Taking Art on the Road

SEELEY LAKE – Each year, the Art Mobile of Montana (AMM) hires a qualified art instructor to load approximately 30 fine art pieces into a van. The instructor then drives all over Montana displaying the pieces and giving art lessons at schools and other venues. While the job has many rewards, 2017-18 instructor Tess Fahlgren said it also has a lonely side.

Asked what was the best part of her AMM experience, Fahlgren replied without hesitation, "The kids. Definitely the kids." She added that it is even more enjoyable the second year, "It's really fun to go into a school and everyone likes you and wants to talk with you. There is excitement to see what you brought this time, because they remember your last visit. You get hugs."

But in between those fun visits, there is a lot of long, lonely driving. Even when she is back in Missoula, Fahlgren said, the job can be lonely. "I work from home when I'm home. So I work by myself. And I work from the van when I'm on the road and from hotel rooms. It's not for everybody. It's like maybe every other weekend I get to see my boyfriend and do something with my friends."

Ideally, the schedule works out to one week on the road followed by one week off. The week Fahlgren was in the Seeley Swan area, she worked in Condon at Swan Valley Elementary on Monday and at Seeley Lake Elementary on Tuesday. By Wednesday she was doing a presentation in Creston; Thursday, she was scheduled to pick up some art in Browning; Friday a presentation in Polson, and then she had a few days at home in Missoula.

Though Fahlgren tries to minimize the driving, the school schedules don't always have a logical flow. Later this year she is booked for four weeks in a row. Starting from her Missoula home she will drive to schools in far eastern Montana; from there to Troy on the north-western side; then to central Montana around the Billings area; from there to Yaak in the far north-west, only about 110 miles from Troy. Then finally, home to Missoula. Last year, she took the Art Mobile to 65 schools and talked to 5,000 students. She expects this year to be about the same.

Long drives aside, Fahlgren said it is interesting to visit all the different towns around the state, filling out her sense of what it means to be a Montanan. The school schedule usually keeps her busy from morning to late afternoon, so although she doesn't always get time to see the sights, she counts exploring and seeing new places as one of the perks of the job.

Fahlgren said kids are pretty much the same wherever she goes. The main difference she finds is between urban and rural areas. In general, Fahlgren feels rural kids value their lifestyle, value animals and outdoor recreation. Understanding that rural schools often have no art teacher available nor opportunity to visit an art museum, AMM feels a particular obligation to bring quality art to them.

Confronted with the question of how important the experience can be if the children only see the art mobile once a year, Fahlgren said, "I always feel like some art is better than no art at all."

Speaking from the experience of visiting many of the same schools for a second year, Fhlgren said she is always surprised at how much the kids remember about the art mobile from the previous year. She said, "It sticks with them. And there are always one or two who just get so excited. And those are probably the two who get in trouble for doodling. It's really important to tell them that art is valuable. And this is a thing that you can do for the rest of your life if you want to. If they just remember that day, it's a good thing. It's worth it."

Fahlgren added, "My main thing is trying to get them to expand their frame of mind – trying to get them thinking about something they haven't thought about before – which is huge. And also do something with their hands that they maybe have never done before, or maybe they don't get to do very often."

Having worked with the Swan Valley Elementary students earlier that day, Fahlgren used them as an example. The project she taught them had to do with imaging sound and was prompted by the work of Missoula artist Sally Hickman who did a series of paintings depicting bird songs. After eliciting ideas on sounds familiar to the students and giving rudimentary instruction on the use of both colored pencils and water colors, Fahlgren distributed those two art materials and let the children create their own art.

She said the third, fourth and fifth grade students were "awesome – so interested and involved." As for the younger children, Fahlgren said, "I don't know if the little ones really got the lesson at all, but they were having fun and they were painting [and exploring new art media]."

She also mentioned the older SVE students were particularly interested in discussing the art display. She said, "They were one of the best groups this year. [AMM uses a school year calendar] They were really into it. That was really cool."

Fahlgren said she has noticed at schools AMM has visited multiple times over the years, students display an eagerness to discuss. "And honestly," she said, "We have pretty complicated discussions about what art means, and what did this artist mean by this. It's not easy for kids to do and I have noticed that if they had me last year, or they've had Art Mobile a lot, they just dive right in, they're not afraid to think creatively – which is the whole point of art."

The AMM Art Instructor's job doesn't end when the school year ends. Summer is the time to collect art pieces for the next year's tours. Fahlgren said it begins with a call for art. She and the AMM Board then discuss the submissions and decide which to accept. She said they are looking for museum-quality, contemporary art. They generally stay away from landscapes and other more conventional forms. Often more art pieces are required beyond those submitted. She then contacts more established artists. Fahlgren said those artists generally don't submit entries because they don't need the promotional exposure, but often they are willing to loan one of their pieces when asked. During the summer she collects art pieces and readies them for the new touring season.

In addition to the school visits, AMM reaches out to a larger audience through Art Walks in Helena, Dillon and Missoula. Their website indicates they are also available during the summer "to serve art museums, state park interpretive centers and retirement communities."

For more information visit artmobilemontana.org