September 18, 2021

YELLOWSTONE ART MUSEUM

401 N 27th St, Billings, MT 59101

“The Yellowstone Art Museum in downtown Billings, Montana is the largest contemporary art museum in Montana.” - Wikipedia

Wikipedia is not doing the Yellowstone Art Museum (YAM) justice by just describing it as “the largest contemporary art museum in Montana.” I found the museum’s collection and exhibits to be diverse, provacative, and beautiful.

The first exhibit was “I Refuse To Be Invisible,” which explores invisibility through the lens of contemporary African American and Native art. I appreciated the statements by the artists next to their works to get a better understanding of what they were trying to achieve in their work.

The next exhibit featured works on paper, first edition books, and memorabilia depicting women and girls by Will James, a French Canadian artists and writer of the American West, and called “Women by Will.”

I spent a lot of time in “The Autio Collection: Rudy & Lela” which featured the work of two Montana artists. Both Rudy Autio and his wife Lela worked with many different media, from oil and water colors, to ceramics, and abstract soft sculptural works. I was fascinated by the differences and similarities of the two artists work, and how their work evolved over time.

“Out of Isolation” was YAM’s juried exhibition where artists were asked to respond to their time in isolation, after isolation, and the societal changes brought on by Covid-19 and the tumultuous year of 2020. It was interesting to see the artists’ broad and personal interpretations in all different art forms.

The museum also had a gallery where local artists could display and sell their artwork, and a gallery which displayed artwork from students involved in the museum’s educational programs.

I really enjoyed this museum and would return if I'm ever back in this area.