Photos from Flathead Nation students on display at Bigfork library

Photographers from the Salish Kootenai College and Two Eagle River School joined library staff and patrons last week to celebrate their work being on display at the new Bigfork branch of Flathead County Library.  

Art Vision & Outreach in Community Education, or A VOICE, is a nonprofit that works with the high school and college to provide artistic educational opportunities for students. Photos on display at the Bigfork library are part of the organization’s REzMaDe project, which was also recently shown in the annual Photoville festival in New York City’s Brooklyn Park.  

“What was cool about today is that the students hadn't seen this work [on display] before because only one of them traveled to the festival, so they were pretty excited to see it,” A VOICE Co-Director and founder David Spear said.  

The organizers of Photoville asked if they would like the large vinyl display after the festival concluded. Spear gave an enthusiastic ‘yes.’ He said the idea to bring it to Bigfork was facilitated in part by Bigfork Art and Cultural Center Director Julie Bottum, who helped make the connection for it to be displayed in the newly built Bigfork library.  

Katie Medicine Bull, 18, was the only student that got to see her work displayed at Photoville in New York. She was also one of 20 photographers who competed among thousands to have their photos displayed in the Getty Musuem, according to Spear.  

She said it was an amazing experience, but she’s happy to see her fellow students admire their photography in person. 

“I hope it gives them also the motivation to continue being photographers, because I just felt terrible going there by myself. I felt like they deserved to see their work out there in the world. I'm happy their names are getting out there,” Medicine Bull said. 

She had two portraits of her little sister on display, one of which features her walking with a beautiful cape near Flathead Lake on an icy cold winter’s day. Medicine Bull said she often asks her family members to help her practice portrait photography, an area she is pursuing more of as a college student.   

Talon Addison, 17, is a senior at Two Eagle River School and joined the photography class as a freshman. He said landscapes are what he is drawn to as a photographer, so that’s what he chose to submit for Photoville. 

“It was a photo of the mountains back home at Nine Pipes and there's horses in the background. I just thought it was a good picture,” Addison said. 

The students chose from photographs they had taken throughout the school year. 16-year-old LaSean BigDay said he has an interest in macro photography, so he chose one of his best up-close photos of a honeycomb.  

"I didn't notice there was a fly and on top of it, until I edited it. And afterwards, I thought it was a pretty cool photo to display,” BigDay said.  

Both Addison and BigDay said they enjoy Spear’s direction and that he isn’t too harsh on the budding photographers. Addison said he’s likely to adjust the photograph if it’s needed and give pointers for next time they decide to go out and take photos.  

“A lot of the credit goes to David, just because he has a lot of advice and pointers for almost everything. You could almost ask him anything and I think he has an answer for you,” BigDay said. 

18-year-old Vivika Finley is currently a freshman at Salish Kootenai College. The photograph she chose shows her cousin, his wife and their baby at the Bear Tracks Bridge Pow-wow. It was good to show-off a little bit of home in New York City, she said, but her passion lies in wildlife photography, and her dream is to one day work for National Geographic. 

These dreams don’t seem out of reach at all from the perspective of the program’s supporters, like Arelene Adams, who is the Cultural Advisor at Two Eagle River School. 

“It's a very big deal for these kids to get their identity out, to their visions of who they are and what they do, and REzMaDe’s helping them do that. They've been all over with [the photography] and I'm just so proud of them,” Adams said.  

Spear is also an adjunct professor at the Salish Kootenai College. He said another benefit of the program is that students who participated in their high school classes are able to continue to work on their photography skills at the local college. Spear said they offer a certificate in photography that sets students up for success as they move on to more higher education, like the journalism school at the University of Montana.  

The photos will be on display through Nov. 8 at the Bigfork library. It is the first project to be shown in a designated area for rotating art, according to Flathead County Library Director Teri Dugan. She said while they originally were looking at putting a permanent art installation in that corner of the library, they opted to have a rotating exhibit to be in line with the other branches, which display various works from local artists. 

Spear has been running the program with his wife since 2001. He said all of their projects are funded independently and have come of no cost to the community. For more information on A VOICE and the REzMaDe project visit www.avoice-outreach.org.   

    Students and instructors of Flathead Nation's Our Community Record project pose with their REzMaDe photo exhibit in Bigfork Library during an artists reception Wednesday, Sept. 25. (Avery Howe/Bigfork Eagle)
  

    Katie Medicine Bull, a photographer for the REzMaDe exhibit, travelled to New York City to view her photography, as well as other students of Salish Kootenai College and Two Eagle River School, on display at the Photoville festival this summer. (Avery Howe/Bigfork Eagle)