The University of Montana Western

BROWSE PROGRAMS

Featured Profiles

Julie Bullard

professor of early childhood education

For the third time in as many years, Montana Western has a Carnegie Foundation Professor of the Year. (read more) Featured Faculty

Delena Norris-Tull

professor of education

The 2010 Montana Professor of the Year is continuing a proud tradition at Montana's premier teacher education institution. (read more) Featured Faculty

Kara Einarson

equine studies major

With a post-graduation job already secured in the equine industry, Kara Einarson’s career is off to a promising start. (read more) Featured Featured Profiles

Layne Carlson

assistant professor of equine studies

University of Montana Western equine studies professor Layne Carlson brings his 30 years of professional experience as a mixed animal practitioner into the classroom. (read more) Featured Faculty

Alan Weltzien

professor of english

University of Montana Western English professor Alan Weltzien is a champion of Montana literature. (read more) Featured Faculty

Anne Kish

assistant professor, librarian

As a librarian and head instructor of the School of Outreach’s library endorsement program, Anne Kish exemplifies experiential learning. (read more) Featured Faculty

Diana Taylor

school of outreach student

Diana Taylor is pursuing an early childhood education degree to enrich her life and bolster her skills for her job at a Head Start in Butte, Mont. (read more) Featured Outreach

Rob Thomas

professor of geology

The Carnegie Foundation's 2009 U.S. Professor of the Year is taking Montana Western's experiential learning to the national stage. (read more) Featured Faculty

Sean Eudaily

associate professor of political science

Sean Eudaily challenges his students to think critically to fully understand how lessons learned in his classroom impact life outside campus. (read more) Featured Faculty

Mike Morrow

associate professor of biology

Montana Western's biology program is now competitive in the national arena thanks to nearly $2 million in grants secured by Mike Morrow. (read more) Featured Faculty

Gay Garard-Brewer

visiting assistant professor of music

As a student in Montana's rural Bitteroot Valley plays their home piano, Gay Garard-Brewer sees and hears the notes over 100 miles away. (read more) Featured Faculty

Eric Dyreson

professor of mathematics

Mathematics is more than mere numbers for Eric Dyreson; it is also a philosophy capable of transforming one's perception of the world. (read more) Featured Faculty

Rebecca Petersen

education major

Rebecca Petersen is a living testament to the proud tradition of teaching educators at the University of Montana Western. (read more) Featured Students

Cathleen Flanagan

history major, drama education minor

For Cathleen Flanagan — secondary education, history major and drama minor — life's a stage and she's in the director's chair. (read more) Featured Students

Sheynoa Mataafa

general studies

On a frigid, snowy day in Dillon, Sheynoa Mataafa, a Hawaii native, does not regret her decision to move to Montana. (read more) Featured Students

Kaitlin Ens

english major

English major Kaitlin Ens counts five published articles to her name. For Ens, it's only the beginning of a promising career. (read more) Featured Students

Mitch Jessen

secondary education major

While most students entering college struggle with the decision of what to do with their futures, Mitch Jessen always knew what he wanted. (read more) Featured Students

Amanda Kortum

biology major

Amanda Kortum, a cellular molecular biology major, is already making a name for herself in her field. (read more) Featured Students

Berett Rosenkrance

environmental sciences major

One of the most shocking moments of Berett Rosenkrance's life came upon her return as a sophomore to the Montana Western campus. (read more) Featured Students

Brandon Brown

health & human performance major

For Brandon Brown, the transition from urban western Washington to Montana Western was like playing basketball: natural. (read more) Featured Students

Perfectly suited to Experience One, the fine arts department’s courses allow students the time needed to fully focus on the creative process from conception to production and critique.

Montana Western’s inspired faculty are committed to their crafts and to fostering the skills, visions and passions of art students.

The fine arts department features multiple art medium opportunities including sculpture, drawing, ceramics, photography, painting, glass, music and drama. Our professional art facilities include an art gallery, sculpture lab, crafts lab, printmaking lab, computer art lab and a ceramic lab. For musical and dramatic study we provide private and group practice rooms, a computer music lab, and two proscenium stages.

Degrees
Courses
Careers
Faculty
Contact

Fine arts degrees available from Montana Western:

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Visual Arts. This degree is designed to give the graduate the knowledge needed to continue onto graduate school or obtain a career in an art-related field. Students in this major concentrate in business, illustration, pre-art therapy, or studio art.

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Secondary Education, Art K-12 or Art K-12 Broadfield. These degrees will prepare the graduate to teach art at the K-12 level.

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Secondary Education, Music K-12 These degrees will prepare the graduate to teach music at the K-12 level.

Sample Courses

Here are just two great examples of fine arts courses for spring semester 2011. For a full course selection, please see the 2010/2011 catalog.

ART 243 Printmaking

This studio course introduces various printmaking techniques and the expressive, conceptual, and communication possibilities of printmaking as an artistic medium. This course also examines art as an expression of aesthetics and art criticism.

ART 377 Fibers II

This intermediate studio course builds upon the technical and conceptual framework of ART 277 Fibers, with added emphasis on personal exploration and expression.

A degree in fine arts from Montana Western will prepare you for a career as:

An actor
A graphic designer
An art director
An illustrator
An art historian
A jeweler
An art/music therapist
A multimedia artist
An arts administrator
A museum educator
A music teacher
A computer artist
A photographer
An art teacher
A studio artist
A community arts organizer

Larry Brazill
Glenn Bodish
Bert Brewer
Gay Garard-Brewer
Martha Hong
Eva Mastandrea
Brent McCabe
David Regan
Nolan Salix
Judy Ulrich

Larry Brazill, M.Ed.

Larry Brazill teaches drama at Montana Western and is actively involved in the arts both on campus and in the community. He directed “It’s a Wonderful Life” in the fall of 2008 and “Little Shop of Horrors” in the fall of 2009. Brazill was named the Montana Theater Educator of the year for the 2002-2003 academic year; the Myrna Loye Center’s Arts Educator of the Year in 1997; and received an honorable mention for Teen Ink Magazine’s Educator of the Year in 2001-2002. Currently, he is working on a dissertation study regarding the creative process of playwrights.

Glenn Bodish

Glenn Bodish holds an MFA in painting from the University of Montana, a BFA from Southern Oregon University and an Associate’s in Commercial Art from Luzerne County Coullege in Pennsylvania. In the past 30 years Bodish has worked in the art field as a photojournalist, graphic and interior designer, community arts organizer, commercial illustrator and photographer, and as a performance and fine artist. Bodish has also worked in art museums since 1992 and is currently the executive director for the Butte Silver Bow Arts Foundation. He has been teaching art for community arts programs, schools and universities since 1985. Stories about his work have been widely published in the New York and Los Angeles Times, the International Herald Tribune and Via Magazine. His work has also been published in several magazines, books and on a variety of commercial products. Bodish is represented by the Creighton Block Gallery located in Virginia City, Mont. and exhibits his work around the country.

Bert Brewer, D.M.A.

Albert Brewer’s training includes a D.M.A. in vocal performance from Catholic University in Washington D.C. and a bachelor’s and master’s degree in music education from the University of Montana. His teaching experience includes 25 years teaching general music, band and choir to grades one through 12 in Montana public schools. Brewer has sung professionally with the Opera Society of Washington D.C, the New York City Opera and the Paul Hill Chorale at both the Kennedy Center and Wolf Trap Farm Park. He currently directs the noontime Concert Choir and the Cantabileers at Montana Western.

Gay Garard-Brewer, D.M.A.

Garard-Brewer’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Music in Piano performance and a Master of Arts in Music History and Literature from the University of Montana. Her DMA in is piano pedagogy is from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Brewer, in collaboration with TimeWarp Technology and Yamaha Corporation, is at the forefront of the new InternetMidi remote piano teaching. Brewer brings over 40 years of private studio and performing arts academy teaching expertise to Montana Western, where she is the staff pianist and teaches piano and music education classes.

Martha Hong

Martha Hong is a coloratura soprano with an extensive teaching and directing background. Hong received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Drake University and a Master of Music in Opera Theatre from University of South Carolina. With over 15 years of voice teaching, six years of directing and many award winning students, Hong provides a vibrant and varied background spanning classical vocal technique to contemporary techniques. Hong is also the recipient of the National Youth Theatre Award for Best Director for her production of “Les Miserables Student Edition” with the Modern Opera Theatre Company Educational Outreach.

Eva Mastandrea, M.F.A.

Eva Mastandrea is the chair of the fine arts department. She has taken her love of creating and teaching art around the world twice during two Semesters at Sea in 2000 and 2006. She previously developed her expertise on Asian art through her Fulbright fellowship in China and Japan. Experience One scheduling has helped her students understand and explore the creative process that is essential for artistic expression. Mastandrea has exhibited her own art in non-profit venues throughout the state of Montana.

Brent McCabe

A versatile music educator, Dr. Brent Poe McCabe has taught in a variety of educational venues, from K-12, community college, to University instruction. Throughout his academic journey, McCabe has served as choir and band director, supervised student teachers, and has taught most courses within a collegiate music education program. He is currently the program director for music at Montana Western. McCabe has also served as presenter and clinician at state and regional MENC conferences and holds a MM degree from The Juilliard School and a D.M.A. from the University of Arizona. As a critically acclaimed classical guitarist, Brent has performed throughout the United States and abroad and has been a prizewinner in numerous national and international music competitions. Brent has also recorded two CDs, Classical Guitar and 20th Century Latin Guitar Works and has performed on radio programs throughout the country, including National Public Radio.

David Regan, M.F.A.

Before coming to Montana Western, Regan was a Missoula artist and adjunct faculty member at the University of Montana-Missoula. While known mainly for his ceramic tile art, his carved porcelain vessels are collected nationally and exhibited in New York and Los Angeles. Regan received a Montana Arts Council Fellowship in 1992 and a Western States Arts Federation fellowship in 1993. More recently, his work was included in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s “Clay Into Art” exhibition. At Montana Western, Regan teaches ceramics, sculpture and glass.

Recent Work:

Nolan Salix

Nolan Salix is a painter and printmaker holding an MFA from Montana State University and a BFA from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Mich. His contemporary industrial landscapes are created through the use of materials from site such as metals, patinas, tar, and motor oil. His works have been shown across Montana as well as in Park City, Utah; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Hill City, S.D; and Skagway, Alaska. Salix’s work was featured in the Wim Wender’s film “Don’t Come Knocking” and is part of the Holter Museum’s and Skagway Museum’s permanent collections. Salix has been represented in several local magazines and newspapers, including the Big Sky Journal.

Judy Ulrich, Ph.D.

Judy Ulrich was appointed by Gov. Brian Schweitzer to the Montana Arts Council. This agency of state government, similar to those in 49 other states and the National Endowment for the Arts, was established in 1967 “to develop the creative potential of all Montanans, advance education, spur economic vibrancy and revitalize communities through involvement in the arts.” Ulrich is also the faculty advisor for the Polynesian Culture Club and is active in its development.

Contact

For more information about fine arts at Montana Western, contact department chair Eva Mastandrea:
Main Hall 118
(406) 683-7312
e_mastandrea@umwestern.edu.

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UMW’s Julie Bullard named 2011 Montana Professor of the Year

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