Finding Art and Culture in Montana’s Yellowstone Country
Yellowstone Country’s art galleries, theaters, art walks, festivals and thriving downtowns all offer a world beyond the park that transforms a trip into a full Montana experience.
The new Arts and Culture Audio Tour allows visitors to immerse themselves in the region’s arts, culture and heritage by exploring scenic routes, museums and different galleries. Each stop along the trail brings the local voices, historians and storytellers to life.
GALLERIES
Tippet Rise Art Center (Fishtail): Tippet Rise is a 12,500-acre working sheep ranch in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains, fusing monumental sculpture, architecture and live music in one of the most unexpected settings in American art. Visitors move between massive outdoor installations and acoustically engineered concert structures, all set against open rangeland still used for grazing — a rare pairing of contemporary art world ambition with working Montana ranch life.
Livingstone Center for Art and Culture (Livingston): Located in a historic downtown building, the Livingston Center for Art and Culture anchors a town long known as a magnet for writers and artists near Yellowstone's north entrance. Through rotating exhibitions, workshops and community programming, the center keeps that creative legacy active in the present, spotlighting regional talent and giving Livingston's small-town arts scene a year-round home.
Red Lodge Clay Center (Red Lodge): The Red Lodge Clay Center has built an outsized reputation in the ceramics world. Its residency program brings emerging and established potters from around the country to live and work there, and its gallery gives the public a direct look at where contemporary clay art is headed, putting Red Lodge on the map for craft as much as the scenery the mountain town has to offer.
PUBLIC ART/MURALS
Bleu Horses of Montana (Three Forks): The Bleu Horse is a public art installation of 39 life-sized steel horse sculptures that stand seven to eight feet tall. The horses are painted in blue hues, inspired by the gray-blue horse color known as blue roan. The installation’s creator, Jim Dolan of Belgrade, Montana, designed the herd as a gift to the people of Montana to symbolize the state’s wild nature, open spaces and freedom.
THEATER AND PERFORMING ARTS
Bozeman Symphony (Bozeman): Founded in 1968, the Bozeman Symphony features an abundance of concert series from classics to film scores, and different types of community engagement and education programs. Be sure to check out their upcoming concert schedule.
Broadway in Bozeman (Bozeman): Broadway in Bozeman is a touring theatrical and musical concert series hosted primarily at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse through Montana State University and Innovation Arts and Entertainment. The series brings major national touring Broadway productions, theatrical performances and holiday music shows to the Gallatin Valley.
Red Lodge Songwriter’s Festival (Red Lodge): The Red Lodge Songwriter Festival is a three-day event in the streets of Red Lodge. Local restaurants, cafes and theaters open up their spaces for songwriters across the country to showcase their music. Held in June, the festival typically features over 20 songwriters and over 50 shows.
Blue Slipper Theatre (Livingston): The Blue Slipper Theatre is a historic, non-profit community theater in downtown Livingston. Located in a historic building, the venue features an intimate performance space with just 57 seats for patrons to enjoy live music performances, different series, workshops and a free annual Christmas radio event or variety play.
The Empire Theatre (Livingston): The Empire Theatre is a historic, two-screen local cinema and live entertainment venue that originally opened in 1935. In 2024, the theater was taken over by new local owners with a mission to preserve the historic space, provide youth employment and expand community programming, including first-run movies, classic "Western Wednesdays" and special live events.
The ELM (Bozeman): The ELM is a live music concert hall and performance space that hosts a wide variety of touring artists, indie artists, bluegrass acts and stand-up comedians. Located in midtown Bozeman, Montana’s newest venue provides top-notch acoustics, a cutting-edge sound system and an intimate setting for up to 1,100 people.