Bozeman’s Coop gallery, The Artists’ Gallery, located in the Emerson Cultural Center will be featuring the art work of three diverse artists during the month of September. Dede Chrisman is a ceramic artist, Ann Wilbert creates jewelry with fused glass beads, and Tom Wolfe works in forged metal,
 
Chrisman began her relationship with clay thirty years ago. She finds working in clay as a way to journal. The responses she has while experiencing the environment are transferred into images in clay when in her studio. The Yellowstone geysers are reflected in her multi-fired bowls with the blue centers of the bowl surrounded by textured or crusty edges. Currently her work is influenced by a canoe trip on the Missouri River where she observed the cliff swallow nests and random trails the fallen rocks have left. She primarily uses a slab technique for clay, sometimes combining thrown components with the slab.
 
It may not seem like making small glass beads could possibly captivate a person for years, but such is the case for Wilbert. She finds that there are infinite possibilities with each attempt she makes at producing her lampwork beads. Although she feels she may never be a master of this art form she tries to capture something unique in each bead she creates.
 
Wolfe is inspired by the limitless possibilities of what can be done with iron, anvil, forge and tireless toil.  He creates functional metal work for the home and garden. His long-term fascination with the changes that can be wrought in the shape of steel when heated to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit keeps him coming back to the forge. After spending 30 years as the head of MSU’s horseshoeing program he has turned to making functional metal art while still using traditional blacksmithing techniques.
 
The Bozeman Artwalk will take place on Friday, September 12th.  Start your Artwalk at the Artists’ Gallery at 5:00 – then proceed to Main Street when the galleries there begin their Artwalk at 6:00. Come and meet the artists with a glass of wine.