Fair is Fair: Open AIR 2024 Western Montana Fair Artists-in-Residence Exhibition

We are proud to be hosting Open AIR presenting "Fair is Fair", a dynamic group exhibition showcasing new work from 16 artists who participated in the 2024 Open AIR Artist-in-Residence program. 

The exhibition will run from April 4 - April 25, 2025, at Gallery 709 (709 Ronan St. Missoula, MT, 59801) The public is invited to attend the Opening Reception on April 4, 2025, from 5–9 PM, where they will have the opportunity to meet the artists and explore the diverse and compelling works inspired by their residencies. 

Fair is Fair is a group exhibition featuring recent works from Open AIR’s 2024 Western Montana Fair Artists-in-Residence. In August of 2024, artists were invited to Missoula, MT to spend a week as Artists-in-Residence at the Western Montana Fair. They were given a studio space on the second floor of the Culinary Arts Building, and asked to immerse and be inspired by the fair! The result was a unique and joyful experience where the fair’s animals, food, rides, culture, crafts, rodeo, etc became part of daily life instead of an afternoon visit. Open AIR works with artists from all disciplines. Fair is Fair includes works of painting, sculpture, printmaking, music, interdisciplinary, fiber, digital illustration, ceramics, and drawing. Open AIR is a placed-based Artist-in-Residency program that embeds artists in a variety of locations in Montana. During their residency, the artists are immersed in a site's location, culture, history, and daily life. The artists gain access to unusual and interesting opportunities, like engaging with specialists, and community members, while allowing them time to explore and research whatever sparks their curiosity about a site. The featured artists in Fair is Fair are local, regional, and national artists. 

Montana Artists: Chris Alveshere (Missoula) Sarah Cook (Missoula) Kaisha Gerhardt (Missoula) Zola Kell (Missoula) Stacey Klocke (Missoula) Ladypajama (Missoula) Kia Liszak (Missoula) Christine Martin (Butte) Jennifer Ogden (Hamilton) Sarisa Rodriguez (Missoula) 

Out-of-State Artists: Lori Damiano (Oregon) Megan Karls (Washington) Ben Nathan (Wyoming) David Raba (Washington) Renée Reizman (California) Matthew Wuorinen (Minnesota) 

For more information, or for press inquiries, please contact: Open AIR Stoney Samsoe, Director director@openairmt.org www.openairmt.com