The tourism potential of Great Falls is very much a current focus. The branding of Great Falls as a base camp for culture and adventure is at the center of that focus. Learn all about the "Bring It to the Basecamp" campaign from Jake Bash this week at Rotary. Join us at noon at the country club!
Last Week at Rotary
Last week Emily Watson of the C.M. Russell Museum of Western Art gave a fascinating presentation on the current exhibit on the women in Russell's life and art.
Russell was known mostly for a masculine depiction of the West, but unlike other "masculine" Western artists, Russell did not depict women as mere casual bystanders. This was especially true of his later art, depicting Native American women. Emily showed us a photograph of the painting "Women of America," a stunning landscape primarily featuring Native American women. The 20" X 30" painting is privately owned but now on loan to the museum for the exhibit. For its panoramic depiction of a Montana landscape, it rivals some of Russell's more famous works, such as "Lewis and Clark Meeting Indians at Ross' Hole," the huge canvas adorning the House chambers in Montana's capitol building.
Russell's mother encouraged drawing. Both his sister, Sue, and his brother Wolfert, were accomplished at the art, but only Russell dedicated his life to a career in the arts. Of course, the most famous female influence on Charlie's life and art, of course, was his wife Nancy, who, as Emily told us, "moved him from range art to fine art." She is usually depicted as a rather "steely" woman, Emily told us, but Charlie knew well how vulnerable she really was. Orphaned at a young age in Montana, she went to work as a housemaid in a Cascade home, where she met Charlie. She was sensitive throughout her life about her humble origins and was once reduced to tears by French women who ridiculed her taste in clothes. Ah, plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose!
Leadership Announcements
This Tuesday as usual your Rotary Club of Great Falls board will have its monthly meeting. As announced earlier, they will respond to the feedback on a proposal for an evening meeting membership option. If the board decides to advance a pilot proposal for your approval, these are the next steps:
You will receive an email explaining the proposal by Saturday, June 16.
The proposal will also be printed in next week's bulletin.
The proposal will be presented to the membership for a ballot vote at our June 26 meeting. One-third of the membership must be in attendance for a quorum to be in effect. A simple majority (or if you are presented with multiple options, a plurality) will prevail.
We may need a driver to bring one of the RYLA students back from the camp on July 17. Contact Sydney Blair if you think you can help.
As his leadership project, President-Elect Todd Neighbor is going to use the successful duck race he witnessed at the district conference as a fund-raiser for the club. His tentative goal is to use the funds for scholarships, but at this point, we will be using the Fourth of July parade to pique interest in the project. Kurt Baltrusch has generously offered his Model T as the focal point of the Rotary entry, Todd and Joann Gogo will be up front with a Rotary banner, and other marchers will wear bright yellow shirts, with children distributing little rubber ducks to parade-watchers to promote the event. Sounds like fun!
Got Culture?
Hardly a week goes by when we are not reminded of the pleasure that local Rotarians find in the arts, history, and culture.
On Tuesday, June 19, at 7 p.m., Jim Humphrey will be tinkling the ivories (and a few ebonies) at a free piano recital at First Congregational United Church of Christ at 2900 Ninth Avenue South. Music will range from the classical to the modern with a few self-styled arrangements of such popular jazz vocalists as Nora Jones and Ron & Jenny Flemmings. Drop in to enjoy the talent of a fellow Rotarian!
Meanwhile, in Europe, Tim Peterson and his wife Alisa have been devouring the cultural experiences of Italy - sometimes literally! Here they are depicted enjoying the architecture of Florence. They've also been exploring the culinary arts, including learning to cook a few Italian dishes himself.
Some folks have all the luck ....
Milestones
Birthday greetings go out this week to Tim Peterson today and to Douglas Hagen next Saturday. May the year ahead bring you nothing but great happiness and good health!
To the Men Who Teach Us to Laugh and Cry
What better way to head into the Father's Day weekend than watching the emotional aftermath of the final game of the Stanley Cup hockey championship last Thursday! After a hard-fought match that left the Washington Capitals victorious, T. J. Oshie described the moment. Yes, it was special to win. Yes, it was special to see all the fan support. But he wiped away tears as he described the most special thing to him about the moment. Despite his struggle with Alzheimer's, Tim Oshie father was there to watch his son's team win. "He doesn't remember a lot these days," T.J. said of his father. "But this is one thing he'll never forget."
On the other side of the emotional equation, wouldn't you like to meet the dad who came up with this costume for his daughter for Halloween? Now there's a dad with creativity, humor, and some impressive engineering skills! Clearly, his daughter doesn't appreciate his genius right now, but just you wait.
Thank you, Dads, for all the lessons you teach us!
.jpeg)
