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Oct
05
Wednesday
Oct
05
Wed
Art :: Art Show
The Rock Speaks: Rock Art of the American West
6:00 PM
Hockaday Museum of Art
Description:
The Hockaday Museum of Art is proud to present an illustrated lecture entitled "The Rocks Speak: Rock Art of the American West" with guest curator Lee Silliman on Wednesday, October 5, 6:00 - 7:30 PM. Silliman plans on giving a brief introduction about his photographs of rock etchings, or "petroglyphs" and their significance in Northwestern United States history and artistic culture. He will also speak about the archaeological aspects of dating rock art and the regional variations of the petroglyphs. Silliman finishes the discussion by addressing visitation etiquette and preservation, the perils of vandalism, and guides to public sites where all visitors may enjoy these timeless art images.

The Missoula photographer and curator's black and white photographs will be on display at the Museum through October 29, 2016 in his exhibition Mystery & Majesty: Native American Rock Art. Silliman's photos tap into a few of the literally thousands of chiseled and painted constructions left behind by Native Americans upon boulders and stone walls. Researchers still struggle to untangle the ethnic history of this myriad of artworks.

Focusing upon the plethora of imagery left by generations of Native Americans, Mystery & Majesty shares the elements of a tangible record representing their emotions, culture, and understanding of the cosmos. Silliman says "One justifiably strives to assign meaning to the context of animals, anthropomorphic figures, and geometric patterns--and yet, perhaps one ought to simply appreciate petroglyphs and pictographs as pure art. Thus, here the present artist seeks to relay an ancient artist's conceptions."

Over the past five years, Silliman has traveled to rock art sites on public and private lands in Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico, where he photographs the designs with his 8 x 10 inch view camera. The majority of rock art photographs shown in this exhibit are the petroglyph type, which is a design chiseled into a darker rock, leaving a lighter figure. Several examples of pictographs (dark pigment painted onto lighter colored rock) are also included in the exhibit.

The Hockaday Museum of Art is located in the cultural district of downtown Kalispell at 302 Second Ave East. It is housed in a 1904 Carnegie Library building that appears on the National Register of Historic Places. The Museum is a private nonprofit organization, open year-round, Tues-Sat from 10am-5pm. The mission of the Hockaday is to enrich the cultural life of our community and region, and preserve the artistic legacy of Montana and Glacier National Park. For more information, please visit www.HockadayMuseum.org or call 406-755-5268.

The Rock Speaks: Rock Art of the American West with Lee Silliman
Wednesday, October 5, 2016, 5:00 - 7:00 PM
Admission: Members/Free, Non-members/$10
Mystery & Majesty: Native American Rock Art
September 15 - October 29, 2016
Tuesday - Saturday, 10AM - 5PM
Admission: Adults/$5, Seniors/$4, College/$2, K-12/Free, Members/Free
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Age Group: All Ages
Venue: Hockaday Museum of Art
Address: 302 Second Ave E Kalispell, MT 59901
Phone: (406)755-5268

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