The Bee-Clectics will exhibit fabric creations in the Atrium Gallery at the Bozeman Public Library January 2 through February 28, 2018. The Bozeman Public Library Foundation, sponsors of the exhibit, will host an artist’s reception on Friday, January 5, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., free and open to the public. 

The members of the Bee-Clectics explore and make fabric art for the fun and joy of creating in a spirit of friendship.  The group started informally in 2016 as a weekly activity group focusing on fabric, threads, and mixed media. The name, Bee-Clectics, comes from the historical concept of the quilting bee, a community gathering where quilts were made by a group of women in a social setting.  

Members work on individual projects while exploring an eclectic source of materials and techniques to enhance their fabric, thread, and mixed media artwork. The group meets weekly and the goal is to experience learning and experimenting in an atmosphere of mutual interest. The diverse members have shown their work at local, regional, and national shows; have published work in various magazines; and have taught art and quilting techniques. Some members sell their work or accept commissions and others produce art for the purpose of inspiring and pleasing themselves and others. 

The exhibition will be on display during Library hours.  A percentage of sales will go to the Bozeman Public Library Foundation to ensure continuation of cultural programs at the Library for public benefit.  For more information about the exhibit or opening reception, please call Sarah DeOpsomer at 582-2425 or email sarah@bozemanlibraryfoundation.org.

Opening a Montana medical care savings account by Dec. 31 to help with medical expenses not covered by a health insurance policy or flexible spending account can help individuals save on taxes, according to Marsha Goetting, a family economics specialist with Montana State University Extension.
 
“Up to $3,000 of a deposit into the account, per taxpayer, is deductible from an individual’s 2017 Montana adjusted gross income, thus reducing taxes,” Goetting said.
 
"This tax advantage does not apply to your federal income taxes, however, and should not be confused with the Federal Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) or Federal Flexible Spending Plans (FSAs)," she said.
 
To establish a medical care savings account, individuals should contact their financial institution, such as a bank, savings bank or credit union, Goetting said. She added that a Montanan with taxable income over $17,600 could save about $207 in state income taxes by depositing the maximum $3,000 in a Montana medical care savings account.

"It doesn't matter if you have already paid your 2017 medical bills either by check, credit or debit card," said Goetting. "You can add up those eligible expenses, make a deposit by Dec. 31 of this year and reimburse yourself from your Montana MSA as late as Jan. 15, 2018."
 
The key word is “paid,” Goetting said.
 
“You can reimburse yourself for paid eligible medical expenses as late as Jan. 15, 2018. But if you haven't yet paid those bills because your health insurance company hasn't sorted out what it will pay and what you still owe, you still can reimburse yourself for those 2017 expenses after Jan. 15, 2018.”

 
“The amount available to reduce your Montana income is the total deposited, not the amount used for medical expenses during the tax year,” Goetting said.
 
“For example, if you deposited $3,000 in an MSA but only used $100 for eligible medical expenses during 2017, you still get to reduce your income for Montana income tax purposes by $3,000. The remaining $2,900 is available for paying medical expenses in future years.”
 
A married couple who individually establish medical savings accounts can receive a $6,000 deduction if they file a joint Montana income tax return, Goetting said.  The couple will then save about $414 on their state income taxes. However, joint medical savings accounts are not allowed.
 
Medical care savings account amounts held in the name of one spouse can be used to pay the medical bills of either spouse or their dependent children, Goetting said.
 
“For example, if a husband had $6,000 in medical expenses during 2017, $3,000 from his own MSA and $3,000 from his wife's MSA could be used for his bills,” Goetting said.
 
Eligible expenses include medical and dental insurance premiums, long-term care insurance, dental care (including orthodontists), eyeglasses or contacts or prescription drugs that are paid during the year. Not covered are medical-related bills that have been already covered by a supplemental, primary or self-insured plan.

Goetting said that Montana generally accepts as eligible expenses any that are listed in the IRS 502 Publication, "Medical and Dental Expenses," which is on the Web at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf.
 
An MSU Extension MontGuide can help individuals decide if they would benefit from a Montana medical care savings account. The publication (MontGuide 199817 HR) is free if picked up from a local MSU County Extension office. Or, it can be downloaded for free from the Web at http://msuextension.org/publications/FamilyFinancialManagement/mt199817HR2017.pdf.

On Sunday, December 17th, at 7pm at the Emerson Center, The Bozeman Doc Series presents the Montana premiere of the award-winning new documentary, Spettacolo.

Once upon a time, villagers in a tiny hill town in Tuscany came up with a remarkable way to confront their issues – they turned their lives into a play. Every summer, their piazza became their stage and villagers of all ages played a part – the role of themselves. Every issue the villagers have faced in their history - their near annihilation by Nazis, the womenʼs movement, the struggles of the townʼs independent farmers, the commercialization of their land - every major event has been debated and dramatized by the villagers in the center of town.

Leading this process is Andrea Cresti, a painter and sculptor, who has devoted his life to helping his village tell their story. At 75, he still scales scaffolding to adjust lights and pulls the stage apart after midnight rehearsals. But with no qualified heir and a future generation more interested in Facebook than farmers, he struggles to keep their tradition and community from crumbling. “Spettacolo” tells the story of Teatro Povero di Monticchiello, interweaving episodes from its past with its modern-day process as the villagers weather a series of devastating blows to bring their latest production to life.

"Spectacular. The film resonates with profound themes that relate to us all." Nonfictionfilm.com

“All the world’s a stage, but in Monticchiello that truism is movingly real…so poignant and so intelligently told that it feels wrong, almost insulting, to call “Spettacolo” charming, even if the movie is often delightful.” The New York Times 

"Breathtaking. A powerful testament to the ability of art to make sense of the world" Moveable Fest

“Lovely, heartbreaking… a profound inquiry into the state of the human animal… a great film about the search for meaning.” Hammer to Nail

See the film's trailer here.

Get tickets here. Tickets are also available at the door or before the show at Cactus Records and Movie Lovers. Doors open at 6:30pm the night of the show. Starting on January 4th, the series will move to every other Thursday through April.

Tippet Rise Art Center, located against the backdrop of Montana’s Beartooth Mountains, has announced the dates and highlights for its third concert season, July 6 through September 8, 2018. The art center, which celebrates the union of land, art, architecture, and music, will present eight weeks of concerts featuring an impressive list of performers, some making their debuts at Tippet Rise and others returning as audience favorites. Complete details will be announced in early 2018.


Returning Artists
Stellar performers returning to Tippet Rise include pianists Anne-Marie McDermott, Pedja Muzijevic, and Jeffrey Kahane, who astounded us in 2017 with his deeply moving improvisation on “America the Beautiful,” as well as violinist Caroline Goulding. We also welcome back two wonderful string quartets: the Escher String Quartet and the Dover Quartet.

Returning performers also include Russian concert pianist Yevgeny Sudbin, whose Scarlatti recording made it into Forbes's Top 10 Best Classical Recordings of 2016.  In addition, also returning for her third season at Tippet Rise, is Taiwan native Jenny Chen, a concert pianist with numerous international music competition awards.  Chen said she is anxious to return to Montana:

“First time I came here with honor, the second time a delight, and the third time will be precious. Tippet Rise Festival made me unforgettable memories, and I am so excited to get back to their embrace!”
 
Commissioning New Work
Tippet Rise is committed to commissioning work by important contemporary composers. In this spirit, Season Three will include a new work by Aaron Jay Kernis—the second to be composed through a three-year commissioning program—performed by the Borromeo String Quartet. Kernis’s first commission for Tippet Rise, “First CLUB Date,” a work for piano and cello, was given its premiere in August 2017. In 2020, Kernis will premiere the third commissioned work, a piece for small chamber ensemble and voice.

Debut Artists
Among the artists making their Tippet Rise debuts are pianist Ingrid Fliter performing the complete Chopin nocturnes. St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, drawn from New York City-based Orchestra of St. Luke’s, will perform works by Brahms and Robert and Clara Schumann. The Calidore String Quartet will be joined by Tara Helen O’Connor to highlight gems of the chamber music repertoire that feature flute, and will also partner with violinists Daniel Phillips and Aaron Boyd and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, in Bach concertos for piano and 7 strings.

It’s a Family Affair
Tippet Rise always encourages families to visit the art center and next season that extends to musicians.  Season Three includes cellist David Finckel and his wife, pianist Wu Han, both world-class performers as well the Artistic Directors of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Music@Menlo, and other enterprises that have earned them a reputation as “chamber music’s power couple” (The Wall Street Journal). Also returning to Tippet Rise next season is Jeffery Kahane, concert pianist and immediate past conductor of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, performing with his son, Gabriel Kahane, a dynamic young singer-songwriter whose music blends classical and rock.

 
Performance Venues
Performances will take place both indoors and out. The 150-seat Olivier Music Barn, inspired by the intimate performance spaces where Haydn’s and Mozart’s works were performed, is Tippet Rise’s primary concert venue. Pre-concert lectures will take place at the Tiara, a 100-seat outdoor acoustic shell. Weather permitting, select concerts will also take place at the open-air Domo, a 98-foot-long, 16-foot-tall, acoustically rich sculptural structure designed by Ensamble Studio. Two family concerts, designed to enlighten, entertain, and educate Tippet Rise’s younger audiences, will also be presented.

 
Winter at Tippet Rise Art Center
While the art center will be closed to the public over the winter, concert footage from several performances from the 2016 and 2017 concert seasons can be viewed online. New videos include Yevgeny Sudbin playing Medtner’s “Sonata Tragica” in C minor, Op. 39, No. 5, from “Forgotten Melodies”; Jenny Chen playing Chopin’s Étude Op. 10, No. 3; and Jeffrey Kahane’s deeply moving improvisation on Samuel A. Ward’s “America the Beautiful.”

Tippet Rise is home to state-of-the-art recording facilities and is hosting several artists this fall and winter for special studio sessions. Violinist Caroline Goulding recently recorded Ysaye’s Sonata no. 5, Bartok Solo Sonata and Telemann Sonata in A major and pianist Alessandro Deljavan will be recording at Tippet Rise later this month. Both albums will be released in 2018.

As a testament to the art center’s growing reputation as a cultural oasis, Tippet Rise recently received a 2017 Leading Culture Destination Award from the UK’s LCD Magazine and travel channel. The awards ceremony was held in London at the Trafalgar Saint James Hotel on Friday, September 29. Other winners include the British Museum, the Walker Art Center, and the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum.

Tippet Rise will reopen to the public on Friday, June 29, 2018, one week before the start of the summer music series, for tours of its monumental outdoor sculptures on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with prior registration. Visitors can explore the ranch and its sculptures via nine miles of hiking and biking trails, or by electric shuttle bus.

 
About Tippet Rise Art Center
Tippet Rise Art Center is located in Fishtail, Montana against the backdrop of the Beartooth Mountains, roughly midway between Billings and Bozeman and just north of Yellowstone National Park. Set on a 10,260-working sheep and cattle ranch, Tippet Rise hosts classical music performances and exhibits monumental outdoor sculptures. Tippet Rise is anchored in the belief that art, music, architecture, and nature are inextricably linked in the human experience, each making the others more powerful.

 
The art center features musical performance spaces indoors and out, with programs that seek to create memorable experiences for performers and audience members alike. The 2017 summer concert season featured new and returning artists, established soloists, and rising stars, who presented works ranging in date from the early 18th century through today. Tippet Rise also collaborated in 2017 with the Architecture & Design Film Festival to screen a specially curated schedule of films.

Tippet Rise Art Center has a growing collection of large-scale sculptures and other works by some of the world’s foremost artists and architects. Many are site-specific compositions, aiming to transcend the boundaries of art, nature, and architecture. Artworks set within the landscape include several sculptural structures by the innovative Ensamble Studio, including the 25-foot-tall Beartooth Portal, composed of two vertical rocklike forms that stand approximately 25 feet apart at ground level and lean together at the top; the similarly designed 26-foot-tall Inverted Portal, and the 98-foot-long, 16-foot-tall Domo. Tippet Rise is also home to two monumental works by the internationally renowned sculptor Mark di Suvero: Beethoven’s Quartet, a massive stainless-steel work, and Proverb which stands 60 feet tall, two site-specific works including Satellite # 5: Pioneer, by Stephen Talasnik and Daydreams by Patrick Dougherty; and two works by Alexander Calder on loan from the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden: Two Discs (1965) and Stainless Stealer (1966). Two paintings by Isabelle Johnson, an original owner of part of the land on which Tippet Rise Art Center is situated, and Montana’s first Modernist painter, have been acquired by Tippet Rise and hang in the Olivier Music Barn.

As an institution founded to serve its neighbors in Montana as much as visiting musicians, artists, and audiences, Tippet Rise develops and supports year-round education programs in schools at the K-12 level, local colleges and universities, and other organizations.
 
 
Getting to Tippet Rise Art Center
Located in Stillwater County, Tippet Rise is approximately one hour southwest of Billings, two hours southeast of Bozeman, and two-and-a-half hours north of Yellowstone National Park. It is served by two major airports – Billings Logan International Airport and Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport.

Access and Tickets
Tippet Rise is open to visitors from June 29 to mid-September on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 4pm with prior registration. Tickets will be available in early 2018. For the latest information on ticketing, please sign up for the Tippet Rise e-newsletter.

Montana State University expects more than 1,190 students will receive degrees during MSU's fall commencement, set for Saturday, Dec. 16.
 
MSU will confer degrees on candidates for graduation for fall 2017, according to Tony Campeau, MSU registrar. This fall semester, there are expected to be approximately 803 undergraduate students and 203 graduate students awarded degrees at commencement. In addition, 187 students who graduated in the summer will be eligible to participate in fall commencement.


The ceremony for all MSU colleges will be held beginning at 9 a.m. in MSU's Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, with the processional beginning at 8:40 a.m. During the ceremony, Dan Wenk, the superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, who has been called “an eloquent advocate and steward of the world’s first national park,” will receive an honorary doctorate in letters. He will also deliver the charge to the graduates.

For more information about MSU's 2017 fall commencement ceremony, go to http://www.montana.edu/commencement/.

I’ve loved books since before I was literate. My mother tells of me playing with my books, pretending to read while I made up my own stories to go with the illustrations.

At the start of 2015 I followed the lead of a bookish pal, jumping into Book Riot's first annual Read Harder  Challenge. It sounded easy enough for a nerd like me: read a book to fit into each of the 24 categories. Two books a month? Piece of cake.

I approached my book shelves with my challenge list in one hand and a pencil in the other. I scanned through categories such as: a book that takes place in Asia, a book by an author from Africa, a book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture, and a book by or about someone who identifies as LGBTQ.

I came to a startling realization, my book shelves are not exactly diverse.

2017 is the third year I’ve participated in the challenge, and to be extra nerdy, I did a second one, the  PopSugar 2017 challenge (including the advanced categories, of course!) The challenges have expanded my horizons as both a reader and a writer. They have pushed me far out of my reading comfort zone and busted many of the misconceptions I had about certain genres such as fantasy and romance, and YA writing.

As the years have gone on, I’ve become increasingly frustrated with Read Harder’s categories. This year I’ve found them to be painfully specific. I’ve had a hard time completing some of the categories as they’re written so I’ve put my own spin on them to be able to mark it off.

It was this frustration that led me to create my own reading challenge for 2018. I enjoy categories that are more personal to the reader.

I've come up with 12 categories, because while some of us can get through a much larger number of books in a year, this isn’t realistic for the majority of readers I know. I have a few friends who have been intrigued by my completion of  challenges past but too intimidated by the large number of categories to give it a try.

All you have to do is read, no other participation is required. If you start and don't finish, that's okay. However if you do complete the challenge, you can email me your list to be entered to win a prize at the end of 2018!!

    •    Read a book that takes place in one day.
    •    Read a memoir or biography of a musician you like.
    •    Read a collection of poetry.
    •    Read an audio book with multiple narrators.
    •    Read a self published book.
    •    Read a book you received as a gift.
    •    Read a book about a historical event you’re interested in (fiction or non).
    •    Read a book written by an author from the state where you grew up.
    •    Read a book recommended by one of your parents (in-laws count).
    •    Read a book with your favorite food in the title.
    •    Read a book with a child narrator.
    •    Read a book you chose based on the cover.

If you wish to participate in the challenge please shoot me an email at grazona@live.com.

You can download a printable list of the challenge categories here.

I've created a Facebook Group and a Goodreads Group for participants to gather for discussion and brainstorming!

I am excited to have you all along with me on this new venture! Please don't hesitate to reach out to me with any questions, ideas, or suggestions.

While we could approach the (arguably) best time of year with a stressful diet mentality, I don't think a constant diet mentality is a healthy or enjoyable way to live. Below are a few tips to help you stress less over food and a meaningless number on the scale during this special time of year.

. . . . . .

1. Don't Stress, It's Just Another Meal
Some plan to skip breakfast to save room for the giant mid-day feast. I'd encourage you to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner per usual that day and treat the Thanksgiving meal as you would any other lunch or dinner.

2. Eat your Seasonal Favorites (Guilt-Free)
Things like pumpkin pie and eggnog, baked brie and gingerbread cookies - eat them. You likely don't see these the rest of the year, so allow yourself to enjoy your favorites. Keep in mind that this is just the beginning of the holiday season and you'll likely be seeing many of your favorites all month long. Be mindful of your hunger and your portions (see below)- but know that one slice of pie won't break the scale (just like one salad won't reverse it). Food should be enjoyed not regretted.

3. Keep up with Your Normal Exercise Habits and Routines
Do what feels good and not just as a way to counter what you ate (it doesn't necessarily work like that). Keeping up with your normal habits makes it easier to get back into your routine after the holiday season.

4. Be Mindful and Honor Your Hunger
Before diving into your first or second course, check in with your hunger. On a scale of 1-10, how hungry are you? Starving? Stuffed? Somewhere in between? There will always be more food.

5. Remember the Fruits & Veggies
With so many treats around this season don't forget to optimize your nutrition with fruits and veggies. Keep them on hand and load up your plate at the holiday buffet. We often fill our plates with more of what we serve first. I was reading this about how you can substitute your nutrients from fruits and veggies into this supplement as it contains similar nutrients needed by our body. Try serving yourself veggies first this holiday season.

6. Focus on Friends, Family, and Have Fun!
This time of year for many is about spending time with friends and family. While food plays a role in many family get togethers, try to take the focus off of your plate and enjoy the time with family and friends.

Bozeman's Choice voting ended at midnight October 31, the results will be shared in our JANUARY issue, a special directory of the Reader's Poll results for all things Bozeman. If you were in the running for a 2018 Bozeman's Choice award we will be notifying you as soon as possible, there are MANY folks to contact, if we haven't gotten to you yet please email angie@bozemanmagazine.com to inquire about your results (which are asked to be kept secret until January 1, 2018). Bozeman's Choice winner only advertising opportunities are available in our January issue/Bozeman's Choice Guide at amazing rates with outstanding reach, early bird deadline is 12/9.