The 4th annual Hooked on Art opened at the Bonner School at 10 a.m. Sat Feb 7th with these three artists, plus 29 additional local artists displaying their work and the Gravely Mountain Boys lending a lively tone to the morning with their artful blue grass tunes.

The doors opened and the people came. They came to look, they came to listen, they came to find treasures. They found jewelry, metal sculptures, wood crafts in many forms, fine photography, watercolors, hand made dolls and wooden toys, bronzes, quilts, pine needle baskets, pencil drawings, wildlife pictures and many more treasures to have and to share.

Hooked on Art patrons treated to REAL ART
 Tim Shoales' daughterOn arriving one lady proclaimed: “How wonderful! It’s REAL ART!”
Yes, they found real art and art in many forms. At 11 a.m. feature artist, Kendahl Jan Jubb shared her incredible talent along with some of the artist’s secrets of her fabulous & colorful paintings. She generously had brought several large pieces to put on display. They caught the eye the minute you stepped into the room and drew you to them. A treasure for the eye.

The art of music charmed participants
Yes, the people came and they found delightful music throughout the day beginning with the Gravely Mountain Boys, then a bit later, Noah Eikens, 11 year old son of Bronze sculptor Maryanne Eikens, who shared sweet & tender notes from his violin. Mid afternoon, Jennifer Slayden, her young but very accomplished daughter Grace and niece Maddi Ogle, romped through some wonderful folk tunes with Jennifer on the guitar and the girls deftly swinging the tune on their fiddles. The music was nothing short of marvelous and it’s notes wove through the halls of the school binding the day together. A treasure for the ears.

“This soup is fabulous!”
Down the hall, the lunchroom had become the Closeup Café under the capable direction of Judy Matson and Frenchie Leiritz,
a Closeup Mom and experienced caterer. With their creative hands, lunch became an artful experience also. Mike Kustudia’s grandmother’s heritage Piltzville recipe for Soupe aux Pois (a French Canadian Pea Soup, unlike any pea soup you’ve ever tasted before) was served all day long with other tasty temptations that all would agree were a treasure for the taste buds.

Treasures for the heart and soul found throughout school
Around the corner a display of some of our many local veterans began the walk down “history hall” with additional pictures from the Demmons collection out on display for those who could reminisce and those who are intrigued with the past of our colorful little community. A treasure for the heart…

In the library Missoula Art Museum had brought more Walter Hook paintings to share which along with those shared by Jan Julin, his daughter and Todd Brandhoff, a collector from Lolo brought the number of Hooks on display to a 4 year high…a treasure for the soul.

Around the back, down the stairs, in the art room Erin Roberts, the Bonner School art teacher and an artist herself, assisted many hands in the creation of their own art through several print making processes she demonstrated throughout the day to eager future artists. A treasure for little hands to carry to appreciative parents…

Community, the greatest treasure
And people came to see, to be seen, to listen, to eat, to do, to visit with old friends and neighbors, to make new friends and meet new neighbors

And in that, each of them became part of the greatest treasure of day…the treasure of community.
Was the 4th annual Hooked on Art a success? Oh, I’d say it was “a treasure.” We look forward to sharing it with you all again next year on Sat Feb.13!