Yellowstone Art Museum
Encyclopedia
The Yellowstone Art Museum in downtown Billings, Montana
is the largest museum
in the region 11500 square foot.
Visitors are welcomed by a rotating spoon
called "Will He Drill" at the museum lobby. The old Yellowstone county prison was transformed into the art museum in 1964 and was expanded several times. The old county prison still exists within the museum walls as an exhibit.
The Yellowstone Art Museum houses contemporary and historic art in the Rocky Mountain West. Artists that have paintings in the museum include, Will James
and Charles Marion Russell
. Today there are over 3,000 artifact
s in the collections that include original painting
s, sculpture
s, and a water sculpture.
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...
is the largest museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
in the region 11500 square foot.
Visitors are welcomed by a rotating spoon
Spoon
A spoon is a utensil consisting of a small shallow bowl, oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery , especially as part of a place setting, it is used primarily for serving. Spoons are also used in food preparation to measure, mix, stir and toss ingredients...
called "Will He Drill" at the museum lobby. The old Yellowstone county prison was transformed into the art museum in 1964 and was expanded several times. The old county prison still exists within the museum walls as an exhibit.
The Yellowstone Art Museum houses contemporary and historic art in the Rocky Mountain West. Artists that have paintings in the museum include, Will James
Will James (artist)
Will James was an artist and writer of the American West.James was born Joseph Ernest Nephtali Dufault, in 1892 in Saint-Nazaire-d'Acton, Quebec, Canada. He started drawing at the age of four on the kitchen floor...
and Charles Marion Russell
Charles Marion Russell
Charles Marion Russell , also known as C. M. Russell, Charlie Russell, and "Kid" Russell, was an artist of the Old American West. Russell created more than 2,000 paintings of cowboys, Indians, and landscapes set in the Western United States, in addition to bronze sculptures...
. Today there are over 3,000 artifact
Cultural artifact
A cultural artifact is a term used in the social sciences, particularly anthropology, ethnology, and sociology for anything created by humans which gives information about the culture of its creator and users...
s in the collections that include original painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
s, sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
s, and a water sculpture.