Corby Skinner

On this episode of Resounds, Corby and Anna sit down with Billings authors Danell Jones and Tim Lehman to hear about their latest books. 

The center to any good story is the people in it. A film being produced by Stan Parker and Peter Tolton, focuses on the father-son duo of Jim Markel, Sr., and Jim Markel, Jr., as they travel through Vietnam to re-visit the places Jim Sr. was stationed during the Vietnam War.

As filmmakers, Parker and Tolton believe in the power of story to spread empathy and understanding. By giving audiences the chance to step outside their lives for even a moment, film presents opportunities for fresh perspective, thoughtful reflection, and personal discovery.

Through screenings in the community and the conversation to follow, this film will enrich viewers with a stronger understanding of the veteran experience and encourage dialogue among families and friends. This is strengthening communities with art that matters.

For nearly thirty years, Billings-based artist Gordon McConnell has created works derived from Western film stills and informed by his sustained study of the history of the American West and its representations in literature, art, film, and photography.

When the West Was Won: Recent Paintings by Gordon McConnell  is a new exhibition at the Northcutt Steele Gallery, on the campus of Montana State University Billings, which runs from September 5 to October 11.

Creative people are always looking for the right venue to show or produce their work. Aaron Rosen, Sherri Cornett, and Jane Deschner may live in Billings, but their work is seen in galleries across the U.S.

Jon Lodge and Jodi Lightner are contemporary Montana artists working in a variety of media in new and unexpected ways. Both Jon and Jodi use art as a language that gives meaning to the fabricated world around them. The artists discuss the creative process, influences, and describe their complex work for our listening audience.

Frank Warren—often referred to as the most trusted stranger in America—has received more than a million secrets in the mail since 2004, when he started PostSecret, a community art project where people anonymously mail him their secrets on a postcard. At times hilarious and heartbreaking, the secrets reflect complex issues of intimacy, stigma, meaning, humor, and desire. 

On this episode of Resounds, co-hosts Corby Skinner and Anna Paige speak with director, producer and filmmaker Jessica Jane Hart, whose recent documentary Makoshioka just made its debut on Montana PBS. Jessica grew up in Billings and has spent the last 10 years working in Germany, New York, Montana and California. Her next project will take her to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to document the work flutist Kaori Fujii is doing with the Kinshasa Symphony Orchestra and Music Beyond in central Africa.

 Then, Corby and Anna hear from Yellowstone Repertory Theater founders Dina Brophy, Caitlin Hart, and Craig Huisenga. Since announcing the formation of this new, professional theater company in Billings in February, they’ve acquired nonprofit status and are about to launch their debut season with three plays beginning in November, 2017, and running through June, 2018, including Doubt, a Parable by John Patrick Shanley, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, and Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley. 

Mother and son artists Jaune Quick-To-See Smith and Neal Ambrose-Smith are deeply connected to their heritage. Juane Quick-to-See Smith creates work addressing the myths of her ancestors in the context of current issues facing American Indians, while Neal Ambrose-Smith often mixes tribal imagery and humor with current events and political issue. Both are enrolled Salish, Cree, Shoshone and Metis members from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation, in Montana. 

On this episode of Resounds: Arts and Culture on the High Plains, co-hosts Anna Paige and Corby Skinner focus on music as they interview musicians and educators John Roberts and Angella Ahn and award-winning composer Eric Funk.