This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Montana State University Departments of Arts and Architecture buildings on the Bozeman campus. Celebrating such a significant milestone not only highlights the achievements of the past but also serves as an opportunity to reflect on the transformative experiences that countless individuals have encountered within these creative spaces. This moment invites us to honor the rich legacy of artistic exploration and innovation that has flourished here over the decades.

At Montana State University, deans, professors, administrators, and department heads all recognize that they are “standing on the shoulders of giants,” honoring the legacies that have shaped their paths. As Dean Adams, Dean of the Schools of Arts and Architecture emphasizes, “this rich heritage not only informs our current direction but also illuminates the diverse ways in which a degree can be utilized. Together, they are committed to carrying forward this legacy, ensuring that future generations can thrive and innovate.”

Adams shapes the departments and explains; “The School of Architecture is where our students learn to design the spaces and structures in which people live work and play. Students, faculty, and staff in Architecture care about our world and strive to make meaningful contributions to improve the lives of Montanans and the broader world.”

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks is a critical outreach and educational aspect of the College of Arts & Architecture. “Through MSIP, we bring free professional theatre to Montana and surrounding states, reminding people that the arts belong to all of us!” Adams imparts.

The departments are not only celebrating their buildings anniversary, but also the transformational experiences that individuals have had within the schools of Arts and Architecture over the past fifty years.


As a student at Montana State, I was part of the ASMSU Entertainment office—first, in Comedy, then in Tech Services, then in the Exit Gallery. As a Senior, I was the Campus Entertainment Director. As the Exit Gallery director, I inherited a schedule of art exhibits that I would hang in the gallery, advertise, host a reception for, and then replace at the end of the term. My very first show was the art of Dean Adams. Dean patiently and kindly taught me how to hang and set an art exhibit. I went on to earn a degree in Art with an emphasis in Graphic Design, and Dean continued to make art, teach art, and now holds the highest title in the Arts at MSU as the Dean of Arts and Architecture. And, as you probably know, I publish Bozeman Magazine.

Dean helped me grow as an artist and art director by trusting me to display and promote his art, and helping me learn best practices for galleries. This was not my only transformative experience with art at MSU and, as Dean pointed out when we spoke, I am a good example of the many ways individuals are able to use their degrees to varying degrees of influence.

I could go on about the transformational moments I personally experienced within the school of art (seeing the Northern Lights from the walkway, Willem Volkersz believing in me as an artist when I did not believe in myself, Jeff Conger allowing me to create a Michael Jackson flip book, becoming personal friends with Stephanie Newman), but this isn’t about me, it’s about every student that has passed through the halls of creativity at MSU and been transformed in ways that build a better community, and about creating a space where art is for everyone.

Former students are now creating beautiful jewelry, comic books, installations, murals, and everything in between. Current students are exploring quantum physics, and MSU is celebrating creative thinkers by involving them in projects where their creativity will contribute to innovative solutions.

The Schools of Art and Architecture have nurtured the arts at MSU for over 50 years, and continue to seek new ways to learn from the past while inspiring future generations of artists. They look for ways to prepare students to head into the workforce as performers or makers, and also to think about how their degree may make them a better forester, nurse, architect, and human.

Art really is for everyone! Explore the School of Art Gallery at Montana State, visit the Student Union building Exit Gallery, see a show in the Black Box Theatre, or Duck Pond. Engage in art at MSU and see what transformative experience you may have waiting for you.