Refuge on hiatus for six months starting in November

After fifteen incredible years of providing time and space to artists from around the corner and the globe -- from the Northern Cheyenne Reservation to South Africa, from San Francisco to Detroit, and Dillon to Helena -- MAR is transforming itself to bring new life and creative energy to the organization.

The founders of MAR have made the decision to make way for a second generation of leaders and visionaries.  Saying good-bye to founders is one of the most important transitions an organization ever makes.  MAR’s founders are passing the torch to a talented collective that is profoundly committed to the mission of supporting artists and enriching communities in Southwestern Montana.

Over the years, MAR has produced many exciting and unique projects at its location in Basin Montana, including Bently Spang’s “Techno Pow Wow”, Margaret Baldwin’s “Red Cabinet Theatre” and a summer dance workshop entitled “Viewpoints Institute Montana” presented by the viewpoints founder, Mary Overlie. We have reached out to the larger community with poetry readings, writing workshops, studio tours, and art in the many local schools. We believe our most important jobs are to provide artists the time they need to reflect and create and to sustain a vibrant arts presence in our rural community.

Starting in November of 2008, MAR will take a six-month winter break. We will dedicate this time to: a period of re-visioning and reinvigorating the second generation of this invaluable space for artists; expanding and strengthening the board; reinvigorating our fundraising, recruitment of artists and marketing efforts; and developing a plan for purchasing the buildings.

We began the refuge with the belief that art is fundamental to life. We have had fifteen great years watching what that belief has grown. We’re ready for fifteen more! And we welcome anyone who is up to the challenge to join in the fun.

Read about MAR's new board president here.

Missoula Independent Features Artists Refuge

The appeal of the refuge, like Basin itself, has as much to do with what’s there as what’s not. The founders—a group of alternative artists and their friends—first arrived in the early 1970s looking for an affordable place to live and work. They expanded on the simple conceit 20 years later by opening MAR, keeping the frills to a minimum and the personal touches at a premium.

From "Drawn to Basin," by Skylar Browning, photos by Chad Hardere. . Missoula Independent, May 1, 2008 issue (Vol. 19, No. 18).

Autumn vacancies!

Two in September: one for a writer (Back Dyott) and one for a visual artist (Hewitt Upstairs).

One in October: for a writer (Back Dyott). 

Contact Debbie for more information.

Also, see new photos of the Front Dyott apartment.