Gallery Opening on First Friday, October 4, 5-8 PM
Gallery Opening is Free & Open to All

The ZACC is excited to present works by Morgan Legare and Monica Thompson, Missoula Monster Project Art Teachers, in the Blackfoot Communications Gallery this October, with a public opening on First Friday, October 4 from 5-8 PM.

ABOUT THE ART: MORGAN LEGARE
Art is intimate and powerful; it can evoke emotions, echo memories, share experiences, speak truth, and engage viewers. Valuing intimacy, my work emulates fragility and familiarity. This intimacy invites viewers to personally interact and connect with the work. My work also offers an opportunity to acknowledge details often overlooked or ignored. Exploring themes of narration and neglect, the work invokes contemplation. The ambiguity of these narratives leaves viewers to reflect; providing moments of responsibility and empathy.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: MORGAN LEGARE
Born and raised in Montana, the surrounding landscapes and wildlife influence many of Legare’s early and current works. During early education, Legare trained as a painter. During her Senior year at Billings Senior High School, Legare became the youngest intern at the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings, MT. This experience aided Legare in developing her professional career and connection; while giving her experience in museum and gallery work.

Legare currently lives in Missoula, MT and attends the University of Montana. In her last academic year, Legare will graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a K-12 Art Education Licensure with an Art History minor. While studying at the University, Legare has acquired new mediums and interdisciplinary techniques. Although she continues to develop her painting techniques, Legare also explores sculpture as a new form of expression. Her work discusses the theme of narrative relating to home and/or the natural world.

Legare has participated in over 17 different exhibits throughout Montana, including Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings; Radius Gallery, Missoula; Tereakedis Fine Art Gallery, Billings; and University Center Art Gallery, Missoula. Legare previously worked as the Gallery Supervisor at the University Center Art Gallery. Since graduating with her Bachelors of Fine Arts and Art Education from the University of Montana, Legare currently works as a Visual Arts Specialist Educator in the Missoula County Area. Eventually, Legare hopes to pursue a Master of Fine Arts.

ABOUT THE ART: MONICA THOMPSON
In my work, I am striving for order while simultaneously compelled to create chaos- resulting in tension and harmony between these two seemingly incongruous states of being. Inspired by the purity and austerity of Japanese textile processes, I look to deconstruct and re-assemble these ideas to reflect my Midwestern upbringing. Also at play is the inspiration I find in my current home of Montana and the fauna found within. The result is a deliberate mismatch of themes punctuated by abundant color and rich pattern. Technically, I use hand-dyed raw silk, which is then often printed on; purposefully choosing impractical labors with the intention of instilling self-imposed purity in my process.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: MONICA THOMPSON
Monica Thompson lives and works in Missoula. She studied Fibers and Graphic Design at the University of Michigan and Textiles at the Penland School of Crafts in Penland, NC, where she was awarded the Edwina Bringle Scholarship for a student showing excellence in textiles. She has exhibited in solo and juried group exhibitions throughout Montana and the northwest, including the Paris Gibson Museum of Art, and the Missoula Art Museum annual auction. Thompson teaches Elementary art in the Missoula County Public Schools.