Missoula Art Museum
335 North Pattee Missoula, MT 59802
T: 406.728.0447
F: 406.543.8691 Contact the MAM
Stephanie Frostad's The Invention of Sorrow and MAM's
Contemporary Collectors Circle
The Contemporary
Collectors Circle is a group of contributors whose membership dues directly
support new acquisitions for MAM's collection. In addition, CCC members share a
desire to learn about modern and contemporary art, enhance their knowledge of
collecting, and explore issues of connoisseurship and conservation. The group
gathers four times a year for exclusive lectures and discussions with visiting
artists, curators, art historians and conservators, and to tour of private
collections and artist studios. Also, CCC members have the opportunity to
select an appropriate work for MAM's growing
collection, and last December, presented with three paintings by local
Missoula artist Stephanie
Frostad, the CCC voted overwhelmingly for The
Invention of Sorrow.
MAM's collection
mission is to collect art that is relevant to the culture of the American West
with an emphasis on contemporary
Montana
artists, and Stephanie Frostad certainly meets these criteria. Her works were
presented to the CCC because she is a disciplined artist who has worked
diligently to develop a mature style and to earn a reputation regionally. Moreover,
Stephanie's work is accessible but also challenging. Her carefully staged
tableaus placed in oddly familiar landscapes and interiors invite the viewer to
either dwell on the possible narratives or to simply enjoy the arrangements of
form, color, and texture. The Invention of Sorrow is a fine example of Stephanie's skillfully
crafted paintings that combine convincing naturalism with provocative
symbolism, and draw inspiration from proverbs, folktales, and fables. Her
paintings explore the myths that shape our identities as well as our
relationships to home, family, labor, and place. CCC members were drawn to the
enigmatic imagery of The Invention of
Sorrow, a beautiful painting layered with drama, atmosphere, and American
mythic memory.
If you are interested
in participating in MAM's Contemporary Collectors Circle, feel free to contact
Ted Hughes MAM's Registrar: 728-0447.
The Missoula Art Museum collects, preserves, exhibits and researches art that is relevant to the culture of the American West with an emphasis on contemporary Montana artists.
MAM is responsible for nearly 1,000 objects representing the best of this region's contemporary art. The growing significance of the MAM Collection was a major factor in the museum's decision to expand in size and professional capabilities. With increased gallery space, MAM made a commitment to always having an exhibition with rotating collection exhibition on view. Check out our current exhibitions to see what's showing now.