SHARING THE UNTOLD STORIES
The Museum of the Rockies is committed to interpreting the Northern Rocky Mountains’ rich and diverse history through a variety of disciplines. Regional Western history, paleontology, and the geoecology of the Yellowstone ecosystem provide a solid foundation for the Museum’s excellence.
As a research museum, we can bring the tools of scholarship to the challenge of interpreting the cultural history that characterized the settlement of the West. By sharing the compelling stories and artifacts that connect us with the natural resources we all share, we will illuminate our own lives and those lived before us. Current debates over water rights, mining, endangered species, and land use all have roots in our semi-arid soil. Western history drives American history, and as we tell local stories through exhibits, our visitors will experience the larger forces that shaped the nation.
Under the guidance of Curator of History Michael Fox, the Museum has begun developing a fully integrated history program that combines research, scholarship, focused collecting, and exhibitions. A series of temporary exhibitions will be the leading edge and most visible aspect of this integrated approach.
Three exhibits are already under development or on display. The first, Little Shadow Catcher: The Photography of D. F. Barry opened at the Museum of the Rockies in January 2008. The second and third—Stewards of the Forest: The K.C. Whitman Photographic Collection and Indians of Yellowstone: Restoring a Presence—will come on line in 2009 and 2010. Other themes under consideration revolve around building a life in the Northern Rockies including mining and extractive industries, agriculture and ranching, and Native American nations and traditions. Each of these exhibitions will be designed and built for travel to other venues.
This focus on traveling exhibits significantly benefits the Museum of the Rockies in a variety of ways. As exhibits are developed, new scholarship emerges and new artifacts are offered to the history collections. Exhibit themes can be tested through temporary exhibits before incorporation into a future renovation of the Paugh History Hall. Additionally, these temporary exhibits can be marketed through the Museum’s new traveling exhibits rental program, which will be a significant new revenue source for the Museum and the history program.
As part of its current Capital Campaign, the Museum of the Rockies is seeking $200,000 as seed money for the development of these history-based temporary and traveling exhibits.
For more information, contact Shelley McKamey, Dean and Director, at smckamey@montana.edu or 406.994.6342.