Nicole Buettner

Montana born-and-raised, Nicole enjoys exploring different mediums ranging from photography, ceramics, and collage with an emphasis on repurposing materials. After graduating MSU with a degree in photography, her focus regarding art has been relegated to more spontaneous, if not sporadic, tinkering. Often coming from a critical point of view, Nicole's work frequently touches on the impact of civilization on its environment.

Check out Nicole's work HERE.

Sarah Hurt

Similarly to most people, I spent most of my younger years trying to make sense of the world around me, and my family dynamics. Objects always made more sense to me with no confusion, no emotions to try to read, or body language to decipher. I also felt comfort from objects, like a physical memory - something tactile that held comfort and safety. Handmade objects were always a favorite, hand sewn quilts from my grandmother, handmade stuffed animals and clothes from my mother, a set of coil made clay pots my brother made. I learned from an early age that objects and object making made it easier for me to communicate. I’m inherently a collector, possibly verging on the obsessively collecting end of that statement. Every object has a story whether it was purely for utilitarian use or to be a shiny ashtray with pennies inlayed in it from Daytona beach that used to sit in your grandpa’s living room, that still holds the smell of burnt plastic and Marlboro Reds, some of us are a collection of things we a mass over time. For me I enjoy looking at that relationship between object and memory in my work. I repurpose already made things into new objects and build a narrative around object and memory. Why the cross in your mothers review mirror still resides in your top drawer long after she’s passed, and you have no belief in Christianity, why you hold on to that ex-boyfriend’s old t-shirt 20 years after stealing it. I love these connections. For me, objects give me some sort of a connection to a comfort I never would have had otherwise.

Kathryn Murphy

Kathryn Murphy is a Bozeman based visual artist. Drawing on inspiration from the invisible and visible nature of this world her constructed still life drawings and paintings invoke mystery and wonder. Her work focuses on being in the present moment, connecting to nature and allowing for the element of playfulness. She earned a BA in Fine Arts from Montana State University in 2016.

Image: "Red Study No. 1”; Oil painting on wooden panel