Helena-area arts and entertainment news

The Montana Historical Society’s Fall Lecture Series is back.

The programs begin at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 5, with author Ian Wilson giving a book talk on “Catastrophe at Custer Creek,” chronicling the most devastating train accident in Montana history. The wreck killed 49 passengers and crew members and injured another 75, making it the most devastating train accident in Montana history.

On Sept. 11 at 1 p.m. at Touchmark (915 Saddle Drive, Helena), Historic Architecture Specialist Lindsay Tran will share the story of “Lee Steen and the Tree People,” a sprawling roadside assembly of sculptures in Roundup. Steen fashioned the Tree People from cottonwood branches into human-like characters. Tran will highlight how Lee Steen remains a case study in the power of imagination.

The focus is on children and the Mann Gulch at 3 p.m. Sept. 14, at the Lewis & Clark Library. Staff from the Helena/Lewis and Clark National Forest will guide a hands-on children’s workshop focused on the causes, consequences and lessons learned from the deadly Mann Gulch fire.

Finally, on Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lewis & Clark Library, Martha Kohl, the MTHS Outreach and Education program manager, will speak about “Women’s Activism in Montana: The Progressive Era.” This lecture will explore the women organizers like Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, who worked to improve their communities and shape Montana politics and history. The lecture is offered to match the themes of the 2024 Big Read “The Cold Millions,” by Jess Walter.

All the programs are free and open to the public. Programs at the library will be recorded and available at the Montana Historical Society’s YouTube page. For more information, contact Lau Marsh at laura.marsh@mt.gov.

The Reeder’s Alley Summer Series continues 4-8 p.m. on Tuesdays through September.

This free, grassroots, dog-friendly event features live tunes by local musicians, food trucks, brews and wine, lawn games, living history demonstrations and Pioneer Cabin and alley walking tours.

People should bring a picnic blanket or lawn chair.

The series, hosted by local nonprofit Merlin and sponsors, runs 4-8 p.m. Tuesdays through the end of September.

Visit reedersalleybuzz.com for more info.

The Montana Old Time Fiddlers Association, District 3, will have Pickin’ at the Rock at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Boulder on Sept. 7.

This free event will feature informal jams, music seminars, a barbecue/potluck and an evening concert.

The event kicks off at 11 a.m. and is open to all acoustic instruments. The afternoon seminars go from 1-4 p.m.

The player showcase will be 4:30-6 p.m.

Music in the Barn will start at 7 p.m.

People are encouraged to bring a potluck dish and their dancing shoes.

For more info call 605-660-7511.

Campers are welcome to come in on Friday and stay through Sunday morning. Camping fees are $20 for dry camping and $30 for electric sites payable to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.

The Montana Old Time Fiddlers Association, District 3, is dedicated to the preservation of old time fiddle music in Montana, providing educational and performance opportunities for all.

The Holter Museum of Art is seeking submissions for the 2024 Ho Ho Holter Art Show and Sale, which will be held Nov. 8 to Dec. 31.

Submit your artwork and fine craft items to sell in the Holter Museum this holiday season and offer patrons unique, high-quality, handmade artwork.

The deadline to submit is Sept. 20.

This is a juried show. This is also the first year a small $20 application fee will be charged. We have decided to do this because Ho Ho requires a tremendous amount of work and effort from everyone involved, from artists to our staff. We want to show our support for those who work diligently to coordinate this beloved holiday event. The $20 application fee will be waived for those who apply who are already Holter members as a token of our appreciation for your commitment to the arts.

For full guidelines and important dates and details, visit Ho Ho Holter Application 2024 – The Holter (holtermuseum.org)

For more information, contact Curator Gianna Sherman at gianna@holtermuseum.org or Store and Permanent Collections Manager Hannah Harvey at hannah@holtermuseum.org.

Local artist Danielle O’Malley will share an artist talk on art and ecological appreciation during the “Artist Amplified at The Bray” event at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 19 in the Archie Bray Foundation Education Center.

O’Malley is a large-scale sculptor who works and resides in Helena. She received her MFA from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, completed a ceramics-focused post-baccalaureate program at Montana State University, and her BFA from Plymouth State University.

She has been a resident artist at the Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art and the Red Lodge Clay Center. She consistently participates in solo and group exhibitions.

O’Malley’s work can be found in the permanent collections of the Northwest Art Gallery in Minot, North Dakota, the Silver Bow Art Gallery in Butte, Montana, and the Taoxichuan Art Center in Jingdezhen, China.

The Bray’s Fall Continuing Education Clay Classes are back. The Bray offers adult (age 16-plus) continuing education classes for all student types, abilities and backgrounds.

Clay classes are 10-week sessions taught by professional artists. Students will have access to open studio time seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (outside of other scheduled classes).

General registration for fall 2024 classes opens Aug. 20 at 10 a.m., with classes beginning Sept. 23.

Register and sign up for our newsletter at archiebray.org/education/adult-continuing-education.

Raven’s Feather Productions is featuring international performance artist Bremner Duthie for his one-man show “Singing Into the Dark, 1933,” in Helena, Sept. 19-22.

This one-man play is set in an imagined version of a cabaret, Berlin’s Eldorado Club, after Hermann Goring ordered the theatres to close. One defiant actor attempts to perform the entire show.

Shows are 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18-21 with a 2 p.m. matinee Sept. 22 at the Helena Avenue Theatre, 1319 Helena Ave. Advance tickets can be purchased online at the Raven’s Feather website, www.ravensfeather.org/tickets, for $20 each.