Women of the West

An exhibit at the Hockaday Museum pays tribute to remarkable female figures of yesteryear.

On view through December 23 at the Hockaday Museum, Her Stories, Her West: New Work by Jessica Glenn and Amy Brakeman Livezey features new work by the Montana artists that celebrates notable women in the history of the American West.

Missoula, Montana-based artist Jessica Glenn utilizes a variety of mediums including watercolor, graphite, collage and paper to create portrait assemblages informed by, and layered with, historic reference materials.

Jessica Glenn, Jeannette Rankin, watercolor on personalized document envelopes ca. 1917, mixed paper ephemera, 19 x 13”

One of Glenn’s subjects is Hallie Morse Daggett (1878-1964), a woman of affluent upbringing who was equally at home fishing, hunting, trapping and riding in Northern California’s Klamath National Forest. In 1913, Daggett beat out two male contenders to become the first female fire lookout hired by the U.S. Forest Service. She returned to her post each summer for the next 15 years. Working from historic photographs, Glenn applied gouache to a reproduction of a 1920s map of California roads and forests, to provide context for this visual biography of Daggett’s pioneering spirit.

Another piece honors the life of Montana suffragette Jeannette Rankin (1880-1973) who, in 1916, became the first woman in United States history to be elected to the House of Representatives—a truly remarkable feat given that most American women were not able to vote until the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920.

Amy Brakeman Livezey, When Worlds Meet, Helen Piotopowaka Clarke, acrylic mixed media on panel, 16 x 18”

Scouring eBay for old newspapers, advertising and documents, Glenn found examples of Rankin’s custom stationery when she worked in the House of Representatives which she used for her painting surface. Her assemblages allow Glenn to combine her love of art, antiques and history to commemorate women who are personally relevant as well as historically.

“As a woman and an artist, I feel affected by inequality in our society,” says Glenn. “Women struggled back then and we continue to carry on this struggle. Women of color and Indigenous women still carry on even heavier struggles. The seemingly unbearable times women of the past endured didn’t stop them from fighting for the lives they wanted. They stand as a testament to what women can accomplish. They make me proud to be a woman. There are [women like them] all around us today, and we need to bring ‘herstory’ into a more prominent place in our educational curriculum—girls need heroes.”

Amy Brakeman Livezey, She Rode Slick, acrylic mixed media on panel, 22 x 24”

Amy Brakeman Livezey, who resides in Helena, Montana, takes a more contemporary approach to her multimedia pieces by placing her historic subjects in abstract expressionist fields. Through paint, subtraction tools, bits of ephemera and photo transfer techniques, Livezey also brings the often overlooked stories and contributions of women to the forefront of the conversation.

The figure in She Rode Slick is Fannie Sperry Steele, World Champion Lady Bronc Rider in 1912 and 1913. The title comes from the way Fannie liked to ride—rather than hobbling the stirrups under the horse’s belly, she preferred to ride “slick,” just like her male counterparts.

“Her life journey did not follow typical women’s roles, and my painting tries to capture something of that willingness to throw caution to the wind and go for the wild ride,” says Livezey. “To be a bronc rider, horse racer, target shooter, hunting outfitter and decide not to bear children…that must have taken some exceptional focus and confidence in your choices, despite what society expected of you.”

Another piece features Helen Piotopowaka Clarke (1846-1923), a trailblazing Piegan Blackfeet and Scottish American actress, educator and politician who was also among the first women elected to public office in Montana.

Jessica Glenn, Hallie Morse Daggett, gouache on reproduction 1920s map of California national forests and main highways, 21 x 16”

“As I started organizing for this exhibit, I gathered up ideas and images of women who have interested me over the years,” says Livezey, whose work also relies heavily on photographic reference material. “The scope of what women could or should be represented was a bit daunting…every single woman seems so important, all the way from the extraordinary achievers like politicians, to the women whose daily achievements were household chores and keeping meals on the table…History fosters an appreciation of where we are today, or a recognition of how things have either changed or not changed much. I think it’s part of being self-aware. There’s an overall sense of perseverance with the women depicted in this show, and that’s very inspiring.” —

Her Stories, Her West: New Work by Jessica Glenn and Amy Brakeman Livezey
Through December 23, 2023
Hockaday Museum of Art
302 Second Avenue E., Kalispell, MT 59901
(406) 755-5268
www.hockadaymuseum.com