By: Michele Corriel
Montana’s Voices & Venues
Rooted in the landscape yet open to global perspectives, Montana’s creative culture blends tradition, experimentation, and a deep appreciation for craftsmanship. Artists working here draw inspiration from the region’s sweeping skies, weathered mountains, and vital community life, rendering these influences into work that feels distinctly committed to the art of translating place.
In this section, we highlight a cross-section of the area’s voices and the venues that support them. Susan Wechsler’s assemblages transform fragments of glass, metal, and found objects into mosaic compositions that blur the line between sculpture and painting. Kira Fercho reveals the personal stories she tells through thickly painted compositions, offering a personal interpretation of her surroundings. Complementing these individual practices, two local galleries provide important platforms for artists working in and beyond the region, curating exhibitions that connect Bozeman to the broader conversations in contemporary art. Old Main Gallery may be moving locations, but the owners remain committed to the aesthetics they formed over years on Main Street. And Visions West Contemporary concentrates on the wildness both within and beyond the West.
Together, these artists and spaces illustrate the vitality of our art scene—one that continues to evolve while remaining grounded in the unique character of the American West.
A New Chapter in Bozeman’s Art Scene
Everything old is new again. As Old Main Gallery & Framing prepares to reopen this summer on South Tracy Avenue, the move marks a return to the gallery’s roots and a reaffirmation of its role in Bozeman’s vibrant art scene. With a renewed space and vision, Old Main Gallery honors its legacy while stepping into a larger footprint with new possibilities.
After many years on Main Street, owner Lindsey McCann Jastram has a deep understanding of what the local art community needs—and what her patrons expect from her new gallery space.
Anyone who knows Lindsey knows that a move wouldn’t slow her down. She immediately found a new space just off Main Street to expand her curatorial eye. The two-story gallery—keeping the Old Main Gallery & Framing name—features angled front windows for art displays—an exciting improvement to the former shopfront.
-Old Main Gallery has been a staple of Main Street art for decades. It’s new location, 16 South Tracy Avenue, will connect to it’s former location with white interiors and contemporary wood floors, while opening its lower level to the community for events, workshops and rotating shows.
The inaugural summer exhibition features assemblage artist Steve Bormes alongside painter and printmaker Timothy McOmber.
“They’re both fun and energetic,” Lindsey says. “A great way to kick off the new space.”
Located at 16 South Tracy Avenue, the new Old Main Gallery nods to the former location with white interiors and contemporary wood floors, while opening its lower level to the community for events, workshops and rotating shows.
“IT MAY BE ONE OF THE LONGEST-STANDING GALLERIES IN DOWNTOWN BOZEMAN. SO JUST BECAUSE WE’RE MOVING DOESN’T MEAN OLD MAIN IS GOING ANYWHERE.”
Looking back, Lindsey and her husband, Micah, bought Old Main Gallery just one month before COVID closed its doors.
“That forced us to consider our situation with fresh eyes,” Lindsey says. “We were forced to lay off our staff, and oddly enough, the art market and sales skyrocketed. We learned quickly how to work efficiently while maintaining our high standards. It was a blessing in disguise. I’m looking at this forced move with the same mindset.”
Forcing people inside, COVID actually became a boon for the art market. At the same time, an influx of new residents to Montana fueled demand. The result was a shift in both sales and in the gallery’s roster of artists.
Over the following years, Old Main Gallery & Framing became a vital part of Bozeman’s gallery scene, often championing contemporary artists not represented by the other Main Street venues.
“I’m broken-hearted because I’ve spent more time in that space than any home I’ve ever lived in,” Lindsey says. “But this opportunity came along, and it felt right.”
While not always in the same location, Old Main Gallery & Framing has maintained a presence along Main Street since 1964.
“It may be one of the longest-standing galleries in downtown Bozeman,” Lindsey says. “So, just because we’re moving doesn’t mean Old Main is going anywhere.”
As she fills the new space with art, Lindsey remains committed to keeping the gallery open to community ideas and engagement.
With the summer opening, Lindsey is reintroducing the Bozeman community to Steve Bormes and his inventive use of spare parts. His assemblage works recall a time when broken things were repaired rather than discarded.
“OLD MAIN GALLERY HAS LONG BEEN A STAPLE OF THE LOCAL ART SCENE. NOT GOING TO LET A BUMP IN THE ROAD STOP IT FROM CARRYING ON.”
-Clouded by Contact | Acrylic on canvas | 48” x 24” | Timothy McOmber
“I use a lot of everyday items and present them in a different way,” says Steve. “When people discover what’s in the piece, they get excited. When I’m scouting around, I start out with an empty Suburban and expect to fill it. If I see a ranch with a lot of stuff, I stop to see if they’ll let me go through it all. I’ll use parts from cars, including taillights, fenders, and outboard motor cowls from boats.”
The last time Steve showed at Old Main Gallery, he drew a crowd—many of whom asked him to sign the show poster.
Drawing on mid-century cultural references and the forms of the 1950s and ’60s, Steve’s sculptures evoke a sense of nostalgic comfort while remaining whimsically futuristic (think early Star Trek episodes). Through his collector’s aesthetic, his pieces take on personalities: mask-like wall works with glowing lights emitting from the back; aquatic life forms swimming in undiscovered waters. Each one invites viewers to see familiar parts as both material and metaphor—commentary on modern life assembled from its remnants.
-John Doe | Found objects | 72” x 60” x 10” | Steve Bormes |
-BuffaLove | Found objects | 42” x 24” x 8” | Steve Bormes
Joining Steve is Bozeman artist Timothy McOmber, also new to Old Main Gallery. Drawing on the mythology of the Old West, Timothy uses the visual language of comic-book heroes and tattoo iconography to reinterpret Western culture through a distinctly contemporary lens. The work feels like Will James merging with Roy Lichtenstein—filtered through memes and commentary that reflect the myth of the West, with rugged cowboys and bar fights. Red Bull meets angry buffalo.
Viewers may smile first, then pause. Bold lines and saturated colors give the work
immediacy that feels contemporary, while the imagery—horses mid-buck, lone riders, cartoon skulls—roots it in a shared Western memory. The tension between irony and tribute gives the work a charge.
Timothy’s work tells stories abundant in the West, including mythology, humor, and contradictions. With Old Main Gallery’s fresh walls and expanded footprint, his paintings feel both at home and slightly rebellious.
Renewed, reborn, reimagined, Old Main Gallery & Framing steps forward without abandoning what made it beloved in the first place. The move underscores its resilience.
Like the artists the gallery champions, Old Main Gallery adapts, transforms, and continues to invite conversation—securing its place in Bozeman’s creative landscape.
“Old Main Gallery has long been a staple of the local art scene,” Lindsey says. “I’m not going to let a bump in the road stop it from carrying on.”
-Through the Static | Acrylic and spray paint on canvas | 36” x 36” | Timothy McOmber
Everything old is new again. As Old Main Gallery & Framing prepares to reopen this summer on South Tracy Avenue, the move marks a return to the gallery’s roots and a reaffirmation of its role in Bozeman’s vibrant art scene. With a renewed space and vision, Old Main Gallery honors its legacy while stepping into a larger footprint with new possibilities.
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