Sue Cushman Named AAI 2017 Arts Benefactor

SEELEY LAKE – Alpine Artisans Incorporated (AAI) has a long-standing policy of each year honoring an AAI member or members who have exhibited exceptional support of the arts in the Clearwater Valley. Most often, the person chosen is a practicing artist in either the visual, performing or literary arts. However, the 2017 award recipient claims no outstanding ability in any of those realms. Nevertheless, AAI award presenter Russ Abolt called recipient Sue Cushman of Condon an artist in the largest sense of the word.

Abolt said, "[Cushman's] life is testament to living life as art. A master of engaging life, demanding the most from it and allowing those of us who know her to benefit from engaging with her."

Cushman said she was "delighted and very flattered" to receive the award. She said in its early days AAI was primarily an organization of working artists. She approached the group and asked if she could join: "I said. 'I'm not an artist; I'm an art supporter.' And they said 'Yes. We need those. Thank you very much.'"

For more than 20 years Cushman served in different volunteer positions at a variety of AAI activities. She often attended the pre-planning sessions and helped steer the direction of events such as Loon & Fish Festival and Wine & Chocolate Social. She consistently sold a record number of raffle tickets at those events. She also often volunteered to write thank you notes in AAI's name to the people who worked on those activities.

Cushman was an early supporter of AAI's performing arts branch 2 Valleys Stage (2VS), at one point serving on the 2VS Coordinating Council. She and her husband Bob Cushman regularly attended the yearly Montana Performing Arts Consortium (MPAC) presentations. MPAC provides a venue for musicians and other performance groups to audition in front of representatives from Montana's towns and cities. Cushman's voice was an important one in helping the 2VS director decide which groups to invite to perform concerts for the community and instruction to the students in our schools.

Cushman and her husband were especially generous in feeding and housing 2VS entertainers whenever they required accommodations in Condon. She likewise offered overnight hospitality to the Montana Art Mobile instructor who came for a yearly visit to the local schools. Cushman often attended their performances and presentations at Swan Valley School, helping or arranging for setup and cleanup when needed.

Hosting the many groups was an enjoyable task Cushman said. "I've had 11 'tromboners' for lunch, the Russian pianist and his interpreter, Matthew Marsolek – just so many people. We entertained them for a meal, or overnight, sometimes for the weekend. Those were real perks, as far as I was concerned. It was wonderful having all of those people to talk with."

As AAI continued into the twenty-first century, Cushman and a few other long-time AAI members began to feel the history of the organization was being lost. So they started collecting and collating photos, brochures, newsletters, programs and other pertinent memorabilia into scrapbooks that chronicled the progress of the organization from its inception.

The task was time-consuming, but Cushman said, "It was less the amount of time and work involved in putting scrapbooks together and more about recognizing what the beginnings of the organization were and how it had developed over time – and celebrating that."

Cushman said she prided herself on always taking an active interest in all of AAI activities. She said, "I paid a lot of attention to the budget. You know most people don't read all of that [budget and annual committee reports]. They don't concern themselves with the workings of it. And I always did."

Abolt alluded to the same quality, saying Cushman brought a no-nonsense clarity to the AAI annual and policy meetings she attended.

Abolt said, "We have benefitted from her penetrating questions on the issues."

Another area of support Abolt noted was that Cushman paid the highest compliment to AAI artisans by buying many of their art pieces. Her house is a mini gallery of AAI art.

Abolt included Cushman's husband in the Arts Benefactor award saying, "Bob has in so many ways been essential to [Sue's] well-being and ability to live life as art."

Abolt ended his presentation speech by saying Sue Cushman embodied the quote from Emile Zola, "...if you ask me as an artist what I came in this world to do, I, an artist, would say I came to live out loud."