Assorted lectures inform & inspire at MOR, plus one last Brews
A destination for the Gallatin Valley’s curious minds, the Museum of the Rockies is never in short supply of public events to accompany its many exhibits. Here’s a look at some upcoming happenings at your neighborhood museum.
On Wednesday, April 17th, the next edition of this season’s Science Inquiry Lecture Series, “Dinosaurs on the Cutting-Edge: Understanding Extinct Animals Thru Paleohis”, will begin at 7pm in Hager Auditorium. This presentation is open to the public.
How can the microscopic examination of fossilized specimens shed light on dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures? Ellen-Thérèse Lamm, the Museum of the Rockies’ Histology Lab Manager, will describe the “cutting-edge” thin-sectioning and microscopy techniques she uses, and how the work of the lab allows researchers, students, and investigators from around the world to make important discoveries about ancient life.
The Extreme History Project Lecture series continues with “Cry to Heaven: Golden Eagles & Thunderbirds in the Bighorn Basin” featuring Bonnie Lawrence-Smith on Thursday, April 18th at 6pm. The lecture will be held in Hager Auditorium and is open to the public.
“Here in the Plains Basin of North America, we find some of the most exceptional rock art in the Americas,” says Lawrence-Smith, Curatorial Assistant of the Draper Natural History Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. She explains that – like populations everywhere – the early peoples of the Bighorn Basin wove stories as explanations for the natural world around them. This presentation focuses on explanations of raptors and birds of prey consistently depicted in rock art and found in several sites on both public and private lands. She proposes there is a connection “between ancient eagle (Aquila crysataetos) nests, Native American eagle traps, and thunderbird representations at these sites.
The MOR TwoFly Community & Guide Night is set for Wednesday, April 24th in the Bair Lobby and Hager Auditorium at 6pm. Mingle with the TwoFly guides and learn from regional experts about the unique waterways in our area. Northwest Energy Senior Hydro Engineer BJ Cope will discuss hydroelectric development in on the Madison River, USGS Emeritus Research Biologist Bob Gresswell will talk about Fire & Fish, and MSU Graduate Student Richard Carr will present on prehistoric fish fossils. Enjoy light refreshments, beer, and wine while celebrating area waterways and the MOR TwoFly Benefit, set for September 6th and 7th. This event is free and open to the public for those 21+.
Bozeman Art Museum, a local collective of skilled individuals dedicated to the opening of an official space, presents public talk “Appreciating Art – Where Do You Start?” at MOR on Thursday, April 25th. The evening begins at 7pm and will feature Jake Gaedtke, President of the Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters.
Bozeman Art Museum’s mission is to inspire and foster creativity and the love of art through diverse and high-quality exhibits, programs, classes and lectures. It envisions a place where people of all ages can go to experience the transformational power of art.
On Sunday, April 28th at 3pm, Childhood Classics Storytime will help bookend the exhibit’s tenure at MOR*. Teaming with Bozeman Public Library, families are welcome to join for an engaging time within the exhibit featuring a select number of these iconic classics. After the story, follow museum staff downstairs to make a story-inspired craft. Included with admission.
Museum of the Rockies’ popular series Brews & the Big Sky: Montana Made, Montana Brewed concludes with Crow Fair featuring Thirsty Street Brewing Co. and the Mint Cafe on Tuesday, April 30th from 5:30–7:30pm. There is a $12 admission including beer tasting, gallery talks, exhibits, and light appetizers for those 21 and older.
In the third week of August, the sleepy Montana town of Crow Agency becomes the Tipi Capitol of the World, hosting powwows, rodeos and most importantly a great gathering of families and friends of the Apsáalooke Nation of American Indians. Learn more about the origins of this celebration and homecoming that welcomes thousands of spectators and over 1,000 tipis to Southeast Montana.
The Gallatin History Museum Lecture Series returns with “World War I in Montana: The Treasure State Prepares” on Wednesday, May 1st in Hager Auditorium at 6pm. Author Ken Robison will share local stories researched during the writing of his latest book of the same name, which covers the dramatic first year of the war, as the U.S. and Montana mobilized and prepared for a decisive role in the Great War. This event is open to the public.
More than one hundred years ago, on April 6, 1917, the United States went into a war, a conflict that would have a profound effect at home and abroad. For Montana, this was a war of opportunity for many, trouble for some, and change for all. On that fateful day, the United States, at last, entered a European war, a war that had been raging since 1914. The oceans around us were shrinking, and the world, the U.S., and Montana would never be the same.
It is hard today to comprehend how vitally important, Montana, The Treasure State’s forestry, mining, smelting, and, refining were to the national war effort. It has been said, with a lot of truth to it, that every bullet fired in World War I was encased in Butte copper, and the world was “wired” by copper from Great Falls refineries. In addition, Montana’s amber waves of grain helped feed a starving world. And, Montana’s cowboys, miners, foresters, farmers, nurses, and other women, went to war to win, under the battle cry, “Powder River, Let ‘Er Buck” that would resonate on the battlefields in France. Montana men served in the Great War in a greater percentage than any other state.
*Closing Sunday, April 28th, here’s your last chance to experience Childhood Classics: 100 Years of Children’s Book Illustration and Mindbender Mansion at MOR. Childhood Classics explores the history of children’s books from the turn of the century pen and ink Mother Goose art of Sarah Noble Ives, to the most popular works of today including the digital creations of Mo Willems. Mindbender Mansion features puzzles, brainteasers and interactive challenges guaranteed to test the brain power and problem-solving skills of even the most experienced puzzlers. And mark your calendars! A NEW exhibit, The Real Genghis Khan, will open for the summer months on May 18th.
For more information about these and other upcoming events, as well as the Museum’s exhibits, visit www.museumoftherockies.org.
