The Livingston Depot Museum will open for the year starting Saturday, May 11 at 10 a.m. with both its railroad and Yellowstone history displays, and also a new special exhibit for the 2019 season, “Danforth at the Depot: A Preview of Livingston’s First Art Museum.”

This sampling of the area’s most renowned and talented artists is the result of a partnership between the Livingston Depot Center and the Danforth Museum of Art, formerly the Danforth Gallery, which is reorganizing and renovating its historic building on Main Street in order to nurture the contemporary art ethos of the local artistic community and its evolution over the years.  From Russell Chatham to Edd Enders, from turn-of-the-century to contemporary, from canvas to bronze, and mixed media to photography, the region’s art has both reflected and shaped the local community.

The exhibit, “Danforth at the Depot: A Preview of Livingston’s First Art Museum,” will continue this conversation with works by over a dozen nationally acclaimed and internationally-known artists, asking, why here? Why now? Why these people? What do we as audiences and artists have in common that drives an artistic response?

In connection with the exhibit, the Depot will host a public reception Thursday, June 13 at 6:00 p.m. for the show’s artists as well as collectors and art lovers from around the region. The Depot also hosts other events during the summer, including the Festival of the Arts July 2-4, the Roundhouse Roundup on July 25, and more.

The Depot Museum exhibits in 2019 will be open from May 11 through September 22.  The popular ongoing main exhibit “Rails Across the Rockies: A Century of People and Places” introduces visitors to the rich history of railroading in Montana. It gives special attention to the Northern Pacific and its central role in the opening of Yellowstone, America’s first national park, through Livingston beginning in the 1880s. And the Depot’s stunning architecture itself evokes a sense of free-spirited adventure for today’s visitors, recalling the opulence of vintage travel to Yellowstone National Park, dude ranches, and the Rocky Mountain West.

In addition to its main and special exhibit, the museum exhibits also include “Film in Montana: Moviemaking under the Big Sky,” and an HO scale model layout of Livingston’s rebuild shops and roundhouse alongside the majestic Depot and even the Teslow Grain Elevator.

Operated by the Livingston Depot Foundation and located at 200 West Park Street, the Depot is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.  There is a nominal admission, and group visits are also welcome by special arrangement. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the Depot office at (406) 222-2300 or visiting www.livingstondepot.org.