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Tuesday 10am - 9pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 3pm

Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art

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Great Falls, MT
Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art

Founded in 1977, The Square is the premier contemporary art museum in north-central Montana!

We host world-class exhibitions, art classes, artist talks/lectures, and preserve contemporary art in Montana with our growing permanent art collection.

07/17/2026

The Outsider Gallery featuring Lee Steen: A Montana Original is back open with a fresh accent wall and a short film! The film features John Armstrong, the man who saved the Tree People after Lee Steen passed away, and brought them to their permanent home at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art.

If you can't make it into the museum to watch the film in-person, you can watch it anytime on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjG7MkDaU_c

About the Lee Steen: A Montana Original Exhibition:

Lee Steen: A Montana Original is a permanent installation in the Outsider Gallery of The Square. After their arrival to the museum in 1976, the Tree People sculptures were stored in the museum’s attic for years until conservation, cataloging, and exhibition design began in 1999 with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Montana Cultural Trust, and the E.L. Wiegand Foundation. Along with Armstrong’s foundational donation of more than 150 Tree People, Steen’s former neighbors, Virginia and Dean Howell, contributed an additional 10 sculptures. In September 2001, after decades of anticipation, the museum proudly opened Lee Steen: A Montana Original to the public, bringing Steen’s imaginative world to life for generations to come. Born in 1887, Steen transformed cottonwood branches into unforgettable characters using coffee cans, bottle caps, flowerpots, and scavenged odds and ends. Though he refused to exhibit them during his lifetime, his Tree People—now preserved in a museum rather than the Montana landscape that inspired them—continue to spark awe and imagination more than 50 years after his passing.

Filmed and Produced by Legacy Studio

07/16/2026

Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art presents Jesse Albrecht: Vessels of War and Recovery, an exhibition of ceramic works that explores themes of war, trauma, pain, joy, and healing through the transformative power of art.

Originally curated in 2023 by Kayla de la Ossa, Executive Director of the School House History & Art Center in Colstrip, Montana, the exhibition was developed in collaboration with artist Jesse Albrecht. The presentation also includes a companion booklet featuring essays by Albrecht, de la Ossa, artist Sean Chandler, and Alissa Kost, Executive Director of the Montana Art Gallery Directors Association.

The museum’s Veterans' Art Program—the first of its kind in a Montana museum—fosters meaningful partnerships with the veteran community and Malmstrom Air Force Base, creating opportunities for engagement and support through the arts.

Jesse Albrecht's exhibition, Vessels of War and Recovery, comprises 10 large pieces of wheel-thrown pottery. These are painted with underglaze and stamped with artifacts worn and carried by him while deployed in Iraq.

This exhibition originated at the Schoolhouse History & Art Center, organized by Executive Director, Kayla de la Ossa, and is sponsored by the Montana Art Gallery Directors Association (MAGDA), a state-wide service organization for nonprofit museums and galleries, and supported in part by grants from the Montana Arts Council, a state agency funded by the State of Montana; coal severance taxes paid based upon coal mined in Montana and deposited in Montana's Cultural and Aesthetic Projects Trust Fund; and the National Endowment for the Arts.

This exhibition was organized by Nicole Maria Evans, Chief Curator/Director of Curatorial Affairs. Exhibitions at the museum are supported in part by the Montana Arts Council, a state agency funded by the State of Montana, and the National Endowment for the Arts. We are funded in part by coal severance taxes paid based upon coal mined in Montana and deposited in Montana's cultural and aesthetic projects trust fund. Additional funding is provided by museum members and the citizens of Cascade County, Davidson Family Foundation, D.A. Davidson, Montana Credit Union, Hotel Arvon, First Interstate Bank, an anonymous donor, and Kelly’s Signs & Design.

Filmed and edited by Tim Lee, Legacy Studio
Montana Art Gallery Directors Association Jesse Albrecht Schoolhouse Shac

07/14/2026

Julie S. sent in this moment that she captured of two bucks enjoying the shade of Robert Harrison's Red House sculpture on our north lawn off of 1st Ave N! Thanks for sharing with us, Julie! 🦌🏠

07/13/2026

Steen Gallery Closed for Updates July 13 to 17, 2026
(All other galleries remain open)

Exciting changes are coming to the Lee Steen exhibition! Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art is the only museum with the largest collection of Lee Steen sculptures in the USA. It is a very special collection from Roundup, Mont., of what some specialists term "outsider art."

We will be installing a video wall which includes an interview with John Armstrong about the history of the museum’s Lee Steen permanent collection. It is an educational opportunity for all and a great way to learn the art history of our region — a true treasure to our city, state and nation.

Pictured: Natalie Nicolson, Facilities Manager/ Preparator works with Nicole Maria Evans, Chief Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs to prepare the gallery and manage the deinstallation and re-installation of some of the sculptures as well as prep the wall for video installation.

07/11/2026

Time is running out to submit your designs for this year's Arts on Fire Festival T-Shirt Design Contest. All entries must be sent in by Saturday, July 18! The contest is open to students K-12 (homeschoolers welcome) in Cascade County. All submitted drawings must be black and white line drawings (no shading or colors), as they will be only printed in one color. Learn more and download an entry form at https://www.the-square.org/events/aof15

07/10/2026

"Jesse Albrecht: Vessels of War & Recovery"
On view June 12 – September 12, 2026
Sponsored by Schoolhouse History & Art Center via the Montana Art Gallery Directors Association (MAGDA) https://www.the-square.org/albrecht

Shown here: Jesse Albrecht, "Front Towards Enemy", 2021, ceramic earthenware

“I realized that I was afraid of myself, that I created the world I was living in, or at least chose to continue to be in it. Pain has been my facilitator of personal growth, and I am learning to be thankful for that and not resentful. I realized I needed to seek the next level of care because I was afraid my daughter would be heavily impacted by my time in Iraq.

“Perception is reality, and I was convinced everyone was the enemy, when it was actually myself. This piece was in the 2023 National Juried Ceramics Show of the National Educational Conference on the Ceramic Arts.” — Jesse Albrecht

07/09/2026

"John Well-Off-Man: Language, Land, & Resistance"
On view June 19, 2026 – January 30, 2027
https://www.the-square.org/well-off-man
Shown here:John Well-Off-Man, "Untitled (Cree Syllabics)", 2026, acrylic on panel, Collection of the Artist

“Indigenous Language Revitalization is a vital, nationwide effort to save or revive Native languages that carry generations of knowledge, identity, and cultural memory. On the Rocky Boy’s Reservation, the number of fluent speakers continues to decline, and even fewer individuals today are able to read or write in Cree.

Unlike the alphabet-based system taught in most public schools, Cree is written using syllabics—a distinct and visually rich form of communication. This difference can make learning the language both challenging and deeply meaningful, especially for younger generations reconnecting with their heritage.

This series of painted Cree syllabics is intended as a visual and educational tool to support the learning process while honoring the beauty and structure of the language itself. By presenting syllabics in this format, I hope to make the language more accessible and engaging, encouraging students and community members to continue their efforts to speak, read, and write Cree.” — John Well-Off-Man

07/08/2026

Have family in town this summer? Add The Square to your list of must-see stops in Great Falls! Lee Steen's Tree People can't wait to meet new friends from near and far.

Learn more about Lee Steen and how his whimsical tree sculptures came to have their permanent home at the museum, thanks to artist John Armstrong: https://www.the-square.org/lee-steen

07/07/2026

"In Mythos & Fairy Tales: Works by Tawni Shuler"
On view June 26 – October 24, 2026
Sponsored by the Whitney Center for the Arts at Sheridan College via the Montana Art Gallery Directors Association (MAGDA)

Learn more: https://www.the-square.org/mythos

"Using warm and cool whites and various shades of rich black charcoal, I work additively and subtractively to create depth on a two-dimensional surface. Heavy thick fiber paper is employed to stand up to the layering of charcoals and pastels and constant erasure back down to the white pulp of the paper. I am channeling the stage lighting and intense drama created through the Baroque style of painting. Attention is drawn to specific parts of the piece by pushing the less important elements to the hazy background and bringing the more important features to the foreground and into focus to create a narrative. The two-dimensional surface of paper becomes the setting for imagery that is balanced between abstraction and representation, sharp or blurred, objective and subjective. Occasionally a small rich bit of symbolic color may be added to enhance the story." — Tawni Shuler

07/06/2026

Time is running out to submit your designs for this year's Arts on Fire Festival T-Shirt Design Contest. The contest is open to students K-12 (homeschoolers welcome) in Cascade County. All submitted drawings must be black and white line drawings (no shading or colors), as they will be only printed in one color. Learn more and download an entry form at https://www.the-square.org/events/aof15

Address

1400 1st Avenue N
Great Falls, MT
59401

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 9pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 3pm

Telephone

(406) 727-8255

Website

http://www.the-square.org/, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcEoVCiS4-Y2KhUCFrgAnEQ

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