Montana Connections

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith 

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (Salish-Kootenai, Métis-Cree, Shoshone-Bannock) was born in St. Ignatius, Montana in 1940 and is an enrolled member of the Flathead Nation. She has lived in New Mexico since the late 1970s, working as an artist, teacher, lecturer, curator, and activist. Her powerful commitment to social, environmental, and political issues and her expressive, creative voice has established Smith as a dominant figure in contemporary American art. But Smith has always maintained a vital connection to her home and American Indian culture. She has proven her support for the arts with with more than 40 of her own and other artists’ works to the MAM Contemporary American Indian Art Collection. 

Educational Resources

• Artwork by Smith in the MAM Collections
• Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, illustrated essay by Carolyn Kastner
• Jaune Quick-to-See Smith: Contemporary Flathead Artist, illustrated essay by Gail Tremblay
• Lesson Plans: Grades K

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  1: A Community of Shapes
  
  • Grades 2

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    3: Habitat Isn't Just for Wildlife
    
  • Grades 3

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    4: Paper Nine Patch
    
  • Grades 3

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    4: Shoe Landscapes
    
  • Grades 4

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    5: Animal Stacks
    
  • Grades 4

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    5: Cut Outs
    
  • Grades 5

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    6: Indian People Wear Shoes and Socks
    
  • Grades 6

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    7: Topsy Turvy Kids
    
  • Grades 7: Self Portrait Jars
  • Middle School: In the Future We Will All Be Mixed Bloods...
  • High School: Reading Into Rabbits

This program was created and is made available freely with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and Montana Cultural Trust. 

Rudy Autio

Rudy Autio (1926–2007) was a Butte native and lifelong Montana resident who changed the nature of contemporary ceramics. His interests, methods, and artworks influenced individual artists around the globe. His ideas that budded in the 1950s forged the notion that clay was not simply suitable for utilitarian crafts but also an expressive sculptural medium.

Resources

• Artwork by Rudy Autio in the MAM Collections
• Rudy Autio: Spheres of Influence, illustrated essay by Peter Held
• Rudy Autio: How a Gentle Street Fighter from Butte Led a Hand-Built Life and Changed an Art Form, illustrated essay by Jeff Hull
• Rudy Autio Interview Transcript, conducted by Peter Held, February 3, 2007
• Gennie DeWeese Interview Transcript, conducted by Jeff Hull, June 16, 2007
• Rudy Autio inspired and ceramics-based lesson plans and resources developed by teachers, for teachers:
  • Grades K

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    1
    
  • Grades 2

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    3
    
  • Grades 4

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    5
    
  • Grades 6, 7, 8
  • High School