Come join us for the 2012 Montana Artists Gathering as we celebrate Montana’s rich culture and its many artists who come from all parts of the state.

On Friday, September 28, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and continuing on Saturday, September 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Artist Showcase features a rich range of media.

The show offers something for everyone’s taste — from traditionally forged metalwork to computer-generated graphic art, from hand-turned native wood lamps to contemporary fine furniture.  The artwork includes lamp-worked and kiln-formed glass, jewelry, hand-dyed silk, fine-photography, hand-thrown pottery, free-form dolls, collage, beadwork, embellished gourds, hand-dyed yarns, wood carvings, one-of-a-kind journals, and framed artwork in oils, watercolors, and pastels.

The Gathering 2012 is a professional art festival  with participants including  artists and mentors who have significant participation in the Montana Artrepreneurship Program (MAP)*, sponsored throughout the state by the Montana Arts Council.  Flathead Valley Community College (FVCC) is the home of the Flathead MAP Cohort of participating artists, with the 2012 showcase/sale  being hosted at the Kalispell campus in the spacious A&T Building.

The Sale and Showcase Gathering  will open on Friday, September 28 at 4:00 p.m.  A Welcome Reception, hosted by the Faculty Art Department will  start  the evening, with food provided by the FVCC Catering Department.  Buyers, gallery owners, and the public are all invited to the evening’s festivities.  Those attending this first evening will receive a full program that includes artist contact information and sample photographs of their work.   Art Buyers, agents, and gallery owners are encouraged to spend time with artists in hopes of discovering  new artist contacts and seeing new pieces of interest.

The Sale continues on Saturday, September 29th from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with more than 90 artists showing their work.    The second day continues with a special display of FVCC Faculty Art and work of  professional artists who have served as MAP mentors will also be on display and for sale.  A special feature of the two day event will be unique work on display by a number of MCAM (Montana’s Circle of American Masters) who are invited to participate and present their works of excellence.  All in all, expect to see some beautiful work by more than 100 artists who have gathered at the college for this special weekend.

Everyone is  invited to attend, enjoy, and participate in the growth of the Montana Artist Community.     Both days art will be available for purchase and artists will be available to meet with their customers.

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*MAP (Montana Artrepreneurship Preparation)  is a comprehensive instruction and workshop program  that offers state certification to Montana artists who have demonstrated excellence in their craft or art in recent years and have become market-ready with their art businesses.    The Montana landscape provides inspiration to those artists living in its boundaries and the inspiration from this landscape influences the work of each artist.