Montana Natural History Center

See you tonight, Missoula!

I’ll be at the Montana Natural History Center tomorrow evening for First Friday, and I’d love to see you there.

My work will be on display at the museum through September. I’ll be there for the opening reception from 5–7 PM and would love to visit with you.

I started making art when I was a kid as a way to make meaning out of the world around me. I would spend hours tromping around the wilderness of Montana, drawing and making marks on anything I could, whether in the margins of my school papers, on a sandy beach, or whittling walking sticks around a campfire. Art has always been my primary tool for processing and learning about this wonderfully weird thing called life.

I was introduced to relief printmaking 20 years ago by my high school art teacher, Marvin Pauls, and was immediately hooked. My love of drawing and whittling wood merged into one process, and I have been practicing ever since. Every design is drawn, carved, and printed by hand.

I feel incredibly lucky to have grown up in Montana. Its natural beauty has always provided more than enough inspiration to keep my imagination flowing. This body of work is a reflection of the love, admiration, curiosity, and gratitude I have for nature, and I look forward to sharing it with you.

Friday, June 5
5:00–7:00 PM
Montana Natural History Center

Free and open to the public.

Whoo hoo! We are SO proud to share that MNHC won this year’s Commuter Challenge for the small-size category. We had a blast and can’t wait to keep up our sustainable commutes all year long!

Congrats to everyone! Missoula in Motion reports that this year’s challenge clocked:
- 10,825 sustainable trips logged
- 89 participating workplaces
- 930 participating employees
- $31,150 dollars saved
- 17 tons of CO2 diverted
- 687,699 calories burned

To quote Missoula in Motion, “WAY TO GO!” 😉💙🌳

Our Summer Master Naturalist (MN) Course started yesterday and students are out in the field all week, exploring hands-on in our wild spaces. This course sold out, but we have spots available in our upcoming MN Course for Teachers; a course designed for educators of all backgrounds and settings.

Master Naturalist Course for Teachers
June 22-26
9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
(Registration closes June 10th)

See link in bio for more information.

A few pictures from Nancy Seiler's last sold out color mixing class! There are still tickets available for her June 10th, Wednesday morning course on Color Mixing with Confidence! Grab your tickets today!

Hello June! We’re kicking off this month with a event with David Miles Lusk of Anomal press and a second session of Birding by Ear with MNHC's Ryan Mahar. Or join artist Nancy Seiler for some fantastic watercolor classes at the Native Plant Garden at Fort Missoula. There’s still room in our Master Naturalist Course for Teachers, but hurry, registration closes June 10th! We hope to see you soon at MNHC!

Friday, June 5th 5-7pM
FIRST FRIDAY
Inspired by Nature: Block Prints by David Miles Lusk
Cost: FREE, and open to the public

Saturday, June 6th 8-10AM
Birding by Ear, Session II
with Ryan Mahar
Cost: $35 MNHC members/$40 non-members

Monday, June 8th, 6-8PM
Nature Writing “Hush Hour(s)”
Every second Monday of the month
Cost: FREE and open to the public

Tuesday, June 9th, 9-11AM
Dig Your Own Native Shrubs
Cost: $20 MNHC members/$25 non-members
(1 child free per ticketed adult)

Wednesday, June 10th, 9AM-12PM
Confident Color Mixing for Nature Journaling
with artist Nancy Seiler
Cost: $45 MNHC members/$50 non-members

Wednesday, June 10th, 1:30-4:30PM
Color Mixing Greys, Blacks, and Neutrals for Natural Journaling
with artist Nancy Seiler
Cost: $45 MNHC members/$50 non-members

June 22-26th, 9AM-3PM
Master Naturalist Course for Teachers
Cost: $345 MNHC members/$375 non-members

We also have our weekly and monthly free programs including the Scavengers Photography Club, our Virtual Book Club, volunteering at the Native Plant Garden at Fort Missoula and MORE!

The museum is open for visitors all from 10AM-4PM Tuesdays-Saturdays!

For details and registration see our website — or see LINK in BIO!

A snapshot from today's field trip to Council Grove with students from our VNS classrooms!

May was a special time for the Visiting Naturalist in the Schools (VNS) program, as students enjoyed their spring field trips. This culminating event is a celebration of all of the naturalist skills and knowledge that our students learned throughout the school year, which were demonstrated with boundless curiosity and enthusiasm.

The VNS team would like to extend an enormous thank you to everyone who supported the program this year, including our wonderful staff, volunteers, teachers, chaperones, board members, and donors!

Wondering what to do with your evening on June 5th from 5-7? We have the answer! JOIN US and the talented David Miles Lusk of Anomal press for where David will share work from his block print collection (like this incredible water bird skull design made for MNHC!).

Come meet the artist, and enjoy a fun night at MNHC! David will provide a brief introduction about his work and its inspiration from the natural world.

Light snacks and beverages provided. We look forward to seeing you at this free and fun community event! 🙌

Learn more on our website!