Our Mission
Art Mobile of Montana (AMM) shares contemporary Montana art and art education opportunities across the state. Our primary focus is to cultivate sustainable engagement with visual art in communities that have limited access to the arts or art education. AMM prioritizes serving our state’s American Indian and rural communities. Our programs include art exhibits that feature Montana artists, interactive presentations, artist visits, hands-on art activities, and teacher education. AMM programs celebrate and explore Montana’s diverse cultures, histories, and places, inspiring students to explore and express ideas that matter to them. AMM believes everyone deserves equal access to art and art education.
Who We Serve
AMM serves schools, community centers, state parks, retirement communities, and a variety of other groups. We strive to make Montana contemporary art and art education accessible for everyone. Due to COVID-19, AMM is offering both in-person and virtual visits.
AMM Team
Danielle O’Malley
Executive Director
Danielle O’Malley is a sculptor, educator, and the new Executive Director of the Art Mobile of Montana (AMM). After graduating with her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, Danielle moved to Helena, Montana to intern for Emily Free Wilson’s family business Free Ceramics. Danielle fell in love with the state of Montana and its thriving artist community. She continued on to assist many artists in Helena, did artist residencies at the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art and the Red Lodge Clay Center, and attended Montana State University for their ceramics focused post baccalaureate program. Danielle is a recent Master of Fine Arts graduate from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. When she isn’t working in the studio or teaching, Danielle enjoys playing with her cats, gardening, and exploring Montana’s beauty.
Robert Bailey
Teaching Artist
Robert Bailey is a sculptor deeply rooted in the tangible world of everyday objects, using them as a lens to explore intricate narratives about the shared existence of all living beings. Growing up in Wichita, KS amidst the Midwest punk scene and surrounded by loud music, hot rods, and horror films, his aesthetic has evolved to be dark, stoic, uncanny and often ironic. Robert has earned his BFA in Printmaking and MFA in Sculpture from Wichita State University. Robert’s process is deeply entrenched in studio time, incorporating carpentry and metal fabrication, all underpinned by a DIY ethos inherited from his parents. In addition to instilling me with technical skills, their love for antiques and historic renovations instilled in me a profound appreciation for older aesthetics and the labor of creation.
As an adjunct professor, Robert has taught various 3-D Design and Sculpture courses at Wichita State University. Additionally, for over two years Robert was the Site Preparator for the Gallery Place Project, an endeavor of outdoor art galleries and placemaking projects organized by Harvester Arts in Wichita, KS. Currently residing in Helena, Robert is the Teaching Artist for the Art Mobile of Montana and is looking forward to exploring and meeting people throughout the state. Outside of artistic endeavors, Robert can often be found drinking dark coffee and playing folk music on his mandolin.
AMM Board Members Joanna LaPorte of Missoula, MT; Trudy Skari of Havre, MT; Eileen Laskowski of Billings, MT; and Jenna Reineking of Belfry, MT
A special thanks to:
Ashley Mitchell aka Miss Mitchell for her amazing tutorial videos! Ashley is an artist and art educator living in Potomac, Montana. Her work has always been created to bring joy to others as well as herself. In an uncertain and challenging world, she finds that taking a moment to inspire moments of fun, excitement and levity is a primary motivator and her greatest reward. She dabbles in many mediums, striving to keep her own work fresh as well as continuously learning new ways to spark innovation in her students.
Tara Nasvik for our beautiful, interactive website! Tara spends her summer months maintaining Wilderness trails throughout the West. In her spare time, she works with non-profits and local entrepreneurs designing websites. Tara feels most at home when out in the mountains carrying everything she needs in her backpack. She looks forward to every chance she gets to explore Montana’s incredible landscape.
Nick Danielson for his immense contribution to AMM’s virtual program and exhibition. Nick was the former Teaching Artist and Education Coordinator for AMM. Nick earned his BFA at Montana State University in Bozeman and his MFA from Utah State University. Nick lives in Helena, MT, where you can find him in his ceramic studio, mountain biking, hunting, or adventuring with his wife Nikki, and their Bernese Mountain dog, Bodhi.
Accessibility
We make every effort to make our program accessible. We can only serve sites that are wheelchair accessible. If an interpreter is needed, schools must provide an interpreter. Our labeling and presentation notes are in large print. We rely on each site to adapt their premises for access, as stated in our full Accessibility Checklist.
Sponsorship
Art Mobile of Montana is a non-profit organization (501-c3) that is funded in parts by grants from: The Montana Arts Council, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Gallagher Foundation, and The Town Pump. One of the grants that we receive from the Montana Arts Council (The Cultural & Aesthetic Trust) is funded in part by coal severance taxes paid based upon coal mined in Montana and deposited in Montana’s cultural and aesthetic projects trust fund.