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 FIRST - Art Museum in MT, WY, ID, ND and SD Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 46° 51.547 W 113° 59.200
12T E 272347 N 5193839
There were five buildings built on the U of M campus in the years 1935 to 1939. This building housed the first art museum in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and both North and South Dakota.
Waymark Code: WMN5AX
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 12/28/2014
Views: 1
The low, square ART MUSEUM (open 1-5 weekdays except during meetings in auditorium), S. of Oval on Maurice Ave., was dedicated in 1937.It is the first art museum in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, or the Dakotas an area once described by a magazine as "from the standpoint of art a cultural air pocket . . . with a nostalgia for national prominence in the arts. ..." Handicapped by lack of funds, the museum was obliged to begin its art collection with a group of 47 collotype facsimiles stressing artistic quality rather than "price tag aesthetics." The facsimiles, carefully chosen for their faithfulness to the originals, included copies of works by such masters as Monet, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Degas, Gauguin, Kent, Cezanne, and others. A set of lantern slides is used chiefly by study groups to illustrate architecture, painting, and sculpture.
Montana: A State Guide Book, 1939
This smaller than the norm building is noticeable if only for its simplistic Art Deco Design. Originally the Women's Club, it has also become an arts display building, a Continuing Education Center and a centre for International Programs. In 1939 it housed the art museum, one of its original purposes, the other being a clubhouse for the Women's Club which had, in partnership with the PWA, financed the building. It is directly southwest of The Oval, tucked in behind the Native American Center.
A contributing building to the University of Montana Historic District, more information on the building can be found on Page 11, Section 7 of the U of M Continuation Sheet.
Woman's Club & Art Building
Architects designing campus buildings between 1935 and 1939 were faced with a dilemma. Should they choose the style of most previous campus buildings or opt for the modern designs prevailing throughout the nation? In a compromise, three of the five buildings constructed during this phase allude to the previous style, but the Student Union and this building proudly illustrate the modern Art Deco architectural movement. Very simple in design, the building features a flat roof, windows framed in terra cotta, and a stepped parapet. Completed in 1937, the building was financed by the Woman’s Club of Missoula and the PWA. It originally served as a clubhouse and art building housing the first art museum in the inland Northwest. Later occupied by the Alumni Association, the building now accommodates Continuing Education and the Woman’s Club of Missoula.
From the NRHP Plaque
FIRST - Classification Variable: Item or Event
Date of FIRST: 01/01/1937
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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