Art Society and Transformation
Katie Knight, photographer, artist and educator—Helena
465-5261; kknight@bresnan.net
Michelangelo is not thought of as a social critic but his work challenged the power structure of Renaissance Florence and provoked vigorous controversy. Picasso's massive cubist work Guernica is regarded as one of the most powerful statements ever made against war. This visual presentation begins with art by individuals whose work expresses social conscience and moves on to consider the role of art in social movements. Civically engaged art spans a spectrum that ranges from commentary to activism: contemporary artists increasingly present projects designed to stimulate dialogue and seek social transformation; curators of theme-based exhibitions create forums for discussion to deepen understanding of complex issues; activist artists engage, provoke, and empower their audiences. This talk illustrates that spectrum with historic and contemporary examples, including work by artists featured in the exhibition now touring Montana, Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate. As curator, Knight contextualizes the exhibition by sharing examples of parallel projects.

Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate
Katie Knight, photographer, artist and educator—Helena
465-5261; kknight@bresnan.net
This visual presentation illuminates the ideas and activities involved in the Holter Museum of Art’s exhibition Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate, now on tour through the Museum and Gallery Directors’ Association of Montana. Sixty artists and artist teams responded to, integrated, and transformed white supremacist books into provocative works of art using diverse media. The presentation begins with the story of how the Montana Human Rights Network obtained 4000 books from a defecting leader of the hate group, World Church of the Creator, now known as the Creativity Movement. Forming a unique community partnership, staff from the Montana Human Rights Network, the Museum, the Lewis and Clark Library, Helena public schools, and the artists, worked together under the guidance of curator Knight to design a project that opens up a dialogue about bigotry and social justice and deepens our understanding of our vulnerability to prejudice, and our capacity to overcome it.

Montanarama
Leslie Van Stavern Millar, visual and performance artist—Missoula
721-0591; sciencewomansociety@msn.com
What makes Montana unique? Montanarama provides a humorous and thought-provoking analysis of the diverse elements contributing to Montana's identity as a western state in the twenty-first century. Join Science Woman, clad in her trademark lab coat, as she examines interesting factual material–Montana history, regional oddities, new demographic studies and popular culture–enhanced by visually inventive slides.

Finding and Capturing Your Story
Susie Risho, Executive Director, StoryKeepers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving oral and written histories—Missoula
549-0752; risho@qwest.net
In this lecture, Risho underlines the importance and value of keeping stories. She offers numerous suggestions to individuals, raising the level of awareness when organizing personal histories and memories. Risho gives a brief commentary on the genesis of StoryKeepers, and then proceeds to one or all of the three distinct presentations from which the host may select: 1) guided sharing of personal stories, 2) techniques for gathering and organizing stories, and 3) writing exercises of personal memories. The lecturer offers skills in: organizing, memory prompting, automatic writing, photo-journaling, historical fiction, as well as the art of listening and conducting an interview with minimal interviewer interference.

A Journalist’s Perspective on Wars and Reporting Them
Clay Scott, former war correspondent, freelance journalist—Helena
442-2322 office, 442-2422 home; clayws@earthlink.net
This program by a veteran foreign news correspondent will look at the work of journalists covering wars and conflicts, exploring broad questions about foreign news coverage, as well as issues specific to war reporting. Examine with Scott why some events are "news" while others are ignored, whether it is possible to cover a conflict without taking sides, what motivates journalists to cover wars, and some of the ethical dilemmas journalists face.

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