Inside Art Crossing

Mission Statement:

To place public art that enhances the cultural experience for Bozeman area residents and visitors to the Gallatin Valley.

Vision:

The Gallatin Art Crossing (GAC) exhibit hosts a variety of artwork introducing viewers to many artistic approaches. The goal of the program is to add at least one piece to the permanent public collection each year. Fundraising incorporates a variety of tech- niques and entities such as community challenges and the solicitation of individuals and businesses for contribution. The main focus of the organization is to select and place sustainable sculptures throughout the downtown Bozeman area. Sculptures are voted on through online, mail in, Bozeman Public Library and the Downtown Bozeman Association Ballots. These ballots comprise the Peoples Choice Award which then progresses to the GAC committee, to poll the winning sculpture and consider purchasing and placement. All Sculptures will be displayed with a plaque containing the artist name and program information. Such a large free public gallery will be a great asset to the artistic community and the City of Bozeman.

Founding Partners:

Board of Directors:

	CHUCK PECK President Chuck Peck has lived in the Rocky Mountain West his adult life, beginning with graduate school in geology at the Colorado School of Mines. He has spent most of his career in oil and gas as Vice President of American Oil and Gas Corporation. In recent years, Chuck developed his interest in glass fusing and casting and has an art studio at his residence near Bozeman. A former member of several local non-profits, Chuck is proud of getting the Children’s Museum of Bozeman on its feet in its early years. Skiing and many other outdoor activities occupy much of his free time.
	KATY HELGESON Vice President Katy has a background in design and interactive programming and currently works for herself as a freelance designer in Bozeman, Montana. She believes that technology is wonderful but also believes it is important to remember that we live in an amazing place and there is no comparison to seeing and experiencing art first-hand. This is the driving force behind why she is involved with Gallatin Art Crossing and why she looks forward to using her skills to help increase the community’s awareness and support for the great things the Gallatin Art Crossing is doing in the Bozeman area.
	LESLIE LARGAY Treasurer Leslie grew up going back and forth between California and Colorado. She graduated from San Francisco State University and moved to Missoula, Montana in 1995 where she raised her 3 active children and did mortgage lending for 17 years. In July of 2016 she relocated to Bozeman and is building her mortgage business in Bozeman and the surrounding areas. When not working or spending time with her kids Leslie enjoys her friends, traveling, yoga, hiking, golf, and skiing.
	EMMA LAATSCH Secretary Emma Laatsch has an extensive background in art, education, and public art; she has a BFA from Bowling Green State University in Ohio as well as degrees in Art Education and Special Education from Montana State. Emma is a middle school Special Education teacher and frequently draws from her artistic background to engage students in cross-curricular activities. She is mother to an active and energetic middle school student as well as to a small herd of four-legged family members. She has a small art studio at her home south of Bozeman and works primarily in cast iron and carved stone. She has exhibited work in Montana, Ohio, Alabama, and Pennsylvania including a variety of public art projects and collaborative sculptural works. Emma has been an active supporter of the arts in the Bozeman area for 15 years serving in a variety of roles across the valley.
	SUSAN DENSON-GUY Susan has more than 30 years’ experience working with education and outreach programs at museums, art centers, schools and state education agencies. She has experience in administration; physical plant management; marketing; membership services; exhibit installation, maintenance and programming; working with nonprofit boards; event planning; fund raising; program evaluation; and writing successful grants. Community association and involvement in the arts and culture; student and child voice; and civic awareness have always been important in her life and work.
	SUSAN GREGORY Susan Gregory moved to Bozeman from Norman, Oklahoma, in 2011 to become the Director of the extraordinary Bozeman Public Library. She received her graduate degree in Library & Information Science from the University of Oklahoma and has worked in public library administration for more than twenty years. Susan has worked with various non-profit arts organizations in Oklahoma and believes in the power of creating partnerships between the public library, arts organizations and the community. The Bozeman Public Library grounds have been enhanced with art works from both the Bozeman Sculpture Park and the Gallatin Art Crossing since the Library opened on East Main Street in 2006. Susan works closely with the Bozeman Public Library Foundation to promote the growth of art both within and outside the Library building. With monthly Library visitors averaging 30,000 a month, the Library has become one of Bozeman’s premier gallery spaces for fine art.
	JUSUP SANDOVAL Jusup Sandoval was born and raised in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and was drawn to video editing at age 11, when he hooked up two VCRs and spliced the tapes together. Ever since then it has been a trial and error process with how he could push his creativity further. He has worked along side several inspiring and successful creatives which has allowed him to absorb invaluable information. Jusup has worked on many projects varying in styles from narratives to to documentaries, commercials, weddings, music videos and more. After moving to Bozeman he was hit by a snowmobile and rendered unable to walk for several months which was the catalysts to new creative outlets. Confined to a wheelchair and still yearning to create, he purchased a drone in order to continue sharing his vision of the world. Today, he creates marketing content and strategies for businesses, non profits and anything in between. He spends his free time with his son and has a fascination with neuroscience.
	JIM ZIMPEL Born in Saint Paul Minnesota, Jim moved to Chicago Illinois at age eighteen. He attended The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago for his undergraduate degree and eventually traveled to New York for a graduate degree from The Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts (Bard College). For approximately ten years, prior to accepting the Assistant Professor of Sculpture position at MSU, Zimpel taught courses at Columbia College Chicago and managed the Art and Design Department’s Fabrication Facilities. Zimpel exhibits nationally and internationally and has attended numerous residencies abroad. The latest of such ventures was a six-week Russian government funded residency in Saint Petersburg.