The Voices and Visions of the Flathead Reservation exhibit

By Alyssa Kelly

Many facets of reservation and Mission Valley life are on display at the Hangin' Art Gallery in Arlee until this Saturday. (Alyssa Kelly photo)

ARLEE - The Voices and Visions of the Flathead Reservation exhibit gives viewers a peak at life through eyes of the youth. From serene forest landscapes to alleys lined with cars so old they're rusting back to earth, this exhibit adds a new perspective to life under the Mission Mountains.

The group participated in the first ever event hosted by A VOICE - Art Vision and Outreach in Community Education program. Unlike any other summer camp last year, middle school students from Arlee and St. Ignatius areas spent two weeks expressing their creativity through writing and photography.

Through a joint collaboration of local artists/ Salish Kootenai College instructors Jennifer Greene and David Spear, the group learned fundamentals of writing poems, haikus, and short stories. They were also taught how to properly use various cameras and photography techniques.

"This project actually happened as an accident," says Spear. "We originally wanted to have the students photograph the contrast between the Arlee Powwow and the Arlee rodeo that occur at the same time. Our overall goal was to help the students understand and appreciate diversity."

Providing financial support, The Montana Fund for Tolerance hopes to encourage the celebration of diversity. The foundation grants various programs up to $5,000 dollars to help alleviate prejudices in society.

"It was quite an experience attending the Agnes Vanderburg Camp with the students from Nk^wusm," says Spears. "The feeling shows through their photos as far as the importance of the cultural connection those students have with the language and their spirituality. We had the opportunity to learn from elders and the children about their perspective of diversity and it was an honor."

To encourage the celebration of diversity, the groups participated in various exercises that evolved into understanding each other's worldview. They were given lessons on other photographer's work and at one point, individual groups were given free reign with the cameras and assigned to take photos of their friends.

"Taking pictures was fun," says Nk^wusm student and project participant Mai'i Pete. "I learned how to focus a camera and I remember trying to take a picture of a butterfly, but I couldn't catch up to it."

Through the exercise, the children's photos depicted personal relationships they had with each other and their surroundings. There were culturally insightful photos of students creating Native American crafts such as basket weaving and a rare look into a festival involving the Amish community.

"My favorite picture was of a ground hog," says Nk^wusm student and project participant Danial Moran. "He was just sitting there staring at us."

The free admission exhibit is located in Arlee at the Hangin' Art Gallery, it will be on display until Saturday, April 5. Spear is looking into displaying the exhibit elsewhere in the near future as well.

"The strength of this exhibit is its ability to show the context of different viewpoints," says Spear. "We'd like to keep the photos around to see how life changes in the future. Document the community's evolvement."