The Yellowstone Art Museum is an iconic and important visual arts center for Montana and its surrounding areas. This museum was founded in 1964 and has now expanded to two public buildings; the museum’s main building hosts the Visible Vault (a storage facility) and the museum’s galleries. Guests can observe storage, art collection, and preservation as it happens.

In 1984, with a Montana Coal Tax Fund grant and generous donations from the public, the museum began to create a permanent collection of the region’s significant contemporary art. The “Montana Collection” represents Western art preservation and continues a living artistic heritage.

The collection had 609 objects by 1991. Nowadays, there are over 7,300 objects exceeding all expectations for popularity and growth. Major gifts from the estate’s prominent artists contribute to the tripling size of the collection from 1991 to 1992.

The addition of the Virginia Snook Collection, the most extensive public gathering of the paintings, drawings, memorabilia, and books of Will James (cowboy illustrator), has given the Yellowstone Art Museum’s collection another public dimension. This collection includes drawings and paintings by other regional artists such as Charles M. Russell, J.H. Sharp, and others. This museum provides the physical space to present this unique continuum to residents and tourists.

The Yellowstone Art Museum’s beautiful buildings, which house Montana’s finest regional and contemporary art collection, are available to house your party. If you’re planning a wedding reception, a meeting, a convention, or just a friendly gathering, the Yellowstone Art Museum will suit your needs.

 

 +1 406-256-6804  |  401 N 27th St, Billings, MT 59101, United States  |  https://www.artmuseum.org/