Bigfork Museum bridges art, local Bigfork history

Elmer Sprunger’s cartoon depictions of the lumberjack life are just one element adding extra color to “Timber!: Exploring the History and Art of the Timber Industry,” the current exhibit at the Bigfork Museum of Art and History.

The exhibit is an educational mixture of the history and beauty Bigfork has to offer. Antique logging equipment and historical photographs are displayed with paintings, photographs and other art pieces from modern day. Some of the modern pieces relate to historical aspects of timber harvesting, while other pieces of art capture the beauty of the forests.

These pieces take the viewer on a journey through Bigfork’s timber history and allow you to appreciate the beauty of the forests we still enjoy.

Bigfork Museum of Art and History director Marnie Forbis said she decided to add the modern artwork to help break up the black and white photographs. But she also strives to make sure the museum contains both art and history.

The museum’s goal is to grow an appreciation of art in Montana and preserve the history of Bigfork.

Forbis tries to keep exhibits fresh, rotating them roughly every month, to help keep people interested and coming back to the downtown Bigfork museum. She wants there to always be something different for locals to see and something new to learn.

“A museum should be flexible,” she said.

The museum, now in its 35th year, is a non-profit, with free admission. Memberships, art sales and fundraisers are the museum’s sources of income.

Managing the financial side of the museum can be challenging, as income from fundraisers and sales always varies. Memberships are the most reliable part of the museum’s finances.

“It’s a little unnerving if three fourths of your income, you don’t know if it’s coming in,” Forbis said. As the museum director, Forbis is the only paid employee.

She’s hoping for a 10-percent increase in memberships this year. Right now there are about 300 members.

The museum has about four fundraisers a year. Forbis is planning for the museum’s next fundraiser.

A “Fabulous 50’s” live and silent auction is May 15 at 5:30 p.m. at Marina Cay Resort. Tickets are $25. There will be prizes for best costume, a catered dinner and a no-host bar.

The Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork owns the building on Electric Avenue, which houses the museum, county library and gift shop. The museum pays the cost of heating, lighting and electricity and the CFBB takes care of maintenance. The museum rents the space from the foundation. Recently the CFBB has asked for 25 percent increase in rent to cover added maintenance.

Forbis hopes to raise at least $7,000 from the fundraiser to cover the increase in expenses.

Fundraising has been getting tougher, as there are many other non-profits that fundraise. Trying to avoid being in direct competition with another local fundraiser is a challenge, Forbis said.

The museum would like to have a financial reserve. Forbis said if there hadn’t been a reserve when the economy soured in 2008, the museum wouldn’t have survived. Now much of that financial cushion is gone.

In addition to fundraisers the museum has been seeking grants to cover the costs of new flooring and LED lights. LED lights would be more cost efficient, and getting rid of the carpeting will make the museum space better suited for classes. Forbis hopes to get the museum set up to have classes in the winter.

Forbis is seeking donations for items to be auctioned for the fundraiser. It doesn’t have to be artwork she said. They are always looking for unique items you wouldn’t expect to see at an auction.

“Hopefully there will be something for everyone,” Forbis said.

Some of the items they have already procured for the fundraiser are a stay in Arizona, and two vintage bikes, which can be seen now at the museum.

Forbis also hopes to spread awareness about the museum. She said sometimes she meets people who have never been to downtown Bigfork or didn’t even know the town had a museum. She encourages people to come and check out the museum as exhibits change.

The museum is there for the community.

Forbis feels that the history aspect of the museum is important, and that it’s important to have the museum to be a leader in keeping track of the town’s history. She said it’s so easy for the history of a place to become lost if no one is paying attention to it. She tries to keep historical exhibits focused just on the Bigfork area.

“I like to know about where I live, and what existed before,” she said.

But she wants people to know they don’t have to be interested in history to come in. There is also art, and ideally, there is both.

An interest in logging brought Jake Miller to the Timber! exhibit on Wednesday. He found the historical facts interesting, and enjoyed how they helped explain the history of the Bigfork area. But he also liked the artwork mixed in. “It caught my eye,” he said.

Upcoming exhibits

April 26-27     Guns of the Old West

May 2-31     Members show

June 6-July 5     Bird, Bears and Barns

July 11- Aug. 9     Montana Pottery II

Aug. 15-Sept. 24    Earth Works

Oct. 3-Nov. 1     Watermedia 2014

Nov. 7-21     Festival of Trees

Nov. 28–Jan. 10     Members show