The Bigfork Arts and Culture Center strives to reveal the rich cultures of creativity that thrive in our Montana communities. We do this by providing innovative and educational experiences in all areas of the arts for both children and adults, and by exploring and sharing Bigfork's history and local diverse heritages.
Hours
Special Events; please check our calendar, programs or exhibit pages.
Location
You can find us at 525 Electric Avenue in downtown Bigfork, right next to the Bigfork Imagine IF Library and across the street from the Bigfork Playhouse
Julie Bottum is the Executive Director here at BACC. With her background in education, she brings a passion for creating inspiring programs and workshops that help both children and adults explore the amazing world around us– through art, sharing cultures, and hearing the histories of all that came before us.
Giovanna Carlson
Assistant Director
Bio Link
Giovanna comes to us from Vermont where her family's farm is located deep in the Green Mountain Range. She received a full scholarship to attend the University of Vermont at Burlington. While maintaining a full schedule of community art and dance therapy activities, Giovanna completed studies in dance, nutrition, and experiences in community leadership. At BACC Giovanna will continue to assist in developing educational history and cultural arts programs which will now include dance and music. Growing up in a community steeped in the value of heritage arts, Giovanna is excited to share and learn alongside Bigfork residents and visitors!
Email: giovannacarlson@baccbigfork.org
Sylvia Medina
Board Chair
Sylvia Medina is the Founder of the Love The Wild Foundation. She established this so she can help share the message to children to help preserve our planet and its animals. She is also the founder of the Snake River Animal Shelter.
Ms. Sylvia Medina is the President and CEO of Green Kids Club, Inc. Green Kids Club specializes in writing children’s books related to Environmental Stewardship and learning concepts for children. The stories highlight two children that drink water from a magic spring giving them the power to communicate and talk with animals. Together the kids and animals work towards ensuring they have a healthy ecosystem. Green Kids Club has won a number of awards including the 2016 Green Company of the Year by Dr. Toy, Family Choice Award in 2015, the Mom’s Choice Award (2014), and the Dr. Toy Best Green Award (2014). In 2017, we have been awarded the Dr. Toy Award for Top 10 Socially Responsible and the Top 100 for 2017.
Ms. Medina was also past president and owner of North Wind, Inc. an Environmental engineering and construction company. She attended college at New Mexico Tech in Socorro, New Mexico, where she received Bachelor’s of Science degrees in Environmental Engineering and Biology. After graduating from New Mexico Tech, Ms. Medina relocated to Idaho to work for the Idaho National Laboratory. While working she also obtained a Masters in Waste Management.
In addition to her work in the environmental industry, she is also an accomplished Jewelry Artisan (Sylvia Medina Jewelry).
Email: sylviaidaho@gmail.com
Nancy Kuhn
Board Secretary
Nancy is a long time resident and former business owner here in Bigfork. Nancy has been an integral part of BACC's success! Her passion for community, the arts, and education is an inspiration to us all!
Therese Rose
Board-Treasurer
A native of Wisconsin, Therese has been a full time resident of Bigfork since 2018. After a career in corporate finance, she moved to Bigfork for its natural beauty, caring community and strong arts culture.
Email: trosecheesr@gmail.com
Bea Ettinger
Board-Director of Strategic Planning
Bea and, her husband, Lee came to Montana in 2016 in search of a place to start a new chapter in their lives. When they came to the Flathead Valley, they knew right away that this was where they wanted to do it. They would soon spend all of their vacation time exploring and experiencing the Valley. Ultimately, it was the lure of Bigfork's art culture and sense of community that spoke to them most. In 2020, Bea closed the doors of her Architectural Firm, they sold their family home of 45 years and became full-time residents of Bigfork. Their integration into our wonderful community was met with outstretched arms and has facilitated her love for art and culture. She finds herself firmly planted on solid ground once again and inspired to pay her good fortune forward along side the BACC.BACC is excited to have Bea join our team. Bea’s diverse professional leadership background and Masters in Public Health Administration will support our efforts to grow our organization. Bea shares a passion for grassroots programs and creating opportunity for children, that aligns with BACC’s mission to cultivate the creativity that thrives in our community.
Mike Hannley
Board Member
Mike joins as a part time resident of Bigfork and Arizona. Mike is retired from a career the financial world of banking and has extensive experience in the non-profit sector.
Maranda Johnston
Maranda is born in raised in the Bigfork Area. Today she lives in Bigfork with her husband MJ and sons Finn and Everest. She is the Co-founder + Concoctor with MJ at the popular shop; The Good Stuff Botanicals
Vicky Berry
Meet Vicky Berry,
the artful mind of Tweet Jewelry Designs, fondly chosen after her childhood nickname of Tweety by her father, and the creator of one-of-a-kind fashion pieces that make a statement.
A retired professional in the highly competitive legal field, Vicky made an early statement around the legal world with a groundbreaking University that trained all of the lawyers in her firm. Of course, there were many other accomplishments throughout a long and successful career.
Stephanie Meyer
Mike Sisson
Mike is a retired metal fabricator/millwright from the east coast. Currently Mike resides near Bigfork and has been involved at BACC through his fantastic one-of-a-kind metal sculptures as well as a volunteer at BACC events.
Arin Lever
Arin is a long-time resident of Bigfork and has been involved and/or led many local cultural events . Arin has extensive background in organizing community involvement as well as marketing as Director of Sales Marketing at Blacktail Mountain Ski Area.
Zoe Bedford
Advisory to the board
Zoe is a long-time resident of Bigfork and an ad exec at The Daily Inter Lake - Hagadone Media as well as an Independant Franchise Owner of Cruise Planners/ American Express Travel.
Check out below to see some of the ways the BACC (and some of our amazing artists) have been featured by our community.
In The News
Our ongoing History Project Dives Deep!
Bruce on site
Bruce Miller's Photographic journey of worldwide Indigenous cultures and Lands in transition
Memory Lane Post
Great things happening at Memory Lane
BACC collaborations
This Summer we hosted artitst from the Salish Kootenai College as part of a collaboration made possible through a grant from Whitefish Community Foundation.
Bigfork schools adjust for farming.
The deep commitment that Bigfork residents have shown towards education and the children of Bigfork!
The Beginning of the Bigfork Volunteer Fire Department
Founded in 1893, The Swan River School has been a beloved landmark in the Bigfork community for over 125 years. In the spring semester of 2018, the students of Mrs. Emslie’s 5th grade glass undertook a project to tell part of their school’s rich history, in the form of short video documentaries that they researched, wrote, shot, and edited themselves.