Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • W I N T E R 2 0 1 7 42 ing the ecological needs and significance of bats, Tyler melded his artistic sensibilities with the practical conservation goal of supporting declining bat populations in the upper Blackfoot Valley. is marriage of landscapes, conservation, communities, culture, history and art is powerful. My small Dunrovin experience allowed me to see firsthand how art can shift long-held perceptions about a place and one's relationship to it, and how it can viscerally com- municate complex emotions and attachments to place and beliefs. ese shifts are without doubt happening in Lincoln. e Blackfoot Pathways accessibility invites children to play among and around the sculptures, introducing them to abstract concepts and making art a part of their everyday lives. is is not art presented behind evenly light museum walls of glass, but art that can be touched, and seen in the alpenglow of sunrises and sunsets, be ex- perienced during the snow of winter and the heat of summer. It is a place of celebrations, church services, native American blessings, and community concerts. It is a living expression of a community's pride, perseverance, resilience, and inner beauty. Highway 200 travelers spotting the Welcome Sculptors sign on the marquee of the Wilderness Bar immediately understand that Lincoln is not your typical back woods community. Something special is happening here. Wilderness, rivers, sculptures, sense of place, pride in history, community spirit, common purpose, old and new, swirl together to form a potent atmosphere of possibilities. Who knows where it will go? How far will those ripples started by that casual conversation among artists go? Only time will tell. Time and the footsteps of the many people who come to walk the Blackfoot Pathways, contemplate the relationship between landscapes, peoples, and communities. You can add your footsteps to that path. You can be part of Lincoln's possibilities. It certainly happened to me. HIGHWAY 200 TRAVELERS SPOTTING THE WELCOME SCULPTORS SIGN ON THE MARQUEE OF THE WILDERNESS BAR IMMEDI- ATELY UNDERSTAND THAT LINCOLN IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL BACK WOODS COMMUNITY. SUZANNE MILLER Hill and Valley in winter ROGER DAY, BLACKFOOT VALLEY DISPATCH "A store as unique as Missoula." 301 N. Higgins Missoula, MT Mon - Fri: 10am - 6pm Sunday: 12pm - 4pm 406-541-0080 greenlightmt.com

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