THE KALISPELL MONTESSORI ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL HOSTS MONTANA CONVERSATION "KID GLOVES AND BRASS KNUCKLES: THE LIFE OF NANCY COOPER RUSSELL" WITH MARY JANE BRADBURY

The Kalispell Montessori will host the Montana Conversations program "Kid Gloves and Brass Knuckles: The Life of Nancy Cooper Russell" with Mary Jane Bradbury on February 23rd. 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.

Against the backdrop of the social and political reform of the early 1900s, Nancy Cooper Russell was a woman ahead of her time. A self-taught business woman with the ability to take charge, Nancy helped Charles M. Russell become the highest paid living artist of his time. Art historians consistently give her credit for being the reason the world has the extraordinary Russell paintings and sculptures that grace galleries and private collections today. Bradbury brings Nancy Russell to life and shares the story of her chance meeting with the Montana cowboy artist who would become her husband. She describes the world of art that celebrated the myth of the west at the beginning of the 20th century and tells stories about the renowned artists and celebrities the Russell's knew as they traveled from New York City to the growing California suburb called Hollywood.

Mary Jane Bradbury is a scholar and actress who brings history to life for audiences of all ages in the Rocky Mountain region. She teaches for the Colorado Humanities, and is a historic interpreter for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

For more information, please call KME at 755-3826.