New art museum to join Bair Family Museum

Published: September 19, 2010

Members of the C.M. Bair Family Trust, long-time friends of the Bair family from neighboring counties, and many people who’ve shared in the generous largess of the Bair family gathered July 24 at the Bair Museum in Martinsdale to witness the groundbreaking for the new Charles M. Bair Family Art Museum.

Elizabeth M. Guheen, director and chief curator of the museum, said the groundbreaking date marked the birthdays of Montana philanthropist Charles M. Bair’s wife, Mary, and his two equally altruistic daughters, Marguerite and Alberta. The Bairs were one of Montana’s main philanthropic families, providing funds for scholarships, hospitals, museums, libraries, mental health programs, youth organizations, arts and music.

The new $2.5 million art museum, which is slated to open next May, will sit adjacent to the original Bair family home and will house the Bair’s collection of valuable western artworks, priceless Indian artifacts, and an eclectic collection of American and European painting. The 7,300-square-foot building will feature a variety of gallery spaces, as well as a fire-safe, climate-controlled cement storage vault for the artwork during the winter season, when the museum is closed.

The original Bair family home will continue as a historical family museum, displaying antiques from around the world gathered by the Bair sisters in their travels abroad.

Guheen said that over the years, Alberta Bair consulted with many museum curators and directors about the best care for her family's collection. “We feel that by providing the art collection with the best possible museum environment, while maintaining the House Museum as the heart of the Charles M. Bair Family Museum experience, we are honoring her desire that the work stay on site, but cared for, cherished, and readily viewable by the museum's many visitors,” she said.

The Charles M. Bair Family Museum’s mission is to present an educational institution that focuses on the history and art of the Bair family, the family’s impact and place in the fabric of Montana and the West, and the many stories that relate to the broader context of the accomplishments of the Bair family.

The new museum space will reflect that mission, as well as increasing visitor access. The art museum will also expand opportunities to exhibit family treasures that have been stored away and not exhibited in the past, such as Charlie Bair's original Edward Curtis photograph portfolios he acquired directly from the artist. “We are thrilled to have this opportunity,” said Guheen. “And we feel the spirit of Alberta is with us."

   Principal architect for the museum, Kim Olson of O2 Architects in Billings, said the interior of the new museum is designed to exhibit numerous collections gathered by family members with diverse interests and tastes. There will be gallery space for the Bair sisters’ European collections and for Charlie Bair’s western art collection, climate/light controlled glass display cases for Native American art and artifacts, and a temporary gallery for revolving exhibits.

For more information, visit www.bairfamilymuseum.org.