Open Air Artists
Missoula Public Library has been an Open Air Artist in Residence site since 2020. Our collaboration gives artists the opportunity to use unique tools in their creations such as 3D printers, a Desktop CNC machine, Cricut Maker & laser cutter, 3D scanner systems, library resources, and more.
Open Air’s mission is to connect diverse communities with creativity through educational, collaborative, and place-based initiatives. For more about Open Air click here.
Below you will find the artists who spent a residency season at Missoula Public Library and information about their work.
Current Artist
Anteo Fabris
Originally from Zurich, Switzerland, Anteo Fabris is a sound artist, composer, and software engineer whose work takes root in data transformation. Having used source material ranging from weather statistics to malfunctioning hardware, Fabris explores music automated by design and the existential question of process-based creation. His work has premiered at Carnegie Hall and in various places around the US and Europe. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Boston University and two Master’s degrees from the Yale School of Music.
See more of Anteo’s work on his website.
2023
Hannah Allen
Hannah Allen, a quilter and fiber artist from Lexington, Kentucky, recently completed “land of our Mothers,” a large-scale quilt dyed with plants from each of Kentucky’s 120 counties. She previously served as a Civic Artist in Residence and rediscovered her passion for sewing in 2018. In 2019, she contributed to the Rita’s Quilt project, which was displayed at the National Quilt Museum and featured on various media outlets. Hannah’s work reflects the comfort of handmade quilts, a sense of place, and the joy of creative freedom.
Justine Lai
Justine Tamiko Lai is an artist based in Queens, New York. Raised in Sacramento, California, she earned a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Her work has been exhibited at Asian Arts Initiative (Philadelphia, PA) and Gawker Media (New York, NY).
Aspen Decker
Aspen Decker, an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and a Nsélišcn speaker, holds a Master’s in linguistics and a Bachelor’s in Tribal Historic Preservation. She has taught Salish for years, inspired by her elders’ teachings on perpetuating Salish language and culture. Aspen raises her children as first language Salish speakers and practices traditional Salish arts, while also incorporating Plains Ledger Art style and pictographic imagery in her graphic arts.
Cameron Decker
Cameron Decker, Diné and descendant of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes, is a versatile artist and educator. He served as faculty and Chair of the Fine Arts department at Salish Kootenai College and worked at the Missoula Art Museum. Together with Aspen Decker, he co-owns Xʷlxʷilt, focusing on supporting Montana schools with authentic lessons about Indigenous values, contributions, and innovations.
2022
Hannah Harvey
Hannah Harvey is a born-and-raised Montanan currently living, creating, and working in Missoula. She graduated from the University of Montana in 2019 with a BFA in Painting and Art Education, and looks forward to developing her creative practices further! Hannah’s current work centers around systems, arrangements, and relationships through the guise of technology and machinery. She enjoys using her artistic practice to play, tinker, and build meaningful relationships.
Cait Finley
Cait Finley, an American artist in Montana, hopes to solve environmental issues through pleasure. Her work explores the contrast between human and geological time, using various media to imagine connections with larger entities. Finley views concepts like petroleum and global warming as entities to fit them within human narratives, investigating how humans attempt to manipulate geological time. With an MFA from Syracuse University and a BFA from The University of Montana, Finley has exhibited nationally and internationally, receiving fellowships and residencies. She currently teaches at The University of Montana.
2021
Mikale Kwiakowski
Mikale Kwiatkowski is a versatile designer-artist with 15 years of experience across various design disciplines. She believes in the power of design to shape culture and enhance human experiences. As an assistant professor at Winthrop University, Mikale teaches 2D and 3D design, drawing from her diverse background and her Master of Architecture from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Stephen Glueckert
Stephen Glueckert was born in Missoula, MT and received a BFA from the University of Idaho and an M.Ed. in Art Education from Western Washington University. He has taught at The University of Montana and the University of Papua New Guinea. He spent ten years at the Northwest Children’s Home as a counselor and teacher. He has been a recipient of a Montana Individual Artist’s Fellowship. He is Curator Emeritus for the Missoula Art Museum. In addition being a practicing artist, he has written extensively about contemporary artists living and working in Montana.
Aaron Cobbett
Aaron Cobbett, a textile artist and photographer, has been creating iconic images of queer culture since the mid-80s. His photographs, featuring stylized and vibrant portraits of various personas, have become an integral part of the contemporary queer cultural canon. Cobbett’s work often involves creating his own costumes, sets, hair, and makeup, blurring the boundaries of identity and foreshadowing current discussions on race, gender, and sexuality in the Queer Art Movement.
No video or artist page available
Quinton Decker 2021
Zoe Sykora 2020
Lauren Norby 2020