Artists in Montana have recently immortalized the state's national monuments on canvas.

At "Pint Night" events put on by the Montana Conservation Voters, two artists finished live paintings of the Upper Missouri River Breaks and Pompeys Pillar, two of the state's three national monuments that were both designated in 2001.

Terri Porta in Billings painted a landscape of Pompeys Pillar, a rock formation that was significant to Native Americans and also the Lewis and Clark journey west. Porta said it's important to keep all aspects of history in mind - both good and bad.

"We have to remember our history," she said. "We need to take better care of our land, and these kind of places that become a national monument - that helps to contain it, to bring it into a place where everybody's accessing these memories too, and we won't forget what happened."

Since the Antiquities Act of 1906, presidents have had the power to designate national monuments - and presidents from both parties have wielded that power to preserve culturally significant landscapes. Montana also is home to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.

Stella Nall, an artist who "live-painted" the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Missoula, said her work, which incorporates beadwork, is designed to challenge stereotypes about indigenous art. Her painted landscape was positioned in the belly of an imaginary animal with three legs.

"My intention with this piece is to hopefully draw more viewers into the landscape who might not necessarily automatically connect with landscape art," she said. "So, that's why I incorporated this imagined creature."

National monument protections are popular with the public. According to a recent poll, nearly 80% of Montanans support a president's power to protect existing public lands as national monuments. Paintings of all three national monuments in Montana will be featured at the Montana Conservation Voters' annual gala in October.

If not for the colonial postal system, newcomers to the frontier soon to be known as New Mexico would not have kept up with relatives to the south in Mexico or those overseas in Spain.

It is National Card and Letter Writing Month, designated by the U.S. Postal Service in 2001 as a way to honor and celebrate the efforts going into the mail service.

Callum Sharp is a writer and editor based in Vancouver, Canada. He penned a column on the subject for the Writing Cooperative, noting letter writing has been largely supplanted by digital technology, but letters are far more thought-provoking and personal than a text or email.

"I think a lot of people would like to get a real letter," Sharp contended. "I mean, it's a lost art form these days, because technology really has stopped us writing by hand. There's like a lot more thought that goes into writing a letter than sending a text."

Americans have lots of choice when it comes to sending packages, but only the U.S. Postal Service is responsible for the delivery of letters in the United States.

Sharp pointed out he regularly writes letters to his grandmother, and knows taking the time to stamp and post those letters can make them invaluable possessions. He added handwriting is one of the few things today which can be difficult to do with distraction, and instead, requires focus and attention.

"You have to sit down, you have to sort-of like think before you put your pen onto paper," Sharp outlined. "And there's just a lot more intention up front and a lot more, I think, love and care that goes into a message that you send to someone. And I think that can have a real impact on the relationship you manage to build."

Letters can be traced back to ancient India, Egypt, Rome, Greece, and China, primarily used to self-educate throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Sharp added he keeps a couple typewriters for the purpose of letter writing, which has other perks.

"So, one of the joys of it is being able to go to the stationery store, and being able to buy nice paper and buy a new pen every once in a while, or pick up another typewriter," Sharp explained. "That's all part and parcel of the experience of writing correspondence."


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April is the fifth annual Arts, Culture and Creativity Month in California, and advocates for the arts are promoting diversity in the arts workforce and celebrating recent policy wins.

In Los Angeles, the County Board of Supervisors just voted to join Arts for LA's Creative Jobs Collective Impact Initiative, which aims to create 10,000 living-wage jobs in the state's creative sector by the year 2030.

Gustavo Herrera, CEO of Arts for LA, said the idea is to rebuild the arts economy after COVID.

"We really are focusing on centering youth and adults from historically underrepresented communities," Herrera explained. "Here in Los Angeles, approximately 59%, or nearly three-fifths of our arts workforce, currently self-identify as white."

The collective's steering committee is putting together recommendations on legislation, budget investments, joint programming, data/accountability, and collective communication efforts - and will report back to the Board in October. Find out more about arts advocacy at 'ArtsforLA.org.'

Meanwhile, artists, advocates and policymakers are gathering in Sacramento for an Arts and Culture Summit on April 17, followed by a rally and meetings with lawmakers on April 18.

Herrera emphasized April is the perfect time to get involved.

"It's so important that we have a strong community of advocates, really pushing for arts and culture in every community," Herrera urged. "And then also, to just go out and experience the arts and celebrate all of the creativity across the state."

The summit will celebrate recent policy wins for the arts sector, including the passage of Prop 28 last year, which will direct millions more per year toward arts education.

An upcoming event in Raleigh hosted in part by William Peace University aims to bring hip-hop arts culture to North Carolina's college students.

The Hip Hop Higher Ed Symposium includes breakout sessions led by local and national scholars, artists and emcees. Executive Director of Aspire2Higher Personal and Professional Development Consulting, Stephanie Reed is the symposium's creator.

She explained that, while most people might be familiar with hip hop as a music genre, it's more recently been analyzed from an academic and cultural standpoint.

"Looking at some of the anthropological components of the culture itself," said Reed, "and really studying how the culture has impacted and informs the lives of many different types of people."

Hosted by radio DJ Miriam Tolbert of Carolina Waves, the symposium will delve into hip hop's role as a vehicle for education, its relationship to racial justice, and it's impact on different communities.

Tickets can be reserved online.

Reed encouraged those who aren't consumers of hip hop to join the community event.

"People - even if they aren't necessarily true, hip hop fans - should come for the educational component and the community organizing and community engagement piece," said Reed. "And I think they'll find value in just discussing and fellowshipping with other North Carolinians."

Across the nation, more educators are using hip hop culture in the classroom to help students explore society, race, geography, politics, and other topics.




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