The Montana Project Inc

“Expenses advertising 1,983 wire transfer fees 39 travel for contributors 1,778 travel for consultants 14,134 meals 455 lodging 5,073 insurance 250 program expenses 2,933 guitar maintenance 60 other expense 895 total 27,600”

“Leisurely slowing-down conversations with montanans, and those attached to montana, on issues of connectivity within and between the arts and sciences that flourish in montanas wide open spaces.”

“We secured an original artwork by woodcut artists claire emery. Monte dolack just finished his massive painting, commissioned by us, this past week. Clyde aspevig painted a magnificent large piece last fall. This fall, poet jane hirschfield will visit and write in the old forest this fall. Rick bass continues to work on what has become a short novel, whitebark, and has been in conversation with playwrights as well as singer/songwriter siri saterern. We are honored to be working with representatives from the confederated salish and kootenai tribes. Corwin clairmont, a member of the tribe's cultural committee, has attended many black ram concerts and is planning a trip to the old forest this year to begin planning an art project in support of its protection. We've also met with outlaw partners in big sky to plan future events and fundraisers with the guitar. The black ram guitar was played by jeff ament at pearl jam's "it takes a village" event at grizzly stadium last summer; we also played it in the community of seeley lake. By far the highlight of the year was the black ram guitar festival, presented to a sold-out audience at the wilma in missoula. We also played at an art gallery in missoula and a brewery. Montana singer songwriter rob quist toured the old forest and wrote a song for black ram and played it in the forest he and blackfeet singer/songwriter jack gladstone are going to be featured in a story about this campaign in the magazine, cowboys & indians. Articles in high country news and ecotone are also forthcoming. We joined patagonia in supporting the historic our children's trust case versus the state of montana with regard to the right by all montanans to have a clean and environment. Lead plaintiffs badge and ryan and busse played the guitar and sang at the concert in missoula, jack gladstone and climate scientist/world renowned violinist pico alt. Missoula's most beloved musicians, caroline keys, nate biehl, and gibson hartwell, along with jenny white of butte, played and saying that the wilma, singer, songwriter series, etc. Bill mckibben was the emcee and we were honored to have a welcoming drumming by leslie caye and friends. Texas folk rocker james mcmurtry was the headline, and jeffrey foucault also played. Beth ann fennelly gave a poetry reading. Artist lauren strohacker collaborated with rick bass to create an original spoken word-and-image presentation. We gave two pechakucha presenations to sold-out audiences at the ellen in bozeman, mt. We toured the old forest at black ram with numerous poets and artists, including photographer peter kayafas. We visited bend, oregon - breedlove guitars - and convinced jeff bridges to commission six more guitars as part of his and breedlove's in this together sustainability campaign. Breedlove is making a documentary about the campaign. We also played two events with the black and white fish. And we're featured prominently in the whitefish review's special music issue conducted outreach to wildlands festival and hope to have the guitar present there this year. We have been in touch with texas tech university, and the university of texas about the possibility of a black ram guitar festival in texas. The guitar also played at the longstaff house in missoula, with guitar prodigy richard smith. The guitar played in red lodge with representatives from tippet rise in attendance. We continue to be in contact with t bone burnett and other nashville-area songwriters such as about writing song(s) for the guitar. And we will continue working with r a beattie to complete a documentary about the campaign, which will be shown at film festivals around the country. What we do a statewide "society to match our scenery" book club (from the famous wallace stegner wish for our beloved west) things we likeproduct reviews and profiles of the best of montanas small batch makers and crafters conserve our landsupport and information on how to protect open space through conservation easements. I”