Create. Community.
The beautiful landscapes of Montana have fueled creativity for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The Blackbird Residency was established for artists to be inspired by their surroundings, both the physical and spiritual. It is our hope that this program will guide artists to create new work and provide opportunities to build community through conversation and engagement.
In 2024, The Blackbird Residency was established as a place-based arts initiative focused on artist development in both creativity and advocacy. Additionally, the program prioritizes engagement with local and regional communities, with the resident artist acting as steward for the larger art community. It is our intention that as they discuss their own work it promotes conversations about accessibility to art and it’s role in society.
As a fully-supported residency, emerging artists are given the opportunity to disconnect from their traditional lives for a time and self-reflect upon what motivates them as an artist. It is our hope this provides them with a renewed connection to themselves as an artist and provides them with the path to see their work in new and exciting ways.
Although autonomy is a central tenet of the program, we urge participants to engage with audiences in the Bozeman area on at least two occasions during their residency. By doing this we hope to give our artists the communication skills to act as stewards of the larger artist community in order to bring about discussions regarding the importance of art in creating community among diverse populations.
THE BLACKBIRD RESIDENCY 