43rd Annual Custer County Juried Exhibit Traveling Collection Opens At MonDak Heritage Center

The 43rd Annual Custer County Juried Exhibit Traveling Collection will be at the MonDak Heritage Center through May 27.

Thanks to the support of Stockman Bank, Miles City and exhibited by arrangement with WaterWorks Art Museum, Miles City, the 2022 Traveling Collection features 22 pieces represented in the 43rd Annual Juried Exhibit "Color Your Dreams" at WaterWorks Art Museum (WAM).

The Juror for this exhibition is Shelley Freese. Shelley has exhibited at WAM and is an accomplished artist and illustrator. She blends her many talents to create beautiful works of art that tell you whimsical and fun stories. Shelley grew up on a windy wheat farm in Montana and loved her weekly trips to the library. She collects beautifully illustrated children's books, enjoys the changing seasons on the northern plains, and has fun creating her prints, cards, throw pillows, and other items sold through her Dancing Cow Studio. Dancing Cow Studio specializes in one-of-a-kind, client-commissioned artworks. For example, Shelley has created 100+ one-of-a-kind alphabet story paintings. Believing that childhood should be celebrated, Shelley creates custom-commissioned art for kids. Mother Goose rhyme paintings, "Unusual Alphabet" initial painting prints, and original author/illustrator book projects are also specialties.

The traveling exhibition this year features a wide variety of mediums photography, digital painting, oil, acrylic, watercolor, soft pastel, porcelain, and mixed media. The artists worked on portraying dreams. Some dream in color, some in black and white. The artists displayed exceptional diversity of style, characteristics, and perspectives in this year's exhibition.

The artists in this year's juried show come from all over the United States as well as from the Big Sky Country. Montana based artists include Gwen Haferkamp, Shayla Hagen, Staci Ketchum, Pam Little, Jo Swenson, Shirley Anderson Sylvester and Stan Wheeler. Exhibitors from elsewhere in the United States are Holly Cannon, Palm City, FL; Leslie Ann Hauer, West Richland, WA; Debra Keirce, Ashburn, VA; Paul M Murray, Jamestown, RI; Debbie Shriver, Laguna Hills, CA; Fairy Todd, Gillette, WY;, Odeta Xheka, Tampa, FL and Marina Zavalova, Idaho Falls, ID.

The MonDak Heritage Center is funded in part by coal severance taxes paid based upon coal mined in Montana and deposited in Montana's cultural and aesthetic projects trust fund.

The MonDak Heritage Center is located at 120 3rd Ave. SE, Sidney and is open Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturday's from 1-4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information call 406-433-3500 or e-mail [email protected].