Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art Hosts Montana Conversations: “Montana’s Poet Laureate” with Chris La Tray

Chris La Tray Photo courtesy of Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art (The Square) Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art (The Square) hosts Montana Conversation “Montana’s Poet Laureate” with Chris La Tray on Thursday, January 9th, 2025. The program is at The Square (1400 1st Ave North, Great Falls) at 5:30pm. The presentation is free and open to the public. Funding for the Montana Conversations program is provided by Humanities Montana through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Montana’s Cultural Trust, and private donations. We are funded in part by coal severance taxes paid based upon coal mined in Montana and deposited in Montana’s cultural and aesthetic projects trust fund. Métis storyteller and Little Shell Chippewa member Chris La Tray approaches the practice of poetry the same as he does the spiritual life of an Anishinaabe person: which is to say, if one lives an Anishinaabe life, with particular attention to the seven guiding principles of the Seven Grandfather teachings – Humility, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom, Truth, Respect, and Love – then every footstep becomes a prayer. Similarly, if one approaches poetry in a similar fashion, recognizing that everything that happens may be viewed as a poem, and that every moment in life is an experience best paid constant and careful attention to, then every footstep becomes a poem. Whether as words on a page or shared orally, poetry becomes another means for telling and sharing stories; La Tray's programs exist to remind people that their stories matter, that they are the only ones who can properly tell them, and that poetry, however it is defined, is a beautiful means for doing so. La Tray is a Métis storyteller and an enrolled member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. He is the author of One-Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays from the World at Large. His next book, Becoming Little Shell will be published by Milkweed Editions in 2024. For more information, please contact Nicole Maria Evans, Interim Executive Director/Curator of Exhibitions & Collections at Nicole@the-square.org or call 406-727-8255. Living the Dream Lecture Series The Square presents a series of guest lectures and programs, organized by Nicole Maria Evans, Curator of Exhibitions and Collections, that correspond to the national ethos of "The American Dream". The discussions offer varied and expanded insights or critiques that relate in some way to what it means to be American/Montanan and experience that dream today. This series is presented in context with the exhibition Willem Volkersz: The View from Here. Living the Dream programs are meant to add deeper insight into Willem Volkersz’s art and storytelling, asking you to consider the following: What is the American Dream? Who Gets to Live it? What does it look like? How does it feel? Ambrin Masood, PhD: “Do We Know Our Fellow Americans?” (Sponsored by Humanities Montana, Montana Conversations Program): Friday, November 22nd, 5:30pm Chris La Tray - Montana’s Poet Laureate: Metis Storyteller (Sponsored by Humanities Montana, Montana Conversations Program): Thursday, January 9th, 5:30pm Bridget Kevane, PhD: “Latino History in Montana” (Sponsored by Humanities Montana, Montana Conversations Program): Thursday, January 23rd, 5:30pm Additional program dates & potential film screenings will be announced soon. About Willem Volkersz: The View from Here, A 25-Year Retrospective: Montana-based artist Willem Volkersz (b. 1939) is a significant contemporary artist known for his neon and paint-by-number-style installations. He was a pioneer in the use of neon in art and developed early and sustaining loves for photography, travel, American roadside culture, Americana, and Folk and Visionary Art. Volkersz came to the United States from Holland in 1953, after the devastation of World War II, and brought with him a rich history that is reflected in his works of art. Volkersz has often said that he has an immigrant’s fascination with America, and as a teenager, he began hitchhiking and driving throughout the American West, camera in hand. He has lived in Montana since 1986, and his first museum exhibition in Montana took place here at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art in 1988. The artworks he produced over the past 25 years draw upon the artist’s eight decades of life experience. They touch upon his early life in Holland under Nazi occupation, his immigration to America, and his current life in the Western United States. The artworks also suggest the ways these personal experiences and passions connect to wider social issues of enduring relevance for everyone. This exhibition is organized by the Missoula Art Museum (MAM). This exhibition travels throughout the Northwest through 2024 to the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings, SD; Boise Art Museum, ID; Missoula Art Museum, MT; Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University in Salem, OR; the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings, MT; and Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art in Great Falls, MT. About Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art (The Square) is north-central Montana’s only contemporary art museum. Founded in 1977 and located in Great Falls, Montana, the museum resides in and stewards the original 1896 building of the historic Central High School. The Square is known for exhibitions that feature intriguing outsider and contemporary living artists in conjunction with exciting exhibition programs and studio art classes to the community. General Information Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art is located at 1400 1st Avenue North, Great Falls, Montana. Admission is FREE to the public, donations are greatly appreciated. Visitor hours: Tuesday 10am to 9pm, Wednesday through Friday 10am to 5pm, and Saturday from 10pm to 3pm, Sunday and Monday closed. Closed on select holidays. Visit www.the-square.org or call 406.727.8255 for further information.