Another Great Summer Professional Development Opportunity

Charlie Russell: The Artist and His Friends in Glacier National Park 

Immerse yourself in the world of renown American artist Charles M. Russell (d. 1926) and his friends in Glacier National Park in August this summer during a FREE four-day workshop. 

In the early 20th century, Charlie and his wife Nancy Russell spent every summer for over 20 years at their Bull Head Lodge on Lake McDonald. It was also a meeting place for significant artists, writers, environmentalists, and musicians of the time. Participants in this four-day workshop will hear from leading historians, arts and cultural leaders, and experience first-hand beloved places in the Park that inspired Charlie and his friends.  Selected teachers and museum educators will gain a better understanding of the Hockaday Museum of Art’s art collection and Library of Congress primary sources related to Russell, his friends, and the region. During the workshop, participants will design ways to share those primary sources with their students and patrons through lectures, immersive experiences, and curriculum development.

Who: Teachers and Museum Educators with interest in the influence of Charles M. Russell and other artists concerning Glacier National Park, Montana, and regional Indigenous Tribes. The 20 selected participants will have the opportunity to receive OPI Renewal Credits. 

Focus: The effective use of primary sources from the Library of Congress and other sources when teaching in K-12 classrooms and museum settings. In addition to viewing original art works in collections of the Hockaday Museum of Art and Glacier National Park, participants will learn to access art and information about the artists in the collections of the Library of Congress, the Montana Historical Society, Montana Museum of Art and Culture, and other repositories.  

When: August 15-18, 2024 

Where: Hockaday Museum of Art Kalispell, MT and Glacier Institute, Glacier National Park, MT

Cost: The workshop is funded by a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching Primary Sources. Should you be selected, we will cover art and workshop supplies, meals and 3 nights lodging at Glacier Institute Field Camp and all presentation activities in the park. Your only cost will be transportation to the museum in Kalispell on Thursday, August 15 and to and from Glacier Institute in Glacier National Park.

Itinerary overview: Selected participants begin their adventure in Kalispell on Thursday, August 15, 2024, with a welcome lunch and an introductory Museum tour by Hockaday staff. They then journey to the Glacier Institute Field Camp in Glacier National Park where invited scholars and staff settle in for a “Weekend with Charlie and His Friends.” Offering an immersive historical experience, participants will encounter living history interpreter Mary Jane Bradford as Nancy Russell. The program includes sessions with noted experts on Charles M. Russell: Larry Len Peterson(remotely), Kirby Lambert, and Jennifer Bottomly O’Looney, indigenous perspectives from Jack Gladstone and Kevin Kicking Woman, nature baths–a meditative group exercise led by Zowie Caoudette at the top of Logan Pass, tours of Glacier Lodge art and architecture with Raphael Chacon, and hiking Avalanche Lake trail, where participants will learn to plein air paint with Hockaday Education Director Kathy Martin. All the experiences will be woven together with primary sources from the Library of Congress, the Hockaday Museum of Art, the Russell Museum, Glacier Institute, Glacier National Park, and the Montana Historical Society.

How to Apply:  Complete and submit this google form.  Applications reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis with final notification and participant confirmation by June 30, 2024.

P.S. Don't forget to submit changes of address, sign up for June workshops, and complete the year-end survey!