Transformational. The word is used to describe highly emotional, evocative experiences, and a trip to Tippet Rise Art Center, located on the outskirts of Fishtail, Montana, fits the word to a T. Set on a sweeping 12,500- acre working sheep and cattle ranch in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains, just northwest of Red Lodge and the entrance to the Beartooth Highway, Tippet Rise is anchored in the belief that art, music, architecture, and nature are intrinsic to the human experience, each making the others exponentially more powerful.
From June through October, visitors can experience large-scale outdoor sculptures by some of the world’s foremost artists and architects. These pieces have been carefully installed throughout the landscape and are accessible via trails that are managed through a registration system, allowing visitors the solace and space in which to enjoy the landscape.
Later in the summer, Tippet Rise presents performances by internationally acclaimed musicians during its annual concert season. Tickets are distributed by a randomized drawing and performance recordings are available online in addition to a selection of virtual events.
On a recent jaunt to Tippet Rise, my party and I endeavored to explore the meandering property trails in a series of loops via bicycle. It seemed like a relatively tranquil and creatively stimulating way to spend a weekend. And although the experience was powerful, things didn’t go exactly according to plan.
The trails cutting through Tippet Rise are difficult to gauge by map alone. Sure, distances are indicated between each sculptural installation, and the loops were easy to follow. But we quickly learned that these are real mountain trails, complete with descents that require seat post drops and steep, short climbs that can easily bring you out of the saddle. There were more than a few hike-a-bike sections. It was technically challenging enough that the e-biker in our group decided to stick to the gravel road.
Fortunately, Tippet Rise also offers motorized tours in a much less air-deprived manner of comfort, as the views are spectacular. Breathtaking vistas kept us peddling, traveling from low valleys into hidden grasslands, and then around berms and onto buttes. At nearly every turn of the trail, one can spot the next sculpture on the near horizon, the beauty of the art laid bare, beckoning us closer.
Upon arrival, you are one on one with the artwork. Up close, these towering sculptures produce evocative feelings. Rounding a corner, I caught a glimpse of Domo, by Ensamble Studio, looming in the closing distance. As I approached, I could see chairs, ghostly empty but for what looked like whitened canvas coverings flowing in the mountain breeze. This latter installation makes up Folds, also by Ensamble, and dots the ground around Domo, a 98-foot-long, 13-foot-tall man-made outcropping that at once feels like natural cover from the elements—primal in some way, like a place where shepherds once flocked. I heard classical music faintly coming from somewhere within the structure, and I felt compelled to take a seat in the Folds exhibit and listen to the music while observing the purple Beartooths in the hazy distance. The perfection of that moment in quiet contemplation was deafening.
Co-directors and spouses Pete and Lindsey Hinmon have a long history working with the art center’s benefactors, Peter and Cathy Halstead, having met many years ago in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Peter and Cathy are both artists and poets who were driven to bring together the joys of art, sculpture, music, and wild untamed landscape. They long shared a romantic vision of a large, open landscape where people could roam the land and suddenly come across art, listen to live concert music, and socialize with fellow visitors who were brought together by a love of nature, exploration, and discovery. When the Halsteads invited Pete and Lindsey to carry their torch, Pete says it was “transformational.”
Before arriving in Fishtail, however, the Halsteads searched all over for the perfect landscape to host their dream: Hawaii, California, Colorado. A close friend who had grown up in and around the Beartooths recommended they explore the area; they arrived in Fishtail via the Beartooth Highway and were captivated.
The Halsteads were cautious as they set out to build their vision for the art center. They reached out to community members and cultivated relationships during backyard barbecues and long conversations held during walkabouts on their new property. The couple felt that the key would be making their vision approachable.
“Availability and accessibility permeates the entire creation of Tippet Rise,” says Pete.
“We want to make it feel approachable to anybody and everybody regardless of experience, ideology, or lifestyle. Regardless of where they come from in life.”
The custodians of the land, the Hinmons want people to have the opportunity to experience Tippet Rise. Concert tickets are under $10 and free for those under 21. The public can hike or bike the grounds for free. Schoolchildren from the greater area participate in the art center programming and have even contributed art installations to the collective. It truly operates as a community effort.
Red Lodge–based Asano Otsu of Samurai Sue’s Everyday Foods has operated the food program during the hiking and biking season for four seasons, while Chris Lockhart and Gena Burghoff from Prerogative Kitchen manage the concert season food program.
Lockhart and Burghoff draw inspiration from the calm that surrounds the Tippet Rise experience. “It’s such a pleasure because everyone is so happy when here,” Lockhart says. “It’s a really special place.”
Lockhart and Burghoff’s approach is simple and echoes the ethos of Prerogative Kitchen: Use as many local ingredients as possible with a focus on fresh and vibrant. The menu boasts excellent grab-and-go options, including a heavy focus on salads and sandwiches, and reflects Lockhart and Burghoff’s love for cooking foods that they’ve come to know during international travels together.
This breadth of inspiration finds a happy meeting place among the Tippet Rise programming. This summer, the art center celebrates its tenth season, which opens on June 20 with options to book hiking, biking, or van tours or participate in a self-guided hike or bike to view the monumental art installations. Registration opens this spring and is available through the art center website.
This season will feature the newly installed sculpture Bronze Bowl with Lace by Ursula von Rydingsvard. The first bronze work to be installed on the property, the piece stands over 19 feet tall and was first constructed from cedar wood before it was cast in bronze.
The concert season runs from August 14 through September 15. Highlights include the string quartet Brooklyn Rider, celebrating its 20th anniversary and performing during the final concert weekend. Brooklyn Rider’s program will feature four works co-commissioned by Tippet Rise, including a world premiere from the trailblazing Puerto Rican–born composer Angélica Negrón. Throughout the season, Tippet Rise will hold pre-concert talks before Friday evening concerts. Registration for the randomized ticket drawing opens on the Tippet Rise website in early spring.
And new this year, Tippet Rise recently completed a state-of-the-art post-production facility, including video and audio editing suites and a new mastering studio, to further enhance the recording program taking place in the Olivier Music Barn. These recordings can be enjoyed virtually by visiting the center’s website and YouTube channel.
For more information on programs, event registration, ticketing, and recordings, visit tippetrise.org.
