Arts-Entertainment
On Friday, June 13th, the Livingston Depot Center and Elk River Arts and Lectures Host a Special Screening of the film, Beast of Our Time, within the exhibit gallery. The film will be followed by commentary and discussion with the film’s director, Maikke Middleton. Grizzly expert and author Doug Peacock as well as author and biologist Susan Consolo-Murphy will join the discussion moderated by Marc Beaudin.
The evening will explore humankind's current and future effects on the grizzly while being physically surrounded by the imagery of our complex, and often fraught, history with bears. The community is invited to delve deeper into the history of the grizzly during a guided gallery tour on Saturday, June 14th with historian Lee Silliman, curator of the featured exhibit.
The Beast of Our Time, a 28-minute, award-winning documentary produced by Save the Yellowstone Grizzly, is an unflinching inquiry into the relationship between climate change and grizzly bears. The film, directed by Maaike Middleton, is narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Jeff Bridges and scored by pianist Bill Payne of Little Feat. A partnership between the Depot and Elk River Arts & Lectures brings a screening of the film on June 13th at 6 pm that will be followed by a discussion on grizzly biology and conservation.
Maaike Middleton is the director of two films by Save the Yellowstone Grizzly: The Beast of Our Time: Grizzly Bears and Climate Change and Return of the Grizzly. Born in The Netherlands and raised in Montana, she has filmed wildlife globally, including pumas in Patagonia and Amur tigers in Russia. Maaike is dedicated to impactful storytelling and her work includes collaborations with Smithsonian, Nat Geo, Netflix, BBC, PBS, and Arte.
Sue Consolo-Murphy, author of The Bears of Grand Teton: A Natural and Cultural History, retired in 2019 as Chief of Science and Resource Management at Grand Teton National Park. With a 40-year career in the National Park Service, she held various roles including cultural resources chief and editor of Yellowstone Science. Doug Peacock is an author known for books like Was It Worth It? and Grizzly Years, reflecting his passion for defending wilderness areas and the grizzly bear. A Green Beret medic in Vietnam and the inspiration for a character in The Monkey Wrench Gang, he writes extensively on wilderness issues. Peacock co-founded Round River Conservation Studies, aiding in the preservation of 20 million acres, and Save the Yellowstone Grizzly, which advocates for grizzly bears in the lower 48 states.
All are welcome to join the screening of Beast of Our Time and panel discussion Friday, June 13th starting at 6 pm. The event is free and light refreshments will be provided.
Featured Exhibit: “The Grizzly Bear Illustrated: 1828 - 1943” Ursus Horribilis: The Grizzly Bear Illustrated is curated by Lee Silliman and explores the complex interactions between humans and grizzly bears on the early western frontier. Through works by 19th and 20th-century artists like Karl Bodmer and Frederic Remington, the exhibit reflects an era in the tangled relationship between humans and this iconic symbol of the American West. A gallery tour and illustrated lecture will bring the exhibit to life on June 14th at 10 am.
Curator Lee Silliman will vividly sketch, using vintage imagery and anecdote, the story of the North American grizzly bear on the western frontier. Indeed, grizzly stories yielded a wealth of information about the demeanor and strengths of the grizzly bear as it related to other animals and to humans. Also, the artistic creation and distribution of some prints is a short story in itself.
The guided gallery tour and illustrated lecture begins at 10 am Saturday, June 14th. This free event features historian and exhibit curator Lee Silliman. Light refreshments will be provided.
The Livingston Depot Museum The historic Livingston Depot Center's railroad history museum is open through Labor Day, Monday through Saturday 10 am to 5 pm. The beautifully restored Northern Pacific Railroad station, dating back a century, is a remarkableexhibit in itself. The Depot's flagship exhibit, Rails Across the Rockies: A Century of People and Places, provides captivating insight into Montana's railroad history and the grandeur of train travel. The exhibit highlights Livingston as the gateway to Yellowstone since the 1880s, particularly focusing on the Northern Pacific's pivotal role in Yellowstone's establishment as America's first national park. In addition to its main exhibit, the museum presents The Livingston Depot in History and Architecture, and Remarkable Migrations, as well as the featured special exhibit.
The Livingston Depot Center is located at 200 West Park. There is a nominal admission, and group visits are also welcome by special arrangement. Additional information can be obtained by visiting www.livingstondepot.org.