'We not only create art, art creates us'

The Havre Art Association is holding its 50th annual art show this weekend, showcasing the artistic works of people in town and beyond, and celebrating more than 50 years of the association's existence.

The Golden Art Show will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at the Van Orsdel United Methodist Church on Fifth Avenue in Havre.

Kris Martens, one of the group's members, said she views this 50th show as a celebration not only of local artists but of the association's more-than-five-decade history.

The association recently lost a beloved member in Mary Nault.

Nault, who co-founded the now-closed Artitudes Gallery, died early this year and Martens said her death caused her to want to honor the group she loves so much.

"That woke me up to taking a look at who we are as a group and realizing what a special thing we have," she said.

She said the members are very dear to each other, elevating each other's art and inspiring their growth as artists, as well as connecting them with so many people around Montana and sometimes beyond.

"We not only create art, art creates us," Martens said.

She said their shows and workshops have hosted a who's who of Montana artists - over the 50 years the show has had some of Montana's best-known artists as its featured artist including Jean Halverson, Mary Ann Cherry, Don Greytak, Tom English, Lou Archambault, Ron Ukrainetz, Steve Seltzer, Gary Schildt and King Kuka - and has brought countless local artists together to do what they love.

"It's a remarkable group," she said.

Helping each other in art

While all the members of the association have long histories with the group, Linda Warneke is one of its founding members and still one of its most active since it was established in 1970.

Warneke said the group's formed to help local artists connect and learn from each other by cooperating with each other and critiquing work.

She said she had been painting for a while before the association formed, but in her time with the group she's expanded her abilities significantly.

She celebrated the group's history, but lamented that many artistic ventures in Havre were hurt by the pandemic, including Artitutdes which recently had to close.

Warneke said the groups members are getting older as well, and they want to support the next generation of artists in Havre.

"It would be nice if we could have some younger people in the group. A lot of us are getting older and it's hard for us to get around," she said.

She said some artists think they aren't good enough to participate in events like their art shows, but she said that's not true and encouraged young artists to get involved.

A triumphant return

Another member Marie Toldness said she's happy to be back to running shows, which they weren't able to do during the pandemic, and this year's is shaping up to be a good one.

"It'll be really nice to have it again," she said.

Toldness said she joined the association in 1979 and has made many incredible friends during her time there.

"I've always felt very welcomed and very supported," she said.

She said the group originally met in members' homes, but eventually started meeting at the Havre-Hill County Library, though the pandemic forced them to go back to meeting in homes.

She said the pandemic was a rough time for the association, and she's happy to see the group getting back to normal.

Bonnie Mosbrucker joined the association in the '80s, following in the footsteps of her mother, Bernice Pollington, and aunt Betty Pollington, and also said she's glad to see things normalize a bit after the worst of the pandemic.

Mosbrucker said she'd always dabbled in painting, and joining a group where everyone works together, does their part, and critiques from a place of kindness has been great.

"This has been a really good thing," she said.

She said she and other members aren't doing quite as much as they used to, in part because of the pandemic, but also because many of them are getting on in years.

Kris Shaw, a member who joined in 1994, said the association has always been a supportive place, free of rivalry and allowed her to significantly expand her abilities, especially into watercolors.

"This association is a really wonderful group of people that support each other and help each other to grow," Shaw said.

She said she joined a few years after moving to town and attending one of the association's shows.

From there, she said, she started going to community education classes with them and was welcomed into the group.

She said members like Becky Ross and Ginnie Streeper ran these classes and were how a lot of people in the association connected and improved their craft.

As for the shows, Shaw said, they are an opportunity to meet up with friends she doesn't get a chance to see very often.

While Shaw is one of the newer members of the group, relatively speaking, she's also very interested in getting younger people involved, not just to keep the association going, but to bring in fresh perspectives for the members already there.

"Things have changed in the last 50 years, the art world has changed, and we need people that have new ideas to help us grow," she said.