Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art to Host Lecture with Jennifer Woodcock-Medicine Horse

Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art (The Square) invites the public to a free art historical lecture given by Jennifer Woodcock-Medicine Horse, PhD. on Friday, November 17th at 5:30pm. Jennifer Woodcock-Medicine Horse will explore the history and social purposes of painted Blackfeet tipis and the transition to contemporary murals examined through Louis Still Smoking and John Isaiah Pepion’s body of work. This lecture is part of a series of free programs offered by the museum as part of its new mural exhibition, WITHIN: Louis Still Smoking & John Isaiah Pepion, which is on view through March 18, 2024. Still Smoking and Pepion worked for over two weeks to create a brand-new mural installation on the walls of The Square’s Thayer and Mungas/Volk galleries. Each section of the mural contains symbolism important to the history and culture of the Blackfeet community. Both artists also created new original paintings and sculpture for the exhibition. Jennifer Woodcock-Medicine Horse, PhD, is Program Director for IndigenEyes: Contemporary Native American Art of the Rocky Mountains and Plains. Dr. Woodcock-Medicine Horse holds a PhD in American Studies, an MA in Native American Studies from Montana State University-Bozeman, and a BA in Anthropology/Archaeology from UC Berkeley. WITHIN: Louis Still Smoking & John Isaiah Pepion is presented for the first time by Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art. Louis Still Smoking and John Isaiah Pepion were invited by the museum to create a large-scale installation. Together the artists collaborated and worked in conversation with Nicole Maria Evans, Curator of Exhibitions and Collections at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art to bring the project to fruition. WITHIN is supported in part by the Montana Arts Council, a state agency funded by the State of Montana, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding is provided by museum members and the citizens of Cascade County, Davidson Family Foundation, D.A. Davidson, Horizon Credit Union, an anonymous donor, and Kelly’s Signs & Design. Special funding for the making of the art in this exhibition is also generously provided by: Nina Weber, Melissa Smith and David Saslav, Anonymous Donor, Evie Ugrin, The Gibson Hotel Great Falls Ascend Hotel Collection, Hotel Arvon, and Cathie Williamson and Mark Tronson. Learn more about this exhibition on The Square’s website at www.the-square.org/within. Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art is located at 1400 1st Avenue North, Great Falls, Montana. Visitor hours: Tuesday 10am to 9pm, Wednesday - Friday 10am to 5pm, and Saturday from 10am to 3pm. Closed on select holidays. Admission is FREE for the public. Visit www.the-square.org, or call 406.727.8255 for further information.