‘Resilience: Her Gift, Her Creation’ art exhibit aims to heal, unite community

By Tucker Harris EBS STAFF

A cohort of local women will present an art exhibit centered around the theme of resilience at the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center on Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. 

The Her Gift, Her Creation series was founded by local pianist Klaudia Kosiak in 2019 with the intention of creating space for local women artists to showcase their artistic talents as a means of celebration and healing. Following the 2019 exhibit of “Her Gift, Her Creation,” the series will return to highlight the resonate and timely concept of resilience. 

This year’s exhibit is an amalgam of interactive art, music, dance and gallery works. Thirteen artists will be featured. 

This year’s theme of resiliency was a no-brainer for Kosiak after the challenging pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. 

“We are all on the boat and feeling overwhelmed and insecure, sad and happy,” she said. “This event will bring hope for the better, will show the power of music and art and how these two can help heal us.”

The event will open with a reception where attendees can meet the artists and view their work on display while snacking on desserts and sipping champagne. The show will then move to the WMPAC stage for the showcase.

Some art will be interactive. Julie Iskenderian will craft an interactive knitting and crochet piece and Sandy Epstein will create a #MeToo interactive sculpture. 

Other featured artists will include multi-media artist Liz McRae; jeweler Ariane Coleman; painter Lorri Lagerbloom; ceramicist Zeidler; furniture maker Missy Botha; photographer Jill Bough; and Kosiak on the piano. 

Two former Lone Peak High School students, Dasha Bough and Katie Bagby, will also feature their art on stage. 

For McRae, artist and co-organizer, this event is about elevating truth. 

“For me it’s about bringing to light the suffering in our community, but also in the world; the little things and the big things,” McRae said. “Recognizing our personal journeys in hopes to create a community around that and find strength in each other.”

A large part of the event is about inspiring healing, and the organizers and artists will encourage local women to come forward on stage to express their own pain and healing with the community, according to Kosiak. “We hope this concert and art visual will allow everyone who still struggles to bounce back from difficult experiences,” she said. 

For co-organizer and artist Jill Bough, the event is a way to recognize how resilient the Big Sky community has been this past year, especially after experiencing the isolation that occurred during the pandemic. 

“I think we have built a greater sense of comradery in our community with the pandemic,” she said. “We may not be closer in a physical sense, but we’ve been through this together.” 

Organizers believe this exhibit will be a testament to the power of art to bring people together. 

“It’s something very personal and yet collaborative,” Bough said. “It’s about reaching into your creative being—and that’s a common thread in all of us.” 

For Kosiak, the loneliness of the pandemic was difficult for her artistic inspiration and creation. She lost her inspiration for a long time, she admits, not touching her piano for many months. Organizing this event has challenged her to push herself back into her passion and share her talents with the community once more while encouraging other women to do the same.

She hopes that this performance will help the community heal, inspiring both serenity and energy at the same time. 

All proceeds from event ticket sales will be donated to Women in Action’s education and arts programs. 

Tickets are available for “Resilience: Her Gift, Her Creation” on warrenmillerpac,com for $10. The event will also be available for live streaming.