Public Invited to DRAW Indigenous Murals Celebration on October 7th

PUBLIC INVITED TO DRAW INDIGENOUS MURALS CELEBRATION: WED., OCT. 7 AT 12 NOON

The ambitious Downtown Riverside Art Walls (DRAW) Indigenous Murals project is complete! The public is invited to the ribbon-cutting celebration on Wed., Oct. 7, 2026 at 12 pm at 201 South Pattee Street, adjacent to the NorthWestern Energy power substation. The program will celebrate the artists, movers, and shakers who brought the community’s vision to life. Following the ceremony, Radius Gallery will host a reception for the artists from 1- 2 p.m.

Each of the four mural walls showcases unique artistic and historic expressions that have been thoughtfully curated with massive digital prints of original artwork by 10 contemporary Indigenous artists from Montana. In total, the murals beautify 3,800 square feet of concrete walls on the banks of the Clark Fork River in the heart of Downtown Missoula.

WEST WALL
As the smallest wall, the West Wall has four ledger art panels created by artist Aspen Decker and installed last spring. Depicting a Salish Bitterroot Harvest on the adjacent river, the murals illustrate various stages of digging, cleaning, and processing Bitterroots, a traditional Salish food source. One prominent figure depicted on one mural panel is Decker’s fourth great-grandfather, Alexander Beartracks, whose Salish name, Sxʷúytis Smx̣e, translates to Grizzly Bear’s Tracks. Beartracks signed both the Hellgate Treaty in July 1855 and the Judith River Treaty later that year. The murals face the Beartracks Bridge, named in his honor.  They thoughtfully connect the murals to specific points of Salish and Montana history and culture.

NORTH WALL
The long expanse of the North Wall with its adjacent sidewalk allows for a more leisurely examination of the murals. Distinct ledger artworks were curated from seven Montana Indigenous artists, each piece adding to our collective understanding of the breadth of traditional ledger topics, the stylistic individuality of these artists, and the cultural resilience of Indigenous people. The North walls were completed last month. From left to right, the ledger artworks were created by David Dragonfly (Blackfeet), Terrance Guardipee (Blackfeet), Aspen Decker (Salish), Monica Gilles-BringsYellow (Huichol, Nahau), Louis Still Smoking (Blackfeet), John Isaish Pepion (Blackfeet), and Rachel TwoTeeth-Picardo (Chippewa, Cree, and Pend d’Oreille).

More information and insights on these panels will be available at the ribbon-cutting, online, on future interpretive signs, and in an upcoming documentary film.

 

SOUTH WALL
Completed in October 2025, the South Wall is the most visible from the Beartracks Bridge and is irregularly shaped. The curatorial challenge was finding calming, cohesive artwork that could stand out against the chaotic foreground of the parking lot and the Saturday markets while remaining visible and inviting from the farthest point of the bridge. The answer came in the form of Frank Finley’s distinctive black-and-white prints. Finley’s artwork on the South wall offers cohesion with his Buffalo print displayed on the East wall. The river-facing wall also showcases the commissioned images of swimming fish and flying ravens to acknowledge all beings who share this place.

 

EAST WALL
The East Wall on Pattee Street highlights the historically significant buffalo, seen through the creative expression of three Salish artists. Vic Charlo contributed a poem titled “Buffalo,” which was translated to Salish by his daughter April Charlo. The poem offers a prayer for the buffalo’s longevity, signaling how these revered animals are essential to his people’s physical and spiritual survival. Debra Magpie Earling’s Buffalo poem likewise raises a powerful invitation to dance, to join in a celebratory stampede across the land, and marks the fulfilled promise of the buffalo’s return. These voices are complemented by the stylized artwork of Frank Finley, whose “Buffalo Charge” print is woven behind and through the text. The east wall was completed in 2025.

The mural-making process was complicated and challenging. Because working under electrical lines poses serious safety risks, the artworks were scanned, printed at a large scale, and adhered by hand to large MDO panels. Downtown and art champions Karen & Brian Sippy contributed 600+ volunteer hours in fundraising, project management, printing, glueing, and installing the panels. The Sippys worked with a volunteer team from Poteet Construction to bolt the panels to the substation walls for the final installation. Each art piece was strategically curated to showcase the assets and downplay the challenges of each wall. Creative direction, selection, coordination, and commissioning of the art pieces were led by Lisa Simon, co-owner of Radius Gallery.
Along the way, many people pitched in to help bring this community dream of major creative expression by Indigenous artists into Missoula’s identity. The DRAW Project was developed and funded primarily by volunteers and private charitable gifts. The core volunteer team was Karen Sippy, Lisa Simon, and Mirtha Becerra. The Missoula Downtown Foundation (MDF) provided fiscal sponsorship support. Donors include the Sippy Family Foundation, Holiday Inn Downtown, Poteet Construction, Wayne Boeck, Missoula Parks & Recreation, Missoula Parking Commission, Destination Missoula and the Tourism BID, the Downtown BID, Blackfoot Communications, Kembel, Kosena & Co., Lambert Hotels, the Max & Betty Swanson Foundation, Stockman Bank, Radius Gallery, Art Associates of Missoula, and many other individual donors.

Ribbon Cutting Program: Oct. 7 at 12 pm

Artist Rachel Twoteeth-Pichardo…………………….. Song on the Traditional Native Flute

Artist Aspen Decker………………………………………………………………. Opening Blessing

Project Manager Karen Sippy & Mirtha Becerra………………… Expressions of Gratitude

Creative Director Lisa Simon…………………………………………….. Introduction of Artists

Foundation Representative Jack Hall………………………………………………………. Closing

“The Downtown Riverside Art Walls were conceptualized nearly a decade ago by community members and integrated into the Downtown Master Plan and the North Riverside Parks & Trails Plan,” said Linda McCarthy, Executive Director of the Downtown Missoula Partnership. “We saw opportunities to cover unsightly infrastructure alongside the river and showcase BIG ART in the heart of our Downtown, alongside Caras Park and the Clark Fork River Market. Meaningful investments of time, talent, and treasure began in 2021, so it’s been a five-year project. This project would not have come to life without the support of NorthWestern Energy, Missoula Parks & Recreation, the donors, project leaders, and volunteers. We are incredibly proud of our community for supporting this beautiful art and historical showcase of the people, animals, and plants that make Missoula such a special place. Most importantly, the investment of time, expertise, energy, and labor invested in this project by volunteers was incredible! We are so grateful for the contributions of Karen and Brian Sippy and Lisa Simon – as well as all the donors – on the DRAW project.”

The art installation is complete, but the project has two more phases to finish. Natural vegetation landscaping around the public art will happen next spring, and heritage interpretive signs will be designed, fabricated, and installed by next summer.

For more information, visit the DRAW Project website. Requests for interviews should be directed to the Downtown Missoula Partnership via phone (406-543-4238) or email ([email protected]).