artist directory who: work in any visual, movement, theatre, music, or literary discipline; have previous experience teaching K-8 students in a classroom setting; are passionate about arts integration; delight in collaboration. Information session is August 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the Silver (formerly the World Theatre and Event Center, 2023 South Higgins). Organizations applying must be not-for-profit in nature. SPARK! is a community wide partnership working to expand arts programming in Missoula County Public Schools. We facilitate and foster connections between district schools and local arts organizations, helping to ensure access to the arts for all MCPS students. SPARK! is a national partner in the Kennedy Center’s Any Given Child Initiative. Learn more about our approach to arts education and what it means to be a SPARK! teaching artist at this information session. For more information, call Chris at 531-1981.
This year’s Missoula Children’s Theatre Performing Arts Camp (PAC) show is Booking it on Broadway-A Novel Review. This is a musical revue of well-known material from stage and screen-all of which originated as books. MCT tries to keep a lid on the specifics, so the audience enjoys some surprises, but there are rumors that the campers will meet up with a boy who never wants to grow up, a River that is Big enough for Mark Twain’s imagination, a tortured soul living in a cathedral in Paris, and even a couple of witches who are the unlikeliest of friends. Tickets are available for Thursday August 13 (8:00 p.m.), Friday, August 14 (5:00 and 8:00 p.m.) and Saturday, August 15 (1:00 and 4:00 p.m.). All seating is reserved and tickets are $15.00/each, with all performances taking place in the air-conditioned MCT Center for the Performing Arts. Visit here for more.
The Zootown Fringe Festival 2015 is Missoula’s third annual performance arts festival. Continuing the Fringe legacy that began in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1947 (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Zootown Fringe Festival will celebrate and honor alternative theater and visual art in various venues throughout Missoula, August 17- 23. This year’s Zootown Fringe Festival will continue to focus on supporting the performing arts community along with showcasing Missoula as a venue for artists to perform and exhibit. The Zootown Fringe Festival is a performing arts Smörgåsbord of self-produced, non-juried, un-censored performances. It is an avenue for performers to showcase bold, fresh, and original live works that explore the edges of performance while providing audiences the opportunity to experience the outer-limits of performing arts. The Zootown Fringe Festival does not produce any shows, run any venue or pay any fees to artists. All applicants are accepted. Anyone can perform or exhibit. Visit the website for more information.
Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre has a fundraiser at Draught Works on August 18 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Meet Gregor Hatala from the Vienna State Opera Ballet.
The Montana Repertory Theatre presents Venus and Fur for two nights at the Downtown Dance Collective, August 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. Call 541-7240 for motre information and tickets.
Ruby Jewel Jamboree presents Jeff Scroggins and Colorado at 7:00 p.m. on August 12 at Ruby’s Inn. visit here for more.
The Loft of Missoula presents Rhanda Johnson and Easy Living August 26 at 7:00 p.m.
For more information about arts events in the Missoula area, visit our website
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Tom Bensen has lived in Missoula since 1986, and has been the executive director of the Missoula Cultural Council since June 2004. He has directed First Night Missoula each New Year’s Eve since 1997. He is a member of Missoula’s choral ensemble Dolce Canto, and enjoys being outdoors, whether it is hiking, biking, skiing, walking the dogs, or mowing the lawn. His wife Susan works for Montana Public Radio, and their son Peter attends Hellgate High School.