Museum of the Plains Indian 2024 Summer Showcase Opens June 1st.

BROWNING, MONTANA: This Saturday, June 1st, from 3:00 pm-4:30 pm, the Museum of the Plains Indian will host a public celebration to open a special exhibition, the 2024 Summer Showcase, featuring works by Ishkoten Dougi, Barbara Gerard-Mitchell and Bobby Von Martin.  The exhibition will run from June 1 to September 28, 2024.  On June 1, 2024, there will be an opening for the exhibit . 

 Ishkoten Dougi, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation in Arizona, is a talented artist who works in an array of media types, including painting and sculpture. Ishkoten attended the Institute of American Indian Art (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico and the Al Collins Graphic Design School in Tempe, Arizona.  He is a full-time artist who resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

Ishkoten aims to capture both modern and historical reflections of his culture through his art.  His artwork confronts traumas that Native American communities have endured.   

Barbara Gerard-Mitchell, an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe in Montana, specializes in a variety of art mediums including oil and acrylic paintings, watercolors, pencil and ink sketch drawings and portraits. Barbara earned an Associates of Fine Arts Degree from the IAIA in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She owns and operates a private studio gallery called “Wild Horses” in Cut Bank, Montana, where she resides. 

Barbara’s inspiration comes from growing up around the Blackfeet Reservation and Glacier National Park. Drawn to the landscape, she desires to capture the essence of nature.   

Bobby Von Martin, an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is an accomplished, self-taught artist who creates his art using paints, illustrations, and designs. He is the creator of the “Honor Your Elders” Art Show in Fresno, California, which will hold its 7th annual show in 2024.  

Bobby’s passion is to educate, inspire and raise awareness on Native American mental health and prevention programs. He believes that art is not just a way to cope, but it is therapy.  

The Museum of the Plains Indian is managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Arts and Crafts Board.  For admission fees and hours of operation, please call the Museum of the Plains Indian at (406) 338-2230.