Arriving in Montana
When I arrived in Butte on December 1, I had no idea what awaited me. Even though I’d been getting regular reports and seeing some photos, it’s just not the same as seeing a place for oneself.
Photos are great, but because of the nature of photographs, they have finite edges. The world doesn’t. A photo doesn’t usually convey the sense of space, and tell you about the relationships of the subject to everything else.
It is also true that the photographer picks and chooses what to include, what to leave out. Photos can be very informative about the way the photographer sees, but sometimes less so about what the photographer sees.
So when I arrived, I wasn’t totally prepared for what I saw. The sweep of the sky over the hills. The late 19th and early 20th century brick buildings everywhere. The view from the front windows across the Victorian facades, past the lone hospital, to the distant mountains. I was immediately charmed by Butte in ways I hadn’t anticipated!
I spent a few days getting the truck unpacked into the storage unit, trying to figure out where to put things in the fully furnished apartment, driving around to get a feel for how the city was laid out. Then I felt ready to start exploring the art world here.
One of my first stops was the Butte Silver Bow Arts Foundation. The BSBAF has been renovating the old YMCA building on West Park a floor at a time (see the photo above). It is a short 3 block walk from the apartment. I had merely been planning on dropping off a family membership form, and inquiring if perhaps someone at the arts supply store might know of any studio space for rent in town. Not only did the store and facility manager, Jana, know of space, she had space available in the BSBAF building.
Granted, it is shared space, but both of the other artists in that studio happened to be there that day. I got to see the space, chat with them, and see some of their work.
The Copper City Artists are having their annual Holiday Gallery on the main floor across from the arts supply store, so I took the time to be introduced to the work of many area artists. And since the two women I would be sharing studio space with are VP and Treasurer of that organization and could speak eloquently about the opportunities membership affords, I joined CCA while I was there too.
The next day when I went back to sign a lease and pick up keys, the executive director of BSBAF, Glenn Bodish, was in the arts supply store, so I was able to speak with him for a time. I popped into the Holiday Gallery across the hall to say hello and introduce myself to whatever CCA artist might be running the gallery, and it turned out to be a woman who had received her art therapy training in Santa Fe, making me feel a little less homesick.
Everyone I have encountered in Butte has been incredibly welcoming, helpful, and kind. If you have ever moved someplace unknown, you know how important that is. It makes the difference between feeling like a stranger who just can’t/won’t ever fit into a small town, and feeling like everyone is a potential friend.
I’m very glad to be here.