GREAT FALLS — Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art in Great Falls is bringing back Arts on Fire, a free community event celebrating art, food, music, and hands-on creativity.
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The event takes place Saturday, Sept. 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
Arts on Fire has been held at the museum for 15 years, offering attendees the chance to enjoy art demonstrations, museum tours, and unique hands-on activities.
Among the featured activities is raku firing, an old form of Japanese pottery in which a hot pot is placed in a garbage can full of combustibles and later opened to reveal an iridescent glaze.
The event will also feature obvara firing, a technique that originated in Belarus in the 19th century. The process involves placing pots into a fermented bath of water, flour, and yeast.
"When you dunk it in there and take it out, it smells like burnt toast. But it has all these awesome leopard colors on it as a result of that," Interim Education Director Graham Kerwin said.
Hands-on activities for kids include bead making, soap carving, printmaking, and basket weaving.
A number of community organizations will have booths at the event, including the History Museum, Little Shell Tribe, and the C.M. Russell Museum.
"The goal of this event is to just bring the public together and showcase the arts and kind of, just show what everybody's doing out there, you know, in our community. And we also want to tie in, the other museums and institutions around town that are doing great work as well and give them the credit they're due," Kerwin said.
Attendees can also explore the museum's exhibits at no charge and visit the gift shop. Inside, visitors can get more information on classes offered by Paris Gibson Square.
Arts on Fire will also feature food trucks, root beer floats, and an artist alleyway where more than 20 vendors will be selling their creations.
Kerwin said the event offers something meaningful beyond entertainment.
"When people are so disconnected, we just typically get stuck up in our heads all the time. When we're doing art, we kind of become more present and we like to share ideas with each other. So showcasing the arts and just having people make art, I think it's just so much fun and it helps people discover themselves and make friends," Kerwin said.
Arts on Fire is free and open to the public Saturday, Sept. 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art in Great Falls.
