Former Northern student hopes paintings find a new home

Havreite Deanna Dee Rogers' paintings have graced the walls of Montana State University-Northern's Pin-n-Cue since she painted them in 2003, but now that the basement of the Student Union Building is being updated her pictures sit in storage waiting for their next home.

When Rogers, a graduate of Fort Benton High School, painted her nine pictures to donate to the school, she was working at the Pin-n-Cue after having graduated from Northern with a graphic design degree.

Roger's pictures were created on nine 4 feet by 8 feet sheets of masonite and the theme of the project is "people," she said, adding that she wanted to convey everyday activities people would do in the recreation area.

"This is the first and only time I have done something like this," she said.

"Each board has a story," Rogers added.

Small details of Roger's life on the Hi-Line as well as details of life at Northern are included in each piece, she said. Some of the pictures include representations of the three cities Rogers attended school in before attending college - Fort Benton, Big Sandy and Polson, she said, and one of the napkins in another picture includes the college logo.

The pictures were hung on the back wall of the bowling alley and on the walls of the pool table/ping pong area until they were taken down as work began on the recreation area.

"We are revamping it ... updating it," MSU-Northern Director of Student Activities Tammy Boles said. She added that they are taking student suggestions on what they would like to see in the Pin-n-Cue.

As far as she knows, Boles said, the paintings were a donation to the school so they have to go through the university system before they can release the pictures back to Rogers, if she wants them, or place them somewhere else around campus.

"It is not a quick process," she said.

Rogers said she is waiting to find out when the pictures will be released because she is hoping that someone will want them.

"I don't know if anybody would want all of it," she said, but she is willing to separate the pieces if someone wants just one and not the whole series.

"I had a lot of fun doing it, so I hope someone will have fun looking at it," Rogers added.

The nine paintings include:

• Painting 1: The people in this painting of a bowling scene include a bowler, a nurse and a person wearing a Polson Pirate shirt.

• Painting 2: Two couples are jitterbugging in this picture and one of the people is wearing a shirt with a Big Sandy Pioneers covered wagon log.

• Painting 3: In this picture people, including an MSU-Northern diesel student reading Auto World, are sitting on couches and chairs.

• Painting 4: This piece features a prom scene, since Rogers said she witnessed many formal dances and Havre High School proms being held at the recreation center.

• Painting 5: People dining are shown in this painting with one man wearing an MSU-Northern orientation shirt designed by Rogers. The background also features a yellow ribbon, blue service star and napkins from the campus food service.

• Painting 6:  This is Roger's favorite picture, she said, which features a student in a chair blowing bubbles.

• Painting 7: Students playing Monopoly in this painting have a customized board with real Monopoly money. One of the players is also wearing a shirt with the Fort Benton Longhorn logo.

• Painting 8: This painting, which was hanging behind the pool tables, has a sign in the background stating "I only play pool on days that end in 'y.'"

• Painting 9: Ping pong players done in the style of a color negative are on this picture that was hung near the ping pong tables.