The theme for the Montana Folk Festival focuses on attributes and qualities of life in Montana. These qualities have aptly been labeled folklife, where the land and the people of Montana are showcased for your enjoyment.
Whether expressed through performance or tangible craft, folk and traditional arts convey the identity, values, and aesthetics of the communities from which they emerge. To ensure these traditions endure, communities—ethnic, occupational, regional, religious, or linguistic—must pass down the knowledge and techniques that sustain their practices. This accumulated wisdom and muscle …
Nestled in the heart of historic downtown Dillon, Montana, Frecker’s Saddlery has been handcrafting world-renowned Western saddles since its founding by the late Kent Frecker in 1990. Each saddle begins with meticulous measurements of a horse’s back, followed by the fabrication of a custom saddle tree that mirrors the animal’s …
Lake Berkeley Decoys is the creative partnership of Mark Mariano and Mary Sutherland, a husband-and-wife team based in Butte, Montana. Lake Berkeley Decoys is named after the Berkeley Pit, where Mark fell in love with waterfowl while studying their behavior and how to better protect them. Together, they handcraft traditional …
Nathan Kimpell grew up in Minnesota, the son of an architect and a nurse, and began making art at a young age—initially drawn to painting, drawing, and pottery. His interest expanded in high school and college to include hot glass, metal, and sculpture, eventually leading him to focus on metalwork …
Since 1996, Rose Atkinson has taught star quilt-making for the Cultural Arts Department at Fort Peck Community College, where her students have ranged in age from 18 to 80. She learned to quilt from her grandmother, Mary Evelyn Redwood Buckles, and began her own journey in 1981 with a baby …
(to be joined by granddaughter, Ali) Eva Boyd is a keeper and teacher of the Salish language and some of the oldest and rarest cultural arts of the Selis and Qlispe people. She comes from a family and an upbringing rich in the cultural knowledge and traditions of the Selis …
Linda King, born in St. Ignatius on the Flathead Indian Reservation and an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation, is nationally acclaimed for her exquisite beadwork, regalia, weaving, and quilt work. In addition to her work as an artist, she has devoted more than twenty years to …
Olivia “Rose” Williamson, owner and operator of Lady Pompadour Beadwork and Design, has garnered widespread recognition within the Apsáalooke community and across the Northern Plains. Renowned for her expertise in traditional beadwork, Rose is affectionately referred to by friend Carrie Moran McCleary as a “certified bead florist,” further stating that …
Dan Roberts is a master luthier whose lifelong passion for woodworking began in his grandfather’s unconventional home workshop—where the bedroom stored lumber, and the living room was a fully equipped woodshop. As a boy, Dan learned to build simple projects there and continued his training with his father, in school …
Handweaver Allison Grove uses Montana wool yarns and plant dyes to portray nature in her art. Grove has a 25-year career in animal science research, but she found her way to weaving after her sister started spinning and sending her exquisite handspun yarns. This rekindled her love for the weaving …
Husband and wife duo Dan and Julia Schwarz craft timeless, handcrafted footwear with passion, precision, and artistry through their business, Schwarz Custom Boots. Drawing on decades of experience, they bring a unique blend of traditional boot-making and personal creativity to each pair they produce—earning a reputation for exceptional quality and …
As an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation, Tim Ryan’s work embodies the material culture and traditional, place-based ecological knowledge preserved by his ancestors for thousands of years. His research on Salish seasonal rounds, lifeways, and economy has driven him to revive, utilize, …
Glenn Brackett, a renowned fly-rod maker and devoted fisherman, traces his passion for angling back to his formative years spent fishing with his father and grandfather. He would often visit the Winston Rod Company during his youth, first around eight years old with his grandfather. As his father’s woodworking business …
Diane embarked on her journey into engraving in 1986, around the same time her husband, Bob, delved into crafting bits and spurs. Together, they started Sweetwater Silver. In those early days, skilled hand engravers were scarce, and when Diane finally located a potential mentor, the individual was unwilling to impart …
Glenn Brackett, a renowned fly-rod maker and devoted fisherman, traces his passion for angling back to his formative years spent fishing with his father and grandfather. He would often visit the Winston Rod Company during his youth, first around eight years old with his grandfather. As his father’s woodworking business …
Interested in smithing from the time he was a teen, Glenn Goldthwait began his dream of a rural, self-sustaining life in 1977. It was then that he built three hand-hewn cabins and found that the traditional ironwork needed for hinges and latches was not available. He purchased an anvil, a …
Marc Brogger, a fifth-generation Western horseman, has built over 900 saddles since the start of his career in 1981. He is well respected in the Western community for his intricate leather work and flower stamping, bringing his skills to creating ornately hand-tooled saddles which bridge art and utility. On the …
The first loom Maude sat down to was threaded to an overshot draft. As a beginner, she let her foot travel across the treadles and watched amazed as the sheds opened and closed – the yarn from the shuttle floating over and under – and a marvelous wavy fabric growing …
Over the course of his 45-year career in crafting Western and working boots and shoes, Mike Ryan has meticulously crafted over 5,000 pairs of custom boots for clients spanning from Montana to the broader Western region. Growing up outside Brusett, Montana, Mike developed an interest in boot and shoemaking, inspired …
Olivia “Rose” Williamson, owner and operator of Lady Pompadour Beadwork and Design, has garnered widespread recognition within the Apsáalooke community and across the Northern Plains. Renowned for her expertise in traditional beadwork, Rose is affectionately referred to by friend Carrie Moran McCleary as a “certified bead florist,” further stating that …
Terry Hill, a fourth-generation Montanan, spent 29 years as a game warden for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks before retiring in 2007. Come 2009, Terry discovered his love for segmented woodturning through a course taught by Rich Charlson, a previous MCAM honoree, who he studied under for …
Tom Dean, a completely self-taught artist, discovered his passion for woodwork at the age of 45, beginning his experimentation in 2005. Guided by what he refers to as his God-given talent, Tom transitioned to full-time artist status in 2008 and began producing his artwork under the name of Milo Creek …
Presenter: Interviews on Stage – Sunday Born and raised on her family’s Montana ranch where the Great Plains rise up to meet the Rocky Mountains, Dr. Edrienne (Cindy) Kittredge has lived and worked across the US before finding her way home. Kittredge studied at the College of William and Mary, …
Presenter: Interviews on Stage – Saturday Mike has been involved in numerous field work, projects and folk festivals across the West and in the southern Appalachians, documenting traditional music, cultural and occupational traditions. He worked for the Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Program as well as on projects of the American Folklife …
Howard Knight started tooling leather because of 4-H. As a child whose family bred and trained Thoroughbred horses, his upbringing in Sandpoint, Idaho, was steeped in western culture. Although life led him to become an electrician, his 4-H project turned into an ever-present hobby. After an accident forced him off …
