Latino History in Montana Lecture w/Dr. Bridget Kevane

Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art Hosts Montana Conversation: “Latino History in Montana” with Bridget Kevane, PhD

Part of the “Living the Dream” Lecture Series in conjunction with the exhibition Willem Volkersz: The View from Here, a 25-Year Retrospective

 Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art (The Square) will host Montana Conversation “Latino History in Montana” with Bridget Kevane on Thursday, January 23rd, 2025. The program is at 1400 1st Ave North, Great Falls, Montana at 5:30pm. The presentation is free and open to the public. Funding for Montana Conversations is provided by Humanities Montana through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities United We Stand Initiative, Montana’s Cultural Trust, and private donations. We are funded in part by coal severance taxes paid based upon coal mined in Montana and deposited in Montana’s cultural and aesthetic projects trust fund.

Latinos have a more than two-centuries-old history in Montana. Yet few know about the history, culture, or economic contribution to the state. From the fur trade to the sugar beet, from our Flathead cherries to construction, Latinos have had a long, if invisible, vibrant culture that continues to this day. Who are Latinos in our state? Where are they coming from? How are they shaping Montana demographics? How are border policies impacting the communities? Learn about the history and future of this community and how it is changing our state.

Bridget Kevane presents the history of this community and discusses the critical role that current border policies are having on the community and immigration.

Bridget Kevane is a professor of Latin American and Latino Studies Program as well as the director of Liberal Studies at Montana State University. Her research focuses on Latino/a studies, specifically the literature, culture and history of Latino/a communities in the United States. In addition to numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, she has written four books, including her most recent, The Dynamics of Jewish Latino Relationships: Hope and Caution (Palgrave).