Yellowstone Art Museum

The Expansion Campaign
The Vault - The Gallery - The Future

The Yellowstone Art Museum is growing! Track our progress as the region's premier art museum take a quantum leap forward. Support at any level is welcome whether you are able to make a cash gift, volunteer some time, or just help spread the word about exciting things to come at the YAM.

Here's a bit more about our two-phased campaign:

Phase I, $6 million - Building the Visible Vault and the Charles M. Bair Family Gallery

• The first publicly accessible art storage facility and museum interpretive center in the region, located behind the YAM on North 26th Street - the picture shows an inside view
• The architect for the Visible Vault was Kim Olsen, O2 Architects, in Billings; our general contractor was Hardy Construction, also based in Billings
• Now that the Visible Vault is open, we're on to creating a new gallery in the museum ... the first interactive gallery to showcase Montana's entire artistic heritage - check in here periodically for updates on progress
• Endowment adequate to sustain this operational expansion
• Exciting new programming initiatives

	Buy a "fish" - don't be left behind! ( download PDF brochure )

Phase II, $11 million - The Best Is Yet to Come

• Endowment to enable stable and genuine program growth
• The path to the top-drawer regional, national, and international visual arts programming that the region deserves
• Achievement of our vision of becoming ... one of nation's finest regional art museums.

• We've raised 96% of the Phase I goal of $6 million ... still more to go, and many wonderful commemorative naming opportunities exist
• We've secured generous grants from the Charles M. Bair Family Trust, the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust, the Henry Luce Foundation, and a challenge grant from the Kresge Foundation
• So far, over 430 of Billings' art lovers-individuals and businesses-have come on board with support to keep Billings in the state's cultural forefront
• Public support has come from the Montana Department of Commerce, Yellowstone County, and the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services

Phase I - Our Timetable

Our goal is to complete Phase I fundraising goals ($6 million) by late January 2012 so that endowment revenue will cover the modest operating cost increases we anticipate in the facilities.

Let Us Tell You More

We would be delighted to answer your questions about the YAM's programs, our positive impact in the community, and the many benefits of the arts. Our goal is nothing less than prize-winning excellence in exhibitions and educational programs. There are many ways to take part, large and small. We welcome the chance to give you more detail.

Dedicated volunteers and staff host informative events approximately each month to provide details and updates about our exciting way forward. For an invitation to future events, please contact Robyn G. Peterson at 406-256-6804, x226, or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Bring a friend and ride the wave with us!