ARTS VENUE FEATURES GEOLOGY TOUR, BIKING, HIKING AND FABULOUS CONCERTS -- SOLD OUT ALREADY--BUT YOU CAN STILL ENJOY THE PLACE
STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS
Expert piano tuner Michael Toia keeps the many valuable pianos at Tippet Rise in tune each season. The collection was assembled by Peter Halstead and is worth millions. |
PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER
IF YOU are anywhere near Montana or Yellowstone Park this summer, you are within reasonable driving distance to the wonders of Tippet Rise Arts Center near Fishtail.
This unique and beautiful place offers multiple pleasures, from stunning artwork to fascinating geology tours, coveted concerts and more. All in the serene setting of cottonwood trees and birdsong.
"Inverted Portal" by Ensamble Studio, welcomes visitors to walk around or through its vast expanses. |
SO DON'T despair if you didn't get concert tickets. (Most of us didn't.) Drawings for tickets to the small, acoustically perfect venue were in March so the drawing is long over. Do check the website weekly to see if something becomes available, which it occasionally does.
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A youngster enjoys ice cream at Tippet Rise opening last week. |
During visits and the concert season, you can bring a picnic or purchase food from Prerogative Kitchen, a much loved dining enterprise and two-time semi-finalist for the James Beard Awards. Guests are welcome to bring their own provisions to enjoy out on the trails, or within the main Cottonwood Campus.
Developed as a venue for art and music in the backdrop of nature, by founders Cathy and Peter Halstead, Tippet Rise blends world class musical performances with sculpture.
The first thing you see is a stunning sculpture by famed artist Alexander Calder. His "Two Discs" sets the scene for. more delights, including Calder's "Stainless Stealer," also on loan to Tippet Rise from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden at the Smithsonian Institution’s museum of international modern and contemporary art, in Washington, D.C.
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School buses take participants around to Domo and other pieces too far to walk comfortably to. |
Go to the website for more on hiking, biking, and sculpture van tours, all designed by the heirs of a vodka fortune as unique ways to experience Tippet Rise.
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Bruce Keller and Christene Meyers last week at a neighbors barbecue kicking off the new season. |
THIS YEAR, the complex welcomes back the Yellowstone Bighorn Research Association (YBRA) for the sixth annual Geo-Paleo Tours of Tippet Rise. We took one of these specialized tours last season and enjoyed learning about geological and paleontological features scattered across the art center. Tippet Rise is uniquely located -- poised at the convergence of two vastly different regions – the Beartooth Mountains and the Great Plains. Knowledgeable guides take tour participants in vans with short hikes to various phenomena.
Tours are three upcoming Thursdays – July 11, 18, and Aug. 1 – beginning at 9 a.m., and lasting under three hours.
SCULPTURE Van art tours are also available and we highly recommend!
Then the weekend of Aug. 3 – 4, Tippet Rise presents three separate events in collaboration with guests including poet Jenny Xie, photographer James Florio, and actor and professor Dr. Ben Leubner.
Stephen Talasnik's "Satellite No. 5: Pioneer" incorporates space, and the artist's desire to show connection to land and our roots. |
THE WORKSHOPS range from poetry to photography and literature, and include films and discussions.
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Patrick Dougherty's "Daydreams" enraptures visitors, with its artful curves and detail. |
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Cookie & Keller in front of Stephen Talasnik's "Galaxy." |
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Always with a smile, and kindness for all, John Speight celebrated his March birthday with us more than once. |
We have tickets for a concert. First time. So excited.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos. We want to get there for an art hike.
ReplyDeleteDidn't know about this treasure. Thanks,!
ReplyDeleteWe play in a string quartet and have heard marvelous things about this place. Appreciate the story.
ReplyDelete