Hills, hollers and home

As I look out onto Beall St. from my bedroom window, I see an orange truck with a full-suspension mountain bike in the bed, and a snowboard on the roof rack. The thirst for outdoor adventure grips everyone here in Bozeman. It weaves itself into everything, from our everyday conversations, decisions about class schedules to political orientation. A love for exploring and experiencing nature is why many students end up here at MSU. The opportunities for adrenaline chasing were not lost on Carly Thaw when she moved to Bozeman from her home in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia. Thaw has spent most of childhood and adult life hiking, skiing, swimming, cliff jumping, kayaking and whitewater rafting.  

Here in Bozeman, Thaw’s artwork is displayed at the Emerson Cultural Center, on the corner of 3rd and Babcock, in an exhibit entitled “Hills and Hollers.” She uses equal parts pen, gouache paint and watercolor between her 20 or so pieces in the Emerson Lobby. The left side of the lobby holds paintings and prints of her experiences in Montana and Wyoming. My two personal favorites from this half are a 70s-esque Bridger Bowl skiing advertisement and a flawless pen rendition of Bozeman’s hometown hero: the magpie. 

On the western side of the lobby is artwork illustrating Thaw’s adventures in West Virginia. This portion of the exhibit is my favorite, as her affection and warmth toward her home state is palpable in each of her pieces. Her love for the people and places she grew up in and around is apparent in the bright and soft colors she uses, as well as the way she beautifies ordinary moments like zipping up a child’s life jacket, for example. She describes her artistic efforts as a way “to capture in my work the nuance of those stories and why they are so intrinsic to our experience of life and the natural world.” Much of her work, especially of her outdoor antics in West Virginia, which include hiking, (extreme) kayaking and whitewater rafting, involves elements of surrealism that seem to reflect the love and drama that always accompanies warm memories of home. 

Her exhibit is featured in the main lobby of the Emerson until Friday, Feb. 4. I unequivocally recommend you check out Thaw’s work, which will likely leave you reminiscent of your own home, and the youthful memories that are still buried in the dirt of your favorite childhood outdoor adventure spot.