Group looks to 'enrich' county residents with art, music

It wasn't much, but for the Sanders County Art Council, every little bit helps. The nonprofit group last week was awarded a $500 grant from Blackfoot Telephone Company to help with the upcoming baroque festival in August.

Jean Morrison, a Plains resident and a member of the Sanders County Art Council, is hoping to get word about three other grants they've applied for that will fetch about $5,000. The “Best of Baroque - Vivaldi meets Bach in Paradise” - is the biggest event of the year for the art council, said Morrison, one of the founders of the group, which is in its fifth year. The baroque is the only three-day event sponsored by the council.

The baroque festival has been held at Quinn's Hot Springs Resort on Highway 135 for five years and cost the council a little over $21,000, said Morrison, who added that the festival is put on with money from grants and donations. Although the council pays for the artists to perform in Sanders County, Morrison said they don't come for the money, but mostly “for the beauty of the area and to share their music.” She said the festival brings in world-class musicians, including Monica Huggett, a violinist from Great Britain, who's performed every year since it began. People have come from outside the country just to hear Huggett and other renown artists, said Denise Moreth, general manager at Quinn's, who is involved in the planning of the festival. The resort helps sponsor the concert by providing meals and lodging for the performers.

Morrison said that baroque music, dated from about 1620 to 1750, is something people in Sanders County seldom get an opportunity to hear live. She said the arts council had a DVD produced of the baroque festival, which helps promote the event and is sent along with every grant application.

Grants are instrumental to the success of the Sanders County Art Council, which has almost a dozen members with Plains resident Mary Lou Hermes as the group president. The art council was established in the fall of 2003 and received its nonprofit status the following March. The group has, so far, received about 10 grants, ranging from about $500 to $2,000. “The grants are keeping arts alive in Sanders County,” said Morrison.

The council has sponsored numerous events, including musical performances, plays and art exhibitions. This is the second year for the organization to sponsor the “Art on the Walls” exhibit at Clark Fork Valley Hospital. The present exhibit includes 28 pieces from Sanders County artists, which will continue until the end of March, when the council will be looking for new art for the April to June show.

The group sponsored the Montana Repertory Theater's “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at Plains High School Feb. 11 and dinner theater performances at Quinn's.

The Sanders County Art Council will also bring in “The Messiah,” a performance by the Chamber Chorale of the Missoula Community Chorus. The performance is scheduled to take place at the Assembly of God Church in Plains Friday, March 7.

The council, along with the Friends of the Library and the Humanity Montana Speakers Bureau, sponsored “Chrysti the Wordsmith” - Chrysti Smith - at the Plains Public Library in November. Smith, an author who has been featured on public radio, specializes in the study of words and their origins.

Morrison said the organization will sponsor a performance by the Rocky Mountain Ballet April 13 at Plains High School gymnasium. She said the group later will be giving a show in Beijing, China, for the Olympics.

She said that although most of the events they've sponsored have taken place in the Plains/Paradise area, they are open to sponsoring events anywhere in Sanders County. “I've had tremendous feedback from people who have encouraged us to continue,” said Morrison, who added that the council is always looking for more members and additional volunteer help at events.

The official mission statement of the arts council is: “To foster and promote all forms of art through public performances, workshops, exhibits, and any and all appropriate means throughout Sanders County.” Those interested in learning more about the council can check out their Web site at scart.org