L ANOTHER OUSTANDING MONTANA NONPROFIT. CHARLIE RUSSELL
The Bison: American Icon, Heart of the Plains Indian Culture
WHO:
C.M. (Charlie) Russell lived with one foot planted firmly in each of two centuries. With the first foot, as a young adult, Charlie spent most of the latter part of the 19th century as a cowboy, exchanging sheep-herding for cattle wrangling, with planned side-trips and encoun- ters with the last vestiges of the roaming Northern Plains Indians, while dabbling in drawing and art. His other foot was planted in Great Falls toward the turn of the century, where he took up residency as a full-time artist, producing nearly 4,000 works of art during his remaining years. Char- lie was a cowboy, an artist, sculptor, writer, historian, and early environmentalist. A bit of a Luddite, who abhorred the auto, his final wish to be carried to his burial by a horse- drawn carriage took place in 1926.
WHAT:
The C.M. Russell Museum: Great Falls, Montana. "A place where the Old West is still alive. Artist Charles M.
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Russell captured the landscapes, the spirit, and the culture of the West during the late 1800s and early 1900s. His artwork is "part entertain- ment, party history lesson."
ART:
Charlie's painting Piegans sold for $5.6 mil- lion in 2005.
EXTRAS: Visit Charlie's home and studio, furnished with Russell memorabilia and period pieces.
WEB SITE: www.cmrussell.org
MAJOR EVENT: The Russell; March 15-17, 2012 . Three days of social and cultural exchange, culminating in the Art in Action and the Russell Live Art Auction.
DISTINCTLY MONTANA • WINTER 2011
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COURTESY C.M. RUSSELL MUSEUM
