New Temporary Exhibit, Montana’s Seasons

The MonDak Heritage Center is pleased to announce the opening of Edith Freeman’s Montana Seasons. The late Edith Freeman was an artist, teacher and rancher. Her lush and serene woodblock prints capture central Montana in all its varied seasons, evoking memories and reminding us of our region’s beauties.

Born in 1913 in Broadview, Montana, Freeman moved to Billings in 1919, where she attended Billings public schools and received her B.A. and M.S. from Eastern Montana College (now MSU-Billings). Freeman taught in a number of elementary schools throughout her 30-year teaching career.

Upon retirement, she began her second career as a printmaker. Few artists have been as deeply attuned as Edith Freeman to the austere beauty of Eastern Montana. Mastering reduction block woodcut printing, a challenging technique by which multiple, colored prints are achieved using a single block of wood, she based her strong compositions on study of the prairie and rimrocks, the river valleys and wildflower meadows, her backyard garden and household plants. Among many honors, Edith Freeman was the recipient of the Montana Governor’s Award for the Arts.

This wonderful exhibition, on loan from the Yellowstone Art Museum, features her works through all four seasons in Montana. It has also been made possible by the Montana Art Gallery Directors Association.