401 North 27th Street  |  Billings, MT 59101 406-256-6804 http://www.artmuseum.org/ The   Yellowstone   Art   Museum   in downtown    Billings,    Montana    is the     largest     contemporary     art museum in Montana. History    and    mission    of    the museum The   Yellowstone Art   Center   (now the   Yellowstone   Art   Museum,   or YAM)   opened   in   October   1964   in the    former    Yellowstone    County Jail.     The     construction     of     the county   jail   in   1884   was   the   first act      of      the      newly      instituted Yellowstone   County   government. It   began   as   a   small   red   brick   structure.   The   partial   basement   of   the   jail functioned   as   storage,   while   the   upper   two   floors   served   as   cell   blocks.   In 1916,   the   county   constructed   additions   to   the   west   and   north.   In   spite   of Montana’s   location   in   the   Wild   West,   only   one   hanging,   in   1918,   is   known   to have taken place at the Yellowstone County Jail. Operating   in   a   region   where   the   established   museums   emphasized   Western genre    art    and    historic    artifacts,    staff    and    volunteer    leadership    early    on defined    an    alternate,    wide-ranging    mission.    The    goal    was    to    develop    a collection    and    programs    that    acknowledged    the    rich    artistic    practice occurring    in    the    present.    Today    the    YAM    remains    the    only    visual    arts institution   within   an   immense   geographic   area,   which   it   serves   with   a   very active    program    of    changing    exhibitions    in    the    main    galleries,    adjunct programs   for   adults,   curriculum-based   art   education,   and   community   events and   festivals.   The   YAM’s   Annual   Art   Auction,   begun   in   1969,   is   the   earliest contemporary   art   auction   in   a   region   that   now   boasts   dozens   that   emulate the   YAM.   Summerfair,   begun   in   1979,   was   also   the   region’s   first   outdoor   arts & crafts fair and holds its lead as one of the region’s finest Collections and Exhibitions Pride   in   the   growing   permanent   collection   (now   numbering   over   7,400   works of   historic   and   contemporary   regional   art),   has   grown   steadily   as   the   YAM has    matured.    A    concerted    effort    has    been    made    to    collect    work    from outstanding   regional   artists   ranging   from   the   internationally   celebrated   Rudy Autio,   John   Buck,   Deborah   Butterfield,   Isabelle   Johnson,   Richard   Notkin, Jaune   Quick-to-See   Smith,   Ted   Waddell,   and   Patrick   Zentz   to   lesser-known and   emerging   artists. At   the   time   the   Museum   began   to   collect,   these   artists were   not   represented   as   a   group   in   any   Montana   museum.   The   popularity and   growth   of   the   “Montana   Collection”   has   exceeded   expectations.   The acquisition   of   the   Virginia   Snook   Collection,   the   largest   gathering   of   the   work of   cowboy   writer   and   illustrator   Will   James,   has   given   the   collection   another popular    and    resonant    dimension.    The    estate    of    Isabelle    Johnson,    a pioneering Montana Modernist, is unparalleled. The   YAM   holds   hundreds   of   works   in   its   Poindexter   Collection   of   New   York Abstract Expressionism Visible Vault In   2003,   the   Montana-based   Charles   M.   Bair   Family   Trust,   recognizing   that the   YAM’s   own   permanent   collection   had   grown   faster   than   expectation   and that   the YAM   needed   to   expand   storage,   made   a   grant   to   the YAM   in   2005   to purchase   the   warehouse   at   505   North   26th   Street,   with   the   intention   that   it be   converted   into   high   quality,   expanded   collection   storage   space.   In   2006, the   YAM   entered   into   an   agreement   with   the   Charles   M.   Bair   Family   Trust that   would   result   in   a   $2.15   million   grant   upon   the   YAM’s   raising   $1   million   in new   capital   and   endowment   gifts   and   pledges.   The   YAM   achieved   147%   of the   goal   by   the   deadline   of   31   December   2007,   and   used   the   Bair   Trust’s challenge    grant    as    the    launching    point    for    another    major    fundraising campaign.   In   2007   a   two-phased   $17   million   Expansion   Campaign   began. One   result   of   this   campaign   was   the   YAM's   innovative   Visible   Vault,   which opened   in   August   2010.   It   is   a   publicly   accessible   art   storage   facility   that houses   the   permanent   collection   in   an   open,   visible   fashion.   The   facility   also includes    an    artist-in-residence    studio.    Artists-in-residence    have    included Tracy    Linder,    Brian    Keith    Scott,    Brooke   Atherton,    Carol    Spielman,    John Pollock   and   Bently   Spang.   The   Yellowstone   Art   Museum   is   one   of   only   a handful   of   art   museums   in   the   country   that   have   placed   their   entire   collection storage areas on public view.

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  Yellowstone Art Museum