The Montana World Trade Center at The University of Montana and the Montana Arts Council to help Artisans Participate in National Trade Market

The Montana World Trade Center http://www.mwtc.org at The University of Montana and the Montana Arts Council plan to take 10 Montana artisans to sell their wares at one of the country’s premier handicraft shows Feb. 19-22 in Louisville, Ky.

The group will leave Tuesday, Feb. 17, for the 27th annual “Kentucky Crafted: The Market.” The trip is designed to expose other regions of the country to the richness and diversity of Montana artisanship. The artists will receive business instruction before competing in the national marketplace.

The selected artisans use a variety of media and come from all parts of Montana. They include traditional game maker Richard Horn and quillwork and stained glass artist Leonda Fast Buffalo Horse of Browning; photographer Kathe LeSage of Wolf Creek; beadworker Molly Murphy and wood engraver Claire Emery of Missoula; metalsmith Ed Caffrey and handbag maker Randy Glick of Great Falls; beadworker Susan Stewart of Pryor; woodworker Richard Carlson of Carter; and Alaina Buffalo Spirit of Hardin, who specializes in ledger paintings.

“Kentucky Crafted” took the No. 2 spot in AmericanStyle magazine’s 2008 Top 10 Fairs and Festivals.

Funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce as part of the EnterpriseMontana Program http://www.mwtc.org/emp.aspx?id=164 , the artisans have received additional support from the Montana Department of Commerce and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. The artists’ launch is also part of the Montana Arts Council’s new program “To Market We Go,” which focuses on helping rural Montana artists become market-ready.

For more information call the Montana World Trade Center at 406-243-5260 or e-mail [email protected]