Frequently Asked Questions - Yellowstone Art Museum

FAQs

art owners

How do I repair a work of art or family heirloom?

How much is my piece worth?

How can I donate a work of art to the museum?

artists

How do I show my work at the Museum?

If you are an artist and would like to introduce your work to Yellowstone Art Museum’s curatorial staff, or a collector who would like to share information about your collection, please follow the guidelines below:

You may submit artwork in the form of slides, photographs, a URL where we can view the work online, or CDs with images (up to 20) saved in .jpg format. Please label your slides or photographs with the artist’s name, title of the work, date, and dimensions. Please do not bring your work to the Museum unless you already have an appointment.
Include a cover letter introducing yourself and the images you are submitting for review. If you are the artist of the work, please give a brief description of your project. If you are a collector and are submitting images of work you own, please provide us with as much information as possible about the work, including artist, date, medium, size, and provenance information (history of ownership).
Inquiries may be sent to:
YAM Curatorial Department
director@artmuseum.org

Please Note

The Yellowstone Art Museum does not perform appraisals or authentications of any works of art.
The process of reviewing your slides or photographs may take up to several weeks. We will contact you after we have reviewed your submission.
We cannot make studio visits, see the work in person, or make visits to private collections during the initial phase of the review. If there is sufficient interest, we will contact you about further steps.
Please note that while we are happy to review your work, our exhibition schedule is planned approximately three years in advance and is carefully balanced to present our viewers with a varied artistic program in accordance with the Museum’s mission. Therefore, we are only rarely able to accommodate unsolicited submissions for exhibitions.
An excellent opportunity for emerging artists to introduce themselves and their work to YAM curatorial staff is to submit work for the Annual Art Auction.

How do I apply for the Art Auction or SummerFair?

visiting scholars

Loan Requests

The Yellowstone Art Museum welcomes requests to borrow works from the permanent collection for exhibition in other museums. Allow a minimum of three months for a loan request to be reviewed. Please note that the YAM is not able to consider requests for loan from the Virginia Snook collection of Will James art.

Please send all requests in writing to curator@artmuseum.org or 401 North 27th Street, Billings, MT 59101. Include the artist and title of the work you wish to borrow, the name of the exhibition, and the timing and duration of the loan. Borrowers whose loans are approved will be expected to cover customary loan costs and supply a current Standard Facilities Report.

Businesses and public agencies with offices open to the public are welcome to borrow works from the YAM’s Community Collection of contemporary regional art. To learn more about the guidelines for these loans or to learn more about works available through the Community Collection, contact registrar@artmuseum.org or 406.256.6804 x227.

Scheduling a Visit

Scholars who wish to study portions of the museum’s permanent collection may submit a letter stating their study objectives to the YAM’s Curator at curator@artmuseum.org or 406.256.6804 x230. Museum staff will consider requests and accommodate legitimate scholarly visits as staff time allows.

Scholars wishing to view specific works in the collection at the YAM’s Visible Vault may make an appointment with the YAM’s Registrar, at registrar@artmuseum.org or 406.256.6804 x227.