2022 Kids Summer Art Camps

Yay! Kid’s Summer Studio Camps are On! This summer we have three week-long studio camps available for kids ages 8 - 12. Find out more about the camps, each of which will be different. Maureen gives lots of personal attention to your kids because we only have five students per studio camp. She is flexible, a great listener, and focuses on helping kids express their intrinsic creativity and find their own voices rather than "technique." She is also responsive to students who wish to gain skills such as drawing from observation; color and composition skills, and mark-making.

Young Voices Exhibit And Fundraiser Features 16 Artists

Young Voices Exhibit and Fundraiser Opens Saturday, March 13. We are delighted to invite you to our 5th annual art student exhibit, Young Voices 2021 with over 180 artworks by 16 students ranging in age from 7 to 16. Each student presented an artist talk which was videotaped, and are available to watch here (click to read more)

Annual Young Voices Information for Parents

For our 6th annual 2022 Young Voices exhibit, we have gathered a list of questions and answers families may have about the exhibit and their child's participation in the show. We have made a few changes to student participation this year, so this Q&A list is for everyone, parents of my new students and parents of students who have been taking art classes at 1+1=1 for years.

Behind the Scenes at 1+1=1!

The sign on the door may say we’re closed, but don’t let that trick you into thinking we’re taking a long holiday! Between virtual staff meetings and projects to tackle both in the gallery and from our homes, we’ve got big plans for the next few months. Read on for a glimpse behind the scenes …

Zoom Staff Meeting — Maureen and her new gallery assistants hold their first virtual staff meeting.

Top of our to-do list: inventory all the art that remains in the gallery (including the cache of treasures in the basement!). Seeing what’s left over from an exhibit teaches us a lot about what connects our artists to our collectors. It also helps our artists with their own inventories as they go about applying for other opportunities like juried exhibitions, grants and residencies. A thorough inventory will also help us relaunch our online storefront – a project we are super excited about. The new shop will be a much more inviting experience, providing visitors with the opportunity to preview what a piece of art would look like in their space. Can’t wait to hear more? Make sure you’re subscribed to Love Notes (our monthly newsletter) and that you follow us on Instagram!

Next up: exhibit planning. Did you know we host 7-8 exhibits every year? Some are perennial favorites, like the Holiday Show, while some are brand new. There are always details to work on, from making arrangements with artists to handling delivery of artwork, plush making sure we have great photos of everything for the online exhibits too. The biannual woodworking show will be our first full exhibit after the Young Voices exhibit (more on that in a minute). “Contemporary Wood” takes place every other year and is always a collector’s favorite! Opening Day is Saturday, April 16th – we’ll be sending out postcard invitations soon, so keep an eye out for those.

Last but certainly not least, classes and workshops are back at the 1+1=1 classroom! We’re keeping these experiences as safe we can, and we’re glad we can teach our young artists in person. Twenty kids are enrolled in our youth art classes, which started Monday, January 24th. There are four classes with five kids per class, and ages range from six to twelve. A handful of other lucky kids will spend one-on-one studio time with Maureen on Saturdays, and a few spaces are still available for those one-on-ones if your child is interested!

The work these budding young artists create over the next two months (as well as work from our Fall art series) will be featured in our first 2022 student art exhibit, Young Voices. Want to contribute to some deserving local non-profit organizations while also giving a giant boost to some amazing young artists? 75% of every sale during Young Voices benefits three local non-profits chosen by the artists – the remaining 25% goes to the artists themselves. Stay tuned over the next few months as we share more about the process of putting together the Young Voices show, including the kids’ pitches for which organizations will be the recipients of the proceeds! Young Voices opens Saturday, March 19th, and runs through April 9th.

That’s all for this dispatch, but make sure to stay tuned for more behind the scenes updates throughout the spring. You can find all the best ways to keep in touch here, on our website!

7th Annual Young Voices Art Exhibit and Fundraiser Opens March 19, 2022

Young Voices Exhibit and Fundraiser Opens Saturday, March 19. We are delighted to invite you to our 6th annual art student exhibit, Young Voices 2022 with art by 27 young artists ranging in age from 6 to 17.

2021 Holiday Show

8th Annual Holiday Show

We are Delighted to Invite You to our Eighth Annual Holiday Gift Show

Wow! In our 9th year as the premier fine art gallery in Helena, we are excited to welcome you to the largest, most diverse and best holiday show we’ve hosted. Our staff and volunteers have been incredibly busy over the last month, preparing and organizing over 1000 artworks (actually, close to 1400 and counting …) submitted by 56 artists. Each winter, we think our Holiday Show is better than the last. And we’re always right! We cannot believe the artistry and creativity evident in the works submitted to this year’s show – every time we open a box of new pieces from one of our artists, we are amazed, delighted and happy that we will get to show them to our community!

This Year, Support Artists and Small Local Businesses and Skip the Gifts Sitting in a Container on a Cargo Ship!

We know — you’d love to put the latest smart phone or electronic device under someone’s Christmas tree. And there are lots of enticing cheap (aka cheaply made) toys for all ages on the internet and in box stores. But really. What about keeping the majority of your hard-earned money in your own community? Shopping at small locally owned businesses results in a better quality of life for everyone in our community because the money stays here!

And … the artwork (the gifts you guy at 1+1=1 Gallery) is already here. No waiting and worrying that your order of made-in-China items won’t make it in time because they’re sitting in a container just off the west coast. We actually have every item we are selling at the Holiday Show sitting in the gallery – and, every single item we are showing is truly unique, made by the hand of an artist with love and care. What could be better?

Details:

Opening Day: Saturday, November 20, 2021 10am to 5pm
Other Open House Saturdays: November 27, December 11, December 18 10am to 5pm
Gallery Hours: Tuesday through Friday 10 to 6; Saturdays 10 to 5
Closed Sundays and Mondays, plus Christmas Day and New Years Day
1+1=1 Gallery 434 North Last Chance Gulch
Shop the 2021 Holiday Show Online: 1plus1is1.com/gallery/

The 1+1=1 Gallery 2021 Holiday Show Has So Much to Offer Gift-Givers and Art Collectors Alike

The 2021 Holiday Show runs from November 20 through Jan 7, with new art added to the online catalog and the gallery exhibit floor every week. A bonus this year is that we will have four extra-festive Open House Saturday events: November 20th, “Shop Small Saturday” on November 27th, December 11th and December 18th. During our Open House Saturdays, shoppers can enter a drawing for an art-giveaway and meet some of the artists whose work is in the show. We also offer free artful gift-wrapping every day, for in-store purchases.

On Opening Day, our first Open House November 20th, we will have the Queen City Fusion Dance, a contemporary belly dance company, performing outside the gallery at 11am (fingers crossed the weather cooperates!)

Everything in the 2021 Holiday Show is $400 or less

Scratching your head about what to give your loved ones this season? We have you covered! We love helping you find gifts for your sweetheart, kids, neighbors, outdoor sport enthusiasts, art collectors, artists, nature-lovers, gourmet cooks, fashionistas, students, parents, distant cousins, bosses ,employees or clients. Just tell us a little something about the giftee and we’ll come up with some ideas for you. It’s our super power!

Find one-of-a-kind artist-made jewelry, big and small oil paintings, ceramic cups and charcuterie boards. Handmade artsy ornaments, functional pottery, sculpture of varied mediums, encaustic paintings, woodcuts, turned wood bowls, flower vases, monoprints and fiber art are available in person and in our online store.

Everything in the 2021 Holiday Gift Show is $400 or less — a fabulous selection for gift giving and for adding to your own art collection.

We’ve designed the Holiday Show to offer very affordable gifts of art to our customers. But don’t forget our downstairs art-storage space where you can discover artworks that don’t fit the “under-$400” requirement. We’d love to show you some hidden treasures that would make incredible gifts for those special loved ones in your life (and you know — that includes you!)

Artists in the 2021 Holiday Show

Karen Abel, Beth Aimee, Tina Albro, Wendy Anderson, John Andrew, Connie Bergum, Lori Blaylock, Sandi Bransford, Larry Calkins, Tim Carney, Boyd Carson, Chip Clawson, Clare Clum, April Coppini, Joyce Coolidge, Caroline Davis, Brad DeFrees, Marcia Eidel, Claire Emery, Dawn Endean, Amanda Fulk, Guylaine Gelinas, Nancy Goughnour, Paul Guillemette, Ashley Hanna, Cindy Hanson, SarahJess Hurt, Erika James, Bruce Kitts, Judy Kline, Bonnie Lambert, Michele Landsaat, Robin Leenhouts, Andy Lunday, Sarah Magar, Susan Mattson, Carol Montgomery, Carla Potter, Andrew Rivera, Molly Rivera, Laurie Shaman, Gabe Shaughnessy, Maureen Shaughnessy, Trudy Skari, Debbie Smith, Becky Street, Jennifer Thompson, Cheri Thornton, Ellie Weber, Joan Wescott, Lauren Zalewski, Matt Zavalney, Daniel Zupon and others.

Large Window Exhibit in September: All Clay

Helena is a ceramic town, anchored by the Archie Bray and augmented by art galleries and the Holter. We offer some of the most unique, creative pottery and ceramic sculpture in Helena through 1+1=1 Gallery exhibitions. We strive to show a mix of affordable clay by emerging artists and collector's ceramics by more experienced potters and sculptors. Come see what we have! Featuring clay art by Susan Mattson, Nancy Goughnour, Carla Potter, Maureen Cole, Trudy Skari, Gregg Edelen, Andrew Rivera, Eliza Weber, Wendy Anderson, Betsey Hurd, Bruce Kitts and others.

Small Window Exhibit Features Paul Guillemette and Michele Landsaat

In the small street-facing gallery window this month is a two-person show by Paul Guillemette and Michele Landsaat.

Paul Guillemette uses found objects, repurposed pieces of wood and natural objects he finds near his Los Angeles studio. His fabulous, colorful jewelry is popular in the big cities, and we happen to know it's very popular in Helena Montana! Necklaces, earrings, bracelets rings and cuffs ... there is bound to be the perfect piece of body-decor whether you are a diva who wants to command attention, or more subdued and just like to decorate your ears.

Michele Landsaat has shown in several exhibits at 1+1=1 and we hope know you will be as charmed as we are with her fragile-seeming, delicate etchings illustrating profound stories. Her prints are each pulled from an etching press by hand, and made in very limited editions. Michele comes from a background of bookmaking and writing. The stories she creates speak to an underlying and universal vulnerability, yet they are simultaneously whimsical in nature.

Dawn Endean and Caroline Davis are Featured Window Artists This Month

Seattle Artists Take Over our Large Gallery Window
What a delightful combination we have displayed in this month's street-facing window exhibit! Caroline Davis' contemporary jewelry and Dawn Endean's monoprint/etchings.

Caroline Davis, a jewelry artist from Seattle, is relatively new to 1+1=1 Gallery. She debuted at the gallery during our 2021 BODY exhibit this spring. So many of our visitors were blown away by her gorgeous designs, we made the decision to continue to carry her work year round. Caroline Davis is otherwise known as "CREO." Her work is contemporary, minimalist, gorgeous and carefully crafted with attention to detail. Come in to try on, or just go for it online!

Dawn Endean has been showing with 1+1=1 for several years and has gained in popularity and collectibility in our Montana market during that time. We are featuring her one-off (monprints) of dogs in relatable situations. (Do you have a dog who tried to take a mile when you give him an inch? Do you have a "Good Dog?" If you are a dog lover, or a printmaking lover, make sure to check out Dawn Endean's work. We also have several of the artist's tiny collages made from printmaking castoffs (something I myself do often) in small white frames.

Kid’s 2021 Fall Creativity Sessions at 1+1=1 Classroom

An Introduction

Our Fall 2021 art sessions are in a series of 9 weeks spread over September, October and November on weekdays after school. We will also have a winter series in January, February and March, culminating in our 6th Annual Young Voices student art exhibit at 1+!=1 Gallery.

After reading this post, if you would like to register your child for one of our art classes, please go to our class registration page and choose the appropriate age group series.
Details
WHO:Kids who want to learn more about creative expression.
COST: Studio Class Series: $450 for 9 weekly studios in Sept, Oct, Nov
WHAT’S INCLUDED: All supplies and a snack each weekly session
SCHOLARSHIPS: We are able to give partial scholarships to families in need of assistance.
TIME: Mondays after school, 3 to 5:30pm
DATES: See individual age-group days on registration page