Step off the sidewalk in front of Jerry Kahrs’ gallery in Gardiner, Mont., and you’re in Yellowstone National Park. His 18-year-old gallery, now located just a block from the historic north gate of Yellowstone, has a view that tops even the most inspirational of scenes afforded artists in other parts of the country.

And Kahrs capitalizes on that view. Browsers and serious shoppers are invited to enjoy the scenery from two Amish rockers placed near the front of the store by a roaring fire. The aroma of fresh coffee or hot cocoa, offered to all who enter the door, fills the air, and the beauty of the outdoors is captured in the pottery, weavings, jewelry and paintings that fill his cozy, yet spacious business.

“It’s not easy making a living in art in a community of 800 and in a state of about 800,000 people, but you can’t complain about the view,” Kahrs says.

Obviously, Kahrs’ location at one of the four entrances to the nation’s oldest and most popular national park creates a dependency on tourist traffic. Nearly three million people visit Yellowstone each year; most between June and September. Fortunately, the north gate is one of two that remains open all year, so even in the harshness of a Montana winter, a few tourists find their way to his door.
“Tourists who come here are so appreciative of the natural beauty that they are anxious to take a piece home with them, so landscapes and wildlife art sell quite well,” says Kahrs.

Still, only 60 percent of his business is dependent upon the tourist trade. Montana residents and those owning second homes in the exclusive Paradise Valley of Montana (many Hollywood celebrities) will drive up to 200 miles to buy art at Yellowstone Gallery. No sales tax, and affordable price points (around $100) are incentives for many out-of-state shoppers to visit the gallery.
Most of the 40 or so artists represented at the Yellowstone Gallery are Montana or regional artists, but Kahrs welcomes inquiries from those who have products reflective of the wilderness region. He does not sell “sporting or hunting art,” but anyone whose products reflect animals found in the region, such as bear, elk, deer and bald eagles, are encouraged to submit a portfolio. Kahrs is particularly open to carrying naturally made jewelry and is looking specifically for a maker of pine needle baskets. For all of his products, he says the Yellowstone Gallery is “very true to natural processes.”

Livingston: Montana’s new crafts mecca

The Visions West Gallery in Livingston, one of 15 in a town of 6,000 residents, selects visual artists from all across the country, but emphasizes nature and wild-life in much of its collection. Visions West is the only gallery in Livingston that carries textile art, a medium that is greatly under represented in the community.

Across the street at the humorous Mor Dam Art Gallery, Parke Goodman does oil landscapes that sell for up to $10,000, and his wife, Bonnie Goodwoman, designs jewelry from lamp-worked glass beads. About 80 percent of their business comes from tourists four months out of the year, so Bonnie seeks out markets in other parts of the country. Still, Livingston is a great location for their business. The rent on their 800-square-foot studio/gallery, located in the middle of Main Street, is only $450 a month.

“It’s dead in February and March, but in the summer you can’t afford to close your doors one day or night,” Goodman says. “This town has great appeal for tourists because you can walk everywhere.”

Livingston is a typical Montana town, in that it grew up along the railroad, and today’s residents don’t have a high per-capita income. Many are surprised by the number of artists finding their way to this community where fine art galleries are wedged in between the hardware store and local bar and grill. It’s a town known better outside the community as “The Heart of Art in Montana.”

RESOURCES
Julianne Jones Cottage Industries 124 N. Main Livingston, MT (406) 222-1755	Mor Dam Art Parke Goodman 109 S. Main Livingston, MT (406) 222-0321
Livingston Gallery Association www.livingstongalleries.com	Sweet Pea Festival 111 South Grand Ave. Bozeman, MT 59715 (406) 586-4003
Montana Arts Council 316 N. Park Ave., # 252 Helena, MT 202201 (406) 444-6430 www.art.state.mt.us	Yellowstone Gallery Jerry Kahrs Box 472 Gardiner, MT 59030 (406) 848-7306 www.yellowstonegallery.com

“It’s simply the scenery and the inexpensive real estate,” says Julianne Jones of Cottage Industries, who moved to Livingston five years ago from the Midwest. She designs and sells greeting cards and larger pieces of art featuring wildflowers, birds and the mountains.
“The art gallery association hosts gallery walks on Friday nights throughout the summer,” Jones says. “I really don’t do that much advertising because most of my business is repeat tourists who come back year after year.”

Plans to grow Montana’s crafts sector

According to the Montana Department of Tourism, about 90 percent of those who visit Montana in the winter return every year. About 50 percent of those who visit in the summer months have visited Montana before. These are numbers the Montana Arts Council (MAC) hopes to capitalize on and build from.

A publication called “Montana’s Cultural Treasures” lists all the galleries and studios in the state. Produced in partnership with the Montana Historical Society and Travel Montana for the past four years, 10,000 copies of the publication are distributed throughout the state’s visitor centers, chambers and major tourist areas.

A recent survey of state residents conducted by MAC helped establish priorities for the agency. Number four on a list of 19 priorities is to expand statewide opportunities for artists to sell work and attract out-of-state visitors.

For artists who want to visit the state on a working vacation, consider participating in the Sweet Pea Festival in Bozeman in August. Currently one out of every 80 residents in Montana makes a living in the arts. And under the Big Sky, there’s plenty room for a few more.