Winston Publishing

P.34 ~ PORTFOLIO MONTANA of Arts Association Fourth Annual Thursday, March 16, 2017 1 pm - 8 pm Opening Reception 4 pm - 8 pm Friday, March 17 - Saturday, March 18, 2017 10 am - 8 pm Sunday, March 19, 2017 10 am - 1 pm The History Museum, Ozark Room, 422 2nd Street South, Great Falls, Montana Doris Boyle, Stoney Burk, Janet Christina, Judy Ericksen, Jean Fleming-Mazur, Leslie Kesler, Chary Majerus, Sharron Mashburn, Steve Nelson, Margi Schindele, Dawn Sievers, Joy Staelens, Sandy Walker and Andy Watson Arts Association of Montana Featuring Shirley Tippetts Sand Pat Bushly-Johnson TEXT BY AMY JOYNER E veryone can get it right the first time when hanging wall art, mixing mediums and combining flat wall art with 3D sculp- tures. "Trust your gut. I think people second guess themselves too much," says Kristi Scott, curator of art at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art. In her job and at home, she draws on knowledge learned from her degrees in history and art, but also has a willingness to mix and match. "Of course the art you choose is a very personal experi- ence," she says when describing the two most common ways to hang wall art. Gallery Style combines pieces by systematically hanging them next to each other with ample space between each. "You can re- ally soak in the significance of each piece," she says. "The Salon Style is a mixture of frames in type and style. …It is fine to mix gold with dark frames. Salon Style has sophisticated, elegant looks and has the kind of variety that is really enjoyable for the homeowner and visitors. Then it's kind of nice to keep simple for walls in the other spaces." Scott adds, "I do think you can be as creative and diverse as you like, but I like to stick with a theme – like Western, with Indian, cowboy and landscape art shown together." And, of course, any 3D art –sculpture, bronze – it can be added. Scott says, "You can't go wrong with the way you display art if you enjoy it." Because any display is all about you, use a good hanging height for you, as recommended by artist and former gallery owner Chuck Fulcher. He says, "The middle of the painting should be at eye level." But whose eye level? When a couple has a marked variance in height - short vs. tall, he suggests that using simple math an appropriate hanging height can be reached. For instance, when a 5-foot (60-inch) woman is hang- ing a painting with her husband of 6-feet, 4-inches (76 inches), Fulcher adds the two for 136 inches. He then divides that number in a half, telling the couple the middle compromise of 68 inches is where the painting's center should be. "It's in between; it's the perfect height," Fulcher summarizes. HANG UPS Brush Off Old Ideas About Art Display FEATURING ARTWORK & ARCHITECTURE OF DOWNTOWN GREAT FALLS 20TH ANNIVERSARY Opening Reception - March 16th, 5-9pm MARCH 16 – 18, 2017 Civic Center Gibson Room, 2 Park Dr. S www.studio706artistguild.com

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