“The Face - The Canvas”

Digital photo, aluminum panel

48” x 47”

The human face has been a living mirror from time immemorial reflecting the emotions and culture of various civilizations and society. When masked or painted the face has the power to captivate, charm, frighten or seduce! The mythological and psychological aspects of camouflaging and transforming through face painting and masking has been a popular and sensitive ritual in many parts of rural India.

Sarathi Thamodaran, explorer and independent photographer, was born and brought up in Thisayanvilai, in the State of Tamil Nadu, India, surrounded by sea and temples. He travels Tamil Nadu to photograph indigenous people reflecting their culture and traditions, learning about ways of present and past, and photo-documenting the cultural diversity of the various ethnic community groups.

“Word. Sound. Power”

Porcelain, Slate, Limestone, Metal, Marble, Quartzite, Ceramic, and Spray Paint

48” x 47”

The wavelength represents the physical image of the word Identity . Captured as Time, Duration, Frequency, Amplitude, and Velocity

Sean Parson is a multimedia artist from Arlee, MT. He is a 5th Generation Montanan who lives in the heart of the Jocko Valley, on the Flathead Indian Reservation, with his wife and daughter. The main body of his work is formed form natural stone and tile. He uses his vast skill set and knowledge of source material gained from being an award winning residential tile installer since 2004. Much of that material comes from tile scraps salvaged from job sites and the inspiration in the tones and textures found within them. These elements come together in fusion with his love for music, nature, and art.

“Are You A Hugger?”

Acrylic paint, pencil, mdo panel

48” x 47”

This piece is a journey through my own Identity. Creating this piece of art for Allez! was really good for me. I used my automatic art process to write out all the words I could think of that identified me. And then I painted over it, and then noticed the word “hugger” had survived, hanging out in the speech bubble with the question mark. Since Covid, giving and receiving hugs has become a discussion you have to have, and this is speaking to that conversation.

Ladypajama is an otherworldly force of nature. Mixing paint, pencils, pens, and collage materials, she creates scenes that present ordinary objects and characters in a new dimension. Rather than working toward an end product, she tries to capture emotion and authenticity by just jumping in without a plan.

“Desert”

Acrylic paint on mdo panel

48” x 47”

This is my sister, Maja (pronounced Maya), on her Harley Davidson, amongst the mountains in Utah. She’s a talented artist, climber, and rider. She approaches life with love and fierceness. I hoped to capture a glimpse of that in this painting.

I’m a painter, musician, and forester. I’m lucky enough to work outside, and I make it a priority to travel often. That is where I find my inspiration. Nature reminds me of its vast learning and our insignificance, and travelling reminds me that the boundaries we like to index our world by are often imaginary. I like to paint pretty and powerful subjects. We need to highlight more of that goodness in this world.

“The Wild”

carbon pencil, charcoal, drawing pencils, mdo panel

48” x 96”

“Identity” struck me on a more visual level, rather than political. When we moved to Montana, everything was new and different from the Colorado mountains we just left. There is a beauty and enormity of this place including everything that lives here - an area that is a little more rural and in what I like to call “the wild”. My mural is a reflection of what I see outside my windows - the wild!

Claudia graduated college with a BFA in Drawing and Ceramics, with a minor in Zoology and Anthropology. She pursued her passion for art by teaching in her studio. In the past 20 years, she has come full circle, back to her art and actively showing her work locally and nationally.

Dúuppeelee: Konnaalaásxawiikaashe (To become spilt: To have pain inflicted on one’s heart)

Acrylic paint, mdo panel

48” x 96”

As an artist, I am driven by three primary forces: to process my experiences, to connect with

others, and to advocate for change. This piece is informed by my experiences growing up as the first generation of my mother’s family denied enrollment in the Crow Tribe due to the current blood quantum requirement. Some of the imagery that I use is drawn from tradition, and some I developed to speak to my own experiences.

Stella Nall is a multimedia artist and poet of Bozeman, now living in Missoula, and a First Descendant of the Apsáalooke (Crow) Tribe. She graduated from the University of Montana in 2020 with a BFA in Printmaking, a BA in Psychology and a minor in Art History and Criticism.

“Window”

acrylic paint, mural fabric, mdo panel

48” x 47”

For better or worse, I often feel like I’m viewing life through a window. I have a hard time staying present in my body; instead, my mind is often looking ahead toward the next plan or looking for the greener grass. Let’s take a moment to breathe, let the window shrink, and allow for more of the surrounding space to be part of our experience.

Stephanie is an independent artist working in various 2D media to create murals, fine wall art, window displays, logos, and greeting cards. Her work strives to inspire a sense of joy and belonging in the viewer through themes of nature and the use of vibrant color. She holds a personal interest in symbolism and uses this knowledge to create pieces intended to imbue spaces with deeper meaning in addition to aesthetic beauty.

“We Are Cloud: Missoula Community Mural”

Porcelain, stains, wire, mdo board, paint, plexiglass

48” x 47”

This mural was made by members of the Missoula community. The act of making individual parts that come together as a whole, embodies the notion of community. This piece references the idea of water particles coming together to form a cloud like the individuals who came together to form this cloud.

Historically, beads represent commitments, beliefs and principles, and are present in every culture. Using clay as a material to create my Identity beads highlights Montana’s rich history of ceramic art.

Brooke Armstrong is a ceramic artist based in Missoula, MT. She currently works at the University of Montana Sculpture and Ceramic Department and teaches as an Adjunct Instructor. Her primary interest is in bodily relationships with objects.

“Mount Stanton, Glacier National Park”

Reclaimed wood

48” x 96”

My art is for the adventurer, for the hearts who long for the vistas that took their breath away.

I come each day to my studio to be humbled by the material and the subject – transforming materials that would otherwise be thrown away into something beautiful again.

Through my work I get to travel to mountains I’ve never seen, becoming familiar with their curves and shapes like a lover. And often travel back to places where I left a piece of my heart behind.

Amanda Krolczyk lives and works in Missoula, MT. She received her formal education at the University of Montana earning her BFA in Ceramics.

“A kapre followed my mother to America.”

Mixed media, mdo panel

48” x 47”

A kapre is a creature from Filipino folklore that is characterized by lurking in trees while smoking cigars.

April Werle is a mixed Filipino American, the first born child to an immigrant mother, an artist and muralist. Her art reflects the Filipino diaspora, and the effects of immigration on family, culture, and identity. She has been featured by organizations like Kuyate and Filipino American News.

Werle uses her own hands as central subjects in her works. Skin color and other body parts are intentionally absent. By omitting her ethnically ambiguous characteristics, she is able to tell stories of her own cultural experiences without her appearance invalidating her Identity.

“Legacy – What is the West?”

Photo montage on aluminum panel

48” x 47”

It’s the kitsch romanticism of Indians, teepees and the iconic bison.

It’s the remains of a past where Elk and Bear exist only as names on the streets of some Roundup sprayed suburb killing everything wild. The place where forests are wood products, wildlife is game waiting to be ‘harvested,’ and the good rich earth underfoot, mineral resources ready to be upturned.

It’s the Yin and the Yang, the Dark and the Light. It’s the vortex of new ideas and the graveyard of a failed myth unwilling to be buried because here in the Bootstrap West that myth must be protected, no matter the price.

Photographer, Barbara Michelman, started her professional career in Hollywood, CA, as one of the first women in film lighting. She lives in Missoula, Montana.