Tippet Rise in Montana is Art and Architecture, Coulees and Canyons, Music and Magnificence … and More

Rolling hills introduce the tour to Tippet Rise Art
Pablo Picasso has said that the purpose of art is to wash the daily dust of life off our souls. And Tippet Rise Art Center does all that and more. Here’s the in-a-nutshell description of the property from their website: “Set on a 10,260 acre working sheep and cattle ranch, Tippet Rise hosts classical chamber music and recitals and exhibits large-scale, outdoor sculptures.” But that doesn’t begin to describe the soul-satisfying secret sauce blend of music, nature, art, architecture—and community—that inhabits this magnificent, magical place.

A Little Background

Founded by poets, painters, musicians, and philanthropists Peter and Cathy Halstead, Tippet Rise has been open for only two seasons. The Halsteads developed this unique vision for such a venue, but spent years searching out the perfect location. They’d looked in Colorado, Washington, and throughout Montana, before finding this locale outside tiny (population 500+) Fishtail. Once the perfect spot was settled on and several ranches were stitched together to create this much acreage, it took another six years of development.

Pioneer at Tippet Rise Art Center
The Art Center is named for the rising slopes of land, as well as a nickname—Tippet—for Cathy’s mom. On the website, Cathy says that, “The people we love never really die. They rise again out of memory, out of dreams.”

Taking a Tour

We’ve been to Tippet Rise three times, and were fortunate to have taken the very first tour on opening day, June 17, 2016. The excitement of the opening was intoxicating, as we stepped into the solar-powered electric tour vans, and took off into the lush spring landscape of rolling valleys, rugged canyons, entertained by the high-altitude circling of chortling sandhill cranes, a jagged skyline, and verdant grasses making a slow-motion poetry of dance in the gentle breezes.

It’s difficult to describe the immense scale of Tippet Rise. The 10,000 acres are almost … painterly … with dramatic views that float off into the horizon where spires of the Beartooth Mountains seem to puncture the sky. But even more difficult to describe is the enormity of the sculptures. Schedule one of the art van tours, and in three hours, you’ll be shepherded to all eight of these massive works of art. They’re set on hilltops and in valleys, but far enough apart that they each have their own space in which to shine. Some are concrete pieces, created on-site from thousands of cubic yards of concrete. Others are made from steel, stainless steel, cedar, paint, and willows.
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The van stops close to the sculptures, but a short walk—through swaying grasses dotted by sunny sego lilies and lavender lupine—takes you up close and personal. Stopping at Beethoven’s Quartet, you’ll hear the trill of a meadowlark, notice ominous, popcorn clouds in one direction, and a bluebird sky in another. Step inside the parabola of this huge sculpture and make your own music, with a rubber hammer you can pound on the metal. At Proverb, you’ll most likely see the gentle canyons surrounding the site full of flowing ribbons of sheep, maybe followed by a cowboy on horseback. And at Daydreams, you’ll want to lose yourself in the cave-like pockets created by tendrils of willow woven in and through an old schoolhouse (newly built, but constructed to look old – even down to the peeling shingles).

Proverb

Beethoven’s Quartet

Inverted Portal

Domo

Experiencing a Concert

Tippet Rise brings in world class musicians for chamber concerts on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the summer months. Performances take place in the Olivier Music Barn—a beautiful building that seats 150. The space is stunning with its soaring wooden walls, gently-tiered risers with canvas captain’s chairs, and a full-length window that looks out into the rolling hills and mountains. Musicians perform on a stage in front of this window, and the feeling is that nature has been invited to the performance, too. On every other seat is the gift of the program, a pound and a half book that outlines the background of Tippet Rise, along with notes, interviews, poetry, photography, and wonderment.

When the performance begins, you catch your breath in amazement at the beauty of the music and astounding acoustics in the intimate space. The in-the-moment passion of the musicians has you following along with their movements, and by the end of a piece, you feel as if you, too, have participated in the incredibly athletic performance you’ve witnessed. The musicians gradually, and individually, lower their bows to end the movement. The setting sun reflects off the strings, as if they were long and luminous antennae from some other-worldly creatures, and you sigh in peace.

A Gift to the Universe. Really.

On our first tour, we overheard someone say, “I can’t fathom this kind of generosity. They spend millions and millions and give it all back to us.” I think of what the Halsteads have done in creating this space to share the things they love—music, sculpture, poetry, and nature—with the rest of us, and I am flabbergasted. But gratefully so. Because, here’s the thing—you come away from every visit at Tippet Rise … changed. You feel enlarged—a bigger part of the universe. And you want to embrace your own creativity, and be a better person because of this experience.

In one chapter of the program book, owner Peter Halstead says this, “There is nothing finer than a day spent in hard work on the land, chopping wood, shoveling snow, driving a tractor, or tending cattle, to return to the delights of family and hearth. Throw in a few good books, and a poem before bedtime, and you have the essence of a life well spent.”

Indeed.

 

When You Go

In other places, you’d pay hundreds of dollars for a few tickets to see world-class performances similar to what’s available at Tippet Rise.

Here? Ten dollars!

Tours? They’re free!

Reservations must be made ahead of time. So, if you plan to be anywhere near this magical region, go to the artful Tippet Rise website first, and book a tour.

Tippet is closed in the winter, but will most likely be scheduling tours and taking reservations for concert tickets and Will's Shed at Tippet Risetours early in 2018. You can also hike and bike through the road and trails (but be advised there are some steep hills there), and need to reserve that, too.

Once you’re there, plan to stay for the amazing lunch or dinner barbecue, prepared by Wildflower Kitchen, and served in the Douglas fir barn known as, “Will’s Shed.”

Getting there:

From Red Lodge, follow Route 78 west/north toward Columbus. Watch for the signs for Fishtail and Tippet Rise on your left. Or, from Interstate 90 out of Billings head toward Bozeman, exit at Columbus and follow Route 78 south/east into the small town of Absarokee. Look for signs for Tippet Rise and hang a right. You’ll think you’re in the middle of nowhere and guess what? You are! Enjoy the big wide empty as you discover an oasis of artwork.