First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park will hold its annual art show and reception on March 16th as part of Great Falls Western Art Week. The park will also hold the final rock art interpretive hike of the season that day.
The guided rock art hike will start at 10 a.m. and participants will join a park ranger on a moderate to strenuous off-trail hike along the cliffs in the park. They will learn about the two distinctive methods for producing rock art and the differences between pictographs and petroglyphs. The hike will also cover how symbols are used in interpreting a people or an era. Please note that space is limited to 20 individuals for this hike and reservations are required. There is a $4 fee, so please call park ranger Andy Keller at 406-866-2217 or email Andy.Keller@mt.gov to make your reservation. The rock art hikes are expected to resume later in the fall of 2024.
The art show will take place from noon until 3:30 p.m. on March 16th and will feature original works by the Kuka Family, including the late Kingsley “King” Kuka, a local Blackfeet artist and poet known for his paintings and lithographs which he called “Kuka-graphs.” He inspired an entire generation of American Indian artists with his internationally recognized work and the Vatican holds one of his paintings in their collection.
Visitors can purchase pieces at the show and participate in a raffle held by the Kuka family. In addition, they can enjoy refreshments, view park exhibits in the visitor center, browse the gift shop, and hike the trails.
First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park is located 3.5 miles north of Ulm, off Interstate 15 at exit 270. For directions or more information about the park, please visit stateparks.mt.gov/first-peoples-buffalo-jump/.
