Art enthusiasts from Basin will host a collaborative show on July 14, aiming to connect the local community with their newly established creative space supporting artists across all disciplines.
The show titled “Notes for the Sweet Apocalypse: An Evening of Poetry, Prophecy, and Music,” is set to feature approximately 15 artists practicing various art forms, including music, theater, and dance, from around the country.
Formerly known as the Montana Artists’ Refuge Council, a cooperative group of art enthusiasts has transformed a hard rock mining mill site near Basin Creek into a creative space dedicated to nurturing the arts.
“It’s an invocation of creative energy and transformation,” said MJ Williams, a celebrated jazz artist and founding member of the former Montana Artists’ Refuge.“It’s a really big transformation from the extractive industry to the creative industry.”
According to Williams, the former Basin Mill, a warehouse facility established around the late 1800s, processed rocks extracted from various mines across Montana. It featured specialized laboratories for testing samples and extracting minerals, employing nearly 70 workers at its peak. The mill ceased operations around 1980, and the property remained abandoned until last year.
However, when it became available in 2023, Williams saw the potential of this space to expand their current operations.
“It was her [Williams] vision, she just saw right away that it had tremendous potential for creative work of all kinds,” said Bryer Herak, a longtime art enthusiast in theBasin area and co-leader of this project with Williams.
Renovation began last October, and now the space is nearing completion for public opening. The Basin’s artists refuge currently operates five resident units and five studios with a gallery downtown. Plans are underway to convert the newly renovated mill area into five additional studios, a printwork space, and a large area for hosting performance art.
“This is non-denominational, but it’s a kind of consecration of the ground for future creative activity,” Herak said.
Around 15 artists from various parts of the country will participate, including the contemporary belly dance company Queen City Fusion Dance and the musical band Magpie Drums from Montana. Jazz ensemble leader Cynthia Hilts, known for her solo performances and leading ensembles at festivals, concerts, and clubs across New York City, the US, Europe, Mexico, and Africa, will perform. Originally from Tucson, Arizona, Hilts will be joined by four Montana musicians, including Williams.
“We’ve been working on it for months; all the performers and crew will arrive here on July 1st and spend two weeks assembling the show,” Williams said.
In addition, theater producer Margaret Baldwin Pendergrass, a faculty member of Theatre and Performance Studies at Kennesaw State University, will lead the dramatic component of the show. She will be joined by artists from various parts of the country.
Local residents from the Basin area are also actively participating in the production, according to Williams.
The newly renovated rock mill transformed into an art space has yet to be officially named. However, locals have already dubbed it “The Art Mine.” Williams and Herak have always aimed to integrate the refuge with the community, and they hope to gauge community response through this show.
“It’s a very upbeat kind of operation that includes everyone,” Herak said.
The cooperative currently lacks a formal organizational structure. The former nonprofit Montana Artists Refuge dissolved in 2008 during the financial crisis, which hampered fundraising efforts. Despite this, former members such as Herak and Williams continued to host artists in Basin on a smaller scale. They envision the new creative space expanding their ability to accommodate more artists and immerse them in Montana’s nature, history, and community.
“There has been a continuum of artists who started at the refuge and continue to come back,” said Williams. “It’s just a part of what we want to continue doing.”
