Around the Town: Helena-area arts and entertainment news published June 2 | Local

Helena’s 1+1=1 Gallery continues their year of education-focused exhibits with a new show that introduces visitors to one of the oldest (and longest-surviving) media: encaustics. “Poetic Fusion,” an invitational exhibit showcasing the work of six encaustic artists from around the region, opens on Saturday, June 4.

Encaustic artists add colored pigment to a heated mixture of beeswax and damar resin, one carefully melted layer at a time. The finished pieces consist of sometimes dozens of layers of pigment, wonderfully detailed texture, and imagery that ranges from the representational to the abstract. 

Two of the participating artists, Helena’s Kris Larson and Portland’s Erika James, will share brief presentations about their practice during Saturday’s Open House. Other opportunities to interact with the artists are planned throughout the exhibit. Helena artist Carol Montgomery, Bozeman’s Darla Myers, Kathy Fisher of Golden, Colorado, and Joyce Watts Coolidge of Anchorage, Alaska, are also participating in the show.

The exhibit will have a virtual component, available online at https://1plus1is1.com/2022-poetic-fusion. Website visitors can learn more about the participating artists via video profiles that include a candid conversation with gallery owner Maureen Shaughnessy and a studio visit. The website also features a gallery of all the pieces included in the exhibit as well as individual artist catalogs.

“Poetic Fusion” will be on display until Saturday, July 9. The 1+1=1 Gallery is located at 434 North Last Chance Gulch in Helena, and is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

The Archie Bray Foundation has teamed up with The Jentel Foundation to facilitate a writers residency in the field of ceramic art. This collaboration is aimed at developing opportunities annually for in-depth scholarship about the ceramic arts and to further enrich the creative environment of each residency program. Learn more about this residency program at www.archiebray.org.

This year’s Writer in Residence is Sarah Darro (@sarahdarro). Darro is a curator and writer working at the nexus of contemporary art, craft, and design. She has established an intersectional curatorial vision that is invested in reinvigorating museum spaces as forums for discourse, innovation, action and engagement through experience. Her research interests range from architecturally-influenced design and the agency of objects to artist communities, socially engaged practice and relational aesthetics.

Rock out with MYNXX, a hot new Montana glam rock band out of the Flathead playing at The Myrna Loy, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 9.

The all-girl band formed in the pandemic and it’s a dream come true for vocalist Halladay Quist, the daughter of one of Montana’s most-famous musicians, Rob Quist.

Turning in her banjo and bass, Halladay’s picked up the electric guitar and adds her talents to the band’s soaring three-part harmonies.

Joining her is multi-instrumentalist Erica Von Kleist, a Juilliard School graduate, who’s performed on Broadway and musical festival stages.

Rounding out the trio on drums is Sarina Hart, a native of Hawaii with a degree in theater arts.

They describe their rock music as “playful, animated and entertaining.”

These gals just like to have fun, so expect a few meows, cat ears and maybe even whiskers.

The concert will be filmed for a future episode of The Myrna Soundstage.

Tickets are $18 and available at 15 N. Ewing St., https://themyrnaloy.com/. For more information, call 406-443-0287.

Boot Juice out of the Sierra Nevadas is on tap for the June 8 installment of the Alive at Five free outdoor concert series in Helena. 

“They have a very unique sound to them – kind of Americana, a little bit of bluegrass – and just a really unique sound that I thought would go over well,” said Mike Rooney, former operations director for event sponsor Downtown Helena, Inc.

Alive at Five runs Wednesdays from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. June 1-Aug. 3. The June 8 event is at Women’s Park. 

Wilbur Rehmann on saxophone and Ken Nelson on piano are performing at Benny’s Bistro Friday, June 3. Blues, bebop and ballads are in the program. The boys might even do a couple of Bossas.

Meg Gildehaus of the popular Billings synth pop band Gilda House takes the stage at The Myrna Loy for a live concert 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 2, that will also be filmed for a future SoundStage.

The immensely talented singer likes to describe their music as “vibey synths meet cinema and contemplation.”

Music lovers may have seen the Red Lodge native singing with the city’s uber-popular Arterial Drive dance band that regularly cleaned up on the Magic City’s annual music awards.

Now Gildehaus is fronting her own trio doing vocals and bass synth, with Tony Morales on guitar and keys and Zak Bracy on drums.

The 70-minute show will be followed by an onstage interview by musician John Dendy.

The Myrna Loy is a sweet fit for the sort of club atmosphere Gildehaus likes to create and immerse her music and audience in.

Tickets are $18 and available at 15 N. Ewing St., themyrnaloy.com. For more information, call 406-443-0287.

Lewis & Clark Tap Room is planning the following events:

• Tylor & The Train Robbers with Jeff Crosby perform from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, June 2. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 the day of the show.
• Cody Canada & The Departed with special guest Kevin Galloway bring on the Country Friday, June 3 from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the show.
• Vinyl City will bring the 60s through 90s classic rock, blues, Americana, pop and a hint of country on Saturday, June 4 from 7 to 10 p.m.

For info on all shows: Lewis & Clark Tap Room, 1535 Dodge Ave., https://lctaproom.com/ or call 406-442-5960.

Cohesion Dance Project is hosting a traditional African ensemble to perform live music. Come enjoy a cultural adventure with Tsooboi Ensemble, an African traditional music and dance group from Ghana touring the United States.

The group will be performing live at the Cohesion Center, 1020 Argyle St.

Saturday, June 4: 3-4 p.m. — Live drum and dance performance

Sunday, June 12: 3-4 p.m. — West African drum and dance class

Tickets range from $8 to $20. To get more information or to purchase tickets visit www.cohesiondance.org.

The Montana Playwrights Network (MPN) is pleased to host “The Carnegy Show, a Musical Odyssey” at the Helena Avenue Theatre (HAT), 1319 Helena Ave. on June 10, 17 and 24, with curtain at 7:30 p.m. This unique and entertaining musical series features the mysterious Carnegy, the man, the myth, and the legend, along with prominent guest artists in each one-of-a-kind performance:

• June 10: Mental health advocate and ambassador for “Bring Change 2 Mind,” co-founded with sister, Glenn Close, Jessie Close
• June 17: Grammy Award-winning songwriter of over 50 Top 10 hits, Kostas
• June 24: Singer/songwriter and enigma, William Blake

The show is recommended for adults over 18, and admission is $30. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.com or at the door with a reservation. Call or text 406-235-0353 to make reservations and for more information.

Jamie Gehring, author of “Madman in the Woods: Life Next Door to the Unabomber,” will have several events open to the public in Montana in early June.

• June 4: 2-4 p.m., Gehring will be at Aunt Bonnie’s Books in Helena, 419 N. Last Chance Gulch. She will be signing books and sharing pictures about living next door to Ted Kaczynski, known as “The Unabomber.”
• June 4: 5 p.m., she will be at the Montana Book Co., 331 N. Last Chance Gulch. Join Gehring for a conversation about “Madman in the Woods,” book signing and questions about living next door to the Unabomber.
• June 5: 3:30-5 p.m., she will be at The Montanan in Lincoln for a book signing.
• June 7: 7 p.m., she will be at Fact & Fiction Bookstore, 220 N. Higgins Ave. in Missoula. There will be conversation and book signings with memoir authors Jamie Gehring and Keema Waterfield.

Award-winning author and Helena business owner, Jon Ring is hosting a book release party on June 4 from 2:30-5 p.m. at (his business) White Knight Games & Hobbies, 1200 Euclid Ave.

Ring’s book, “Stained Echoes Tales of the Mystery and Macabre” is his second book of fictional short stories. He also recently got the news that his first book won a silver medal in the Independent Book Publishers Association Fiction: Horror category.

Nearly 90% of flowering plants rely on approximately 200,000 species of animal pollinators for fertilization. Smithsonian Gardens and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service present “Pollination Investigation,” a poster exhibition that explores the who, what, when, where, why, and how of pollination by interpreting the unique relationship between pollinators and flowers. The posters will be on view at Lewis & Clark Library East Helena Branch June 1-July 31.

“Pollination Investigation” showcases how pollinators are vital for a strong ecosystem as most plants need their help to fertilize flowers and reproduce. The exhibition features seven “pollinator profiles” for bees, beetles, butterflies, hummingbirds, flies, moths, and wind (along with special references to bats and water). Using a field-journal theme, each profile describes the pollinators’ favorite flowers based on floral characteristics encouraging exploration into flower shape, color, scent, and more. The set of 14 posters is bilingual (English and Spanish) and designed to educate and inspire people to explore the natural world looking at flowers and insects.

760 Great Northern, 406-442-4225, cinemark.com

• Top Gun: Maverick, PG-13
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, PG-13
• The Bob’s Burgers Movie, PG-13
• The Bad Guys, PG
• Downton Abbey: A New Era, PG
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2, PG
• The Lost City, PG-13
• Montana Story, R
• Father Stu, R

15 N. Ewing,406-443-0287, myrnaloycenter.com