ABOUT THE SHOW ROOM
The ZACC Show Room is located in the heart of downtown Missoula in the beautiful, historic Studebaker Building, and can house a maximum of 150 seated and 350 standing. Adjacent to the Show Room is the Blackfoot Gallery & Lounge, which can be booked in addition to the theatre for events requiring extra, separate space.
The name of our event center harkens back to the building's original use as an automobile garage and showroom. The Studebaker Building is listed on the National Historic Registry, and served a growing automobile industry from the 1920s through the 1950s, when its owner Louis Nybo sold and repaired Studebakers here — the then vehicle of choice for Missoula's police force.
SHOW ROOM AMENITIES
Our event center boasts 150 chairs, 20 rectangular 72" banquet tables, twelve 30" round wooden-top cocktail tables (which adjust in height), an adjustable theatre lighting system, a state-of-the-art sound system, backdrop and blackout curtains, a 5,000-lumen projector and 9' by 16' mechanical screen, a removable stage, a backstage area with access to the kitchen and upstairs bathrooms, with public access bathrooms and an interactive play space just outside the entrance. The Show Room holds a beer, wine, and cider non-profit service license, and events in the Show Room serving alcohol are catered to by trained and certified ZACC bartenders.
The Show Room is available to rent for private events, for use by non-profits, and for festival events requiring passes.
Performances in the Show Room are exclusively booked by the ZACC. To inquire about booking a show in the ZACC Show Room, please go to Book a Show.
The ZACC does not stock linens. If your event requires tablecloths or other linens we recommend renting from Missoula Textile Services.
The ZACC's kitchen is not commercial, and foods served to the public must be prepared offsite (though our kitchen is perfect for discreet food service prep/set-up and for keeping foods hot or cold). For great local catering, we recommend Biga Pizza, Masala, Bravo! Catering, and Burns St. Bistro.
If you have questions, please email Gallery and Venue Director Mikyla Veis, at mikyla@zootownarts.org.
Below are some examples of room layout, but they are by no means exhaustive. We work with you to arrange the space in the way best suited to your event.
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THRUST
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THEATER IN THE ROUND
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CENTER DANCE FLOOR
Annual Holiday Open House
Free & Open to All // First Friday, December 3, 5-8 PM // Masks Are Required (Please wear a mask when not actively drinking)
Fun Activities for the Whole Family, including: Ornament Painting, Bring-Your-Own-T-Shirt Screenprinting, Card Making, and Live Music
Friends & Family Annual Holiday Show in the Main Gallery
Reclaim / eł xʷlxʷilt: Works by Monica Gilles-Brings Yellow in the
Blackfoot Communications Gallery
Missoula Bird Nerds: Works by Dottie & Lucy Herring in the Youth Gallery
2021 Printmaking Class Works in the Phantom Gallery (upstairs by the Print Shop)
Live music in the ZACC Show Room by Cory Fay & the Good Goddamn from 5:30 to 6:30 PM and Jesse Hadden of Worst Feelings from 7 to 8 PM
Cash Bar with beer, wine, cider, and non-alcoholic options
THREE Santa Selfie Stations!
Head to the ZACC between the hours of 5 and 8 PM on Friday, December 3, and experience a magical holiday wonderland! Attendees will be given easy to follow maps at entry, and ZACC staff and Santa’s elves will be on hand to give tours of our three-story downtown building. Our 2021 Holiday Open House includes a variety of free – and super fun – activities for folks of all ages, including ornament painting, screenprinting (just bring your own T-shirt!), card-making, and THREE Santa Selfie Stations (complete with hilariously candid, life-size Santa cardboard cut-outs). There will also be two completely free live performances in our Show Room, with Cory Fay & the Good Goddamn returning for a second installment of their tragicomic holiday show from 5:30 to 6:30 PM (they live-streamed from the ZACC in December 2020, and they can’t wait to perform in-person for real people!), and Margi Cates & Nick Barr performing from 7 to 8 PM to round out the evening. And for your additional merriment, our Show Room bar will be open, with beer, wine, cider, and non-alcoholic options.
In addition to the free festivities, our annual Friends & Family Show is opening that night in the Main Gallery, with an array of affordable artwork made with love by artists who love the ZACC. Every year this show includes dozens of local and regional artists with works spanning all price points, so there really is something for everyone. Reclaim / eł xʷlxʷilt, works by Monica Gilles-Brings Yellow, will be featured in our Blackfoot Communications Gallery. Monica’s work is layered, complex, and stunningly beautiful, and uses historical images of Indigenous people in the hopes of offering a platform to discuss the resilience, importance, and impact Native people’s lives have had on present day society. Missoula Bird Nerds, drawings and paintings of birds by Dottie Moon Angilan Herring and Lucy Jones Niamin Herring, will be featured in our Youth Gallery.
Last but certainly not least, our Artist Shop (full of thoughtful, locally made gift ideas) will be open and stocked with perfect presents for anyone on your list. This very special annual Holiday Open House is totally free, though we would very much appreciate your consideration of an end-of-year donation to the ZACC.
