Choteau art auction includes Havre artists

CHOTEAU - Choteau will be buzzing with artists and art fans as they flock to the 29th Annual Shadows of the Past Art Auction Sept. 8 with works that include some by people with connections to Havre.

The Benefis Teton Medical Center Foundation has planned this award event since 2006 to help support operations at Benefis Teton Medical Center.

The art auction is a highly anticipated event in the Choteau community and has become well-known in the art community. This year will host artists old and new from across the area, all with a common theme: A deep love for Montana and the beauty of life along the Rocky Mountain Front.

This year's catalog boasts original art from well-known artists such as Havre's Don Greytak, and some new artists to the scene, who will prove to make a name for themselves in the future, including Havre-native Corey Stremcha of Billings.

Other well-known artists inlcude Tom English, Shirley Wempner, Steve Lillegard, Rob Akey and Jeff Walker.

Artists from the Choteau area also will be represented, including Scott Hayes and Linda Tippetts of Augusta, Diane Hausmann and Lee Tisch Bialczek of Fairfield, and Leslie Kesler, Jim Utsler, Stoney Burk and Kaare Wilkerson of Choteau.

Other up-and-coming artists include Rosanna Morris of Augusta, and Ella Stott of Choteau.

The event starts with an artist reception open to the public Friday, Sept. 7, at 5:30 p.m. at the Choteau Pavilion. The events Saturday, will begin at 2 p.m. with an art collecting seminar by avid art collector Loren Solberg. The auction doors open at 4 p.m. for drinks and music, with hors d'oeuvres starting at 4:30 p.m.

Each year, all funds raised by Shadows of the Past are utilized right in Choteau at the local hospital. This year's proceeds will be used to update the furniture and equipment within the hospital part of the facility, including two handicapped accessible tubs with lifts and medical-grade recliner chairs for hospital rooms.

For more information or to purchase tickets for the event, call Annie at 406-466-6039. More art photos and a complete schedule of events can be found at http://awww.tetonmedicalcenter.com/.