Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art Travels Art Exhibition to Chicago National Veterans Art Museum

By Sara Johnson: February 6, 2024 - Great Falls, Mt IL MAESTRO! Works by Morton Levin: A Centennial Celebration has traveled from Great Falls, Montana to the National Veterans Art Museum in Chicago, Illinois. IL MAESTRO! is a retrospective of Levin’s work and is meant to mark 100 years of Levin’s life and art. The exhibition originated at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art (The Square) in Great Falls, Montana and is the first of its kind in a museum setting. The exhibition captures a visually rich presentation of paintings, etchings, woodcuts, and drawings by Morton Levin, a master artist, and World War II veteran. Levin is celebrated for his dramatic and original figurative works. His passion and unbending desire for art making and mastery led him on an intriguing life journey touched by the effects of war, love, family, life, and teaching. The exhibition highlights a special selection of the artist’s body of work beginning in the 1930s through 2005, while focusing on master works within his vast artistic repertoire. The Square and NVAM acknowledge Alanna Zrimsek for sharing Morton Levin’s artistry with the communities of Great Falls, Montana and Chicago, Illinois. “It is because of her urgency, zest for life, and deep love for Morton Levin that this exhibition has come to fruition. As Levin’s friend, lover and life partner, Alanna is the expert on Levin’s life and work as an artist,” said Nicole Maria Evans, Curator of Exhibitions & Collections at The Square. The Square first connected with NVAM in the spring of 2023, when Curator of Exhibitions & Collections, Nicole Maria Evans, visited Chicago to view an exhibition featuring an artist in The Square’s collection, Dr. Charles Smith: Holding A Dream In My Hand. Evans met the Executive Director of NVAM, Giselle Futrell, and together they discussed the possibility of IL MAESTRO! traveling to Chicago. A Statement from Giselle Futrell, Executive Director of the National Veterans Art Museum: “In the spring of 2023, when I first began my tenure at NVAM, I never expected such a resounding response from the museum community. You never forget those that make a meaningful first connection. For us, that was the Paris Gibson Museum of Art. Their Curator of Exhibitions and Collections, Nicole Maria Evans, visited NVAM last spring for the Dr. Charles Smith: Holding A Dream In My Hand exhibition. We were able to connect and talk through her vision. It began with understanding our space and how well it would lend itself to the work of Mortin Levin. I had full trust in her vision, expertise and experience and have been grateful for the opportunity to work with her. Over months of planning and preparing, Il Maestro! The Work of Morton Levin, A Centennial Celebration has made its way to Chicago! Through meticulous care and thoughtful consideration, the NVAM team along with the PGSMOA team were able to come together through an exhibition that captures history through the eyes of an artist whose life was touched by love, shaped by war, and reimagined on the blank canvases and paper that captured it all. It has been a pleasure to work with Nicole Maria Evans and the team at the Paris Gibson Museum of Art. We know that our NVAM community will be grateful to have this collection featured here in Chicago.” After its time in Chicago, IL MAESTRO! will travel throughout Montana via the Montana Art Gallery Directors Association (MAGDA). Museums to feature this exhibition in future years include Helen E. Copeland Gallery, Montana State University; Holter Art Museum; and the Montana Museum of Art and Culture—University of Missoula. Project supporters of this exhibition include Montana Arts Council, a state agency funded by the State of Montana, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Square is 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. Additional sponsorship is provided by museum members and the citizens of Cascade County, Davidson Family Foundation, D.A. Davidson, Horizon Credit Union, a generous anonymous donor, the Morton Levin Estate, Burn a Light Productions, and Kelly’s Signs & Design. National Veterans Art Museum and The Rabb Family Foundation in Chicago, Illinois; the Montana Art Gallery Directors’ Association through the Montana Arts Council, in participation with the Helen E Copeland Gallery, Montana State University; Holter Art Museum; and the Montana Museum of Art and Culture—University of Missoula. 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. About The National Veterans Art Museum The National Veterans Art Museum (NVAM) was founded by the Vietnam Veterans Art Group formed in 1981 through a traveling exhibition. The museum first opened its doors in 1996 in a building that was gifted by the City of Chicago who supported the work and experience of artists who had served in the U.S. Military. The museum has since moved to its current location at 4041 N Milwaukee Ave in the historic Six Corners Neighborhood in Portage Park. It is home to the permanent collection of over 2,000 works by veteran artists and continues to feature contemporary exhibitions as well as advance the work of emerging and established artists in conjunction with the NVAM Community Arts Project. The NVAM Community Arts project connects the Chicago community and its global visitors to the work, life, and experiences of our NVAM artist through art-based service projects. To learn how you can get involved visit nvam.org or email engage@nvam.org.