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MNHC’s 2025 Holiday Bazaar
December 5 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
FREE
Date: Friday, December 5th
Time: 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: FREE! (Unless you buy something…)
MNHC’s Holiday Bazaar is back! This fan-favorite festive event brings together the best of the holiday spirit: local artistry, support for nature education, delicious food provided by Riversong Gourmet, beverages, homemade cookies and family recipes, and the joy of giving back to our community.
At MNHC’s Holiday Bazaar, you’ll find unique gifts crafted with care by local artists. From beautiful prints and photography to gorgeous glasswork and ceramics, there’s something for everyone on your list. By shopping here, you not only bring home one-of-a-kind gifts but also support our talented local artists and our Montana community.
Join us at MNHC’s Holiday Bazaar, and enjoy a little magic of this special time of year by giving back, supporting local artists, and nurturing a love for learning and nature. We look forward to celebrating the season with you!
MEET THE ARTISTS
Mary Engstrom, Rich Adams, Diane Olhoeft, Brian Christianson,
Michelle Nowels, Jason C. Poole, Kiley Voss, Erynn Neill, David Lusk, Theo Ellsworth,
Elena Ulev, Bailey Zook, and Pat Kittelson
Mary Engstrom / AdornmentsMary Engstrom makes jewelry by hand from sterling silver, using traditional silversmithing techniques. Hammering, rolling or etching silver creates a unique tactile surface that invites touch and storytelling. No two pieces are ever identical; each one has its own story to tell. Her casual but sophisticated pieces are designed to be comfortable and flow with your body’s movements. Wearing jewelry for personal adornment is an individual aesthetic, and she hopes that some of her pieces resonate with your style. Instagram @adornmentsmt_maryengstrom
David Lusk / Anomal Press
David Miles Lusk is an artist living and working out of Missoula, Montana. David received his Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in printmaking from the University of Montana in 2014. He is inspired by the intersection of science and mythology, and nature & humanity. He started Anomal Press in the fall of 2016. INSTAGRAM @anomalpress
Bailey Zook / B. Zook Ceramincs
Bailey is the gal behind B. Zook Ceramics and she enjoys hand making unique and functional pottery. Her pottery is inspired by patterns and the natural world around us. Each piece is handmade and infused with the peace that comes naturally when the maker is connected to the earth through mud-covered hands. INSTAGRAM: @bzook_ceramics
Rich Adams / Rich Adams Fine Art
Rich’s artwork is really a reflection of his love for the natural world. Rich likes to say that his drawings are his love letters to Montana. He really can’t imagine a better place to live and raise a family. If his work can connect with other people’s experiences and love of the natural world, Rich feels like it has served its function. He produces all of his own fine art prints and inspect each one to ensure it is of the highest quality he can produce. They are made with U.S. made, acid-free fine art paper and pigment-based inks to ensure they will last a lifetime when hung on the wall. INSTAGRAM @adams.rt
Michelle Nowels / Ashes and Arbor
Michelle draws inspiration by looking for the beauty in nature and preserve it in creative ways, like her beautiful hand pressed paintings from cross sections of trees found through the Northwest. Each of Michelle’s pieces are handmade, and due to their nature — of being from nature — one of a kind. INSTAGRAM: @michelle_nowels
Theo Ellsworth / Cartoonist
Theo Ellsworth is a cartoonist and fine artist living in Missoula. His latest graphic novels were published by Drawn and Quarterly (Montreal) and WW Norton (NYC). His woodcut fine art has ben exhibited internationally. He is the house artist for the UK based record label, Astral Industries. INSTAGRAM @theo_ellsworth_
Brian Christianson / Brian Christianson Photography
Brian’s guiding principle is ‘what makes today different from any other day?’ With that question, he does his best to make strong photographic decisions about where and what to shoot. How is the light interacting with fall colors? What atmospheric conditions complement the feeling of spring wildflower blooms? What frozen/snow texture balances well with the semi-frozen creek? These are the types of questions that he love to explore! Each photographic outing affords an opportunity to practice, implement and evolve this practice. Every day is a new opportunity to better understand and photograph the landscape. INSTAGRAM: @bchristiansonphoto
Brian’s guiding principle is ‘what makes today different from any other day?’ With that question, he does his best to make strong photographic decisions about where and what to shoot. How is the light interacting with fall colors? What atmospheric conditions complement the feeling of spring wildflower blooms? What frozen/snow texture balances well with the semi-frozen creek? These are the types of questions that he love to explore! Each photographic outing affords an opportunity to practice, implement and evolve this practice. Every day is a new opportunity to better understand and photograph the landscape. INSTAGRAM: @bchristiansonphoto
Erynn McNeill / Up Moss Creek Studio
Erynn McNeill is an artist, botanist, and scientific illustrator. While obtaining their Bachelor of Science in Biology they worked throughout the backcountry of Montana, Idaho and Alaska tracking animals and recording plant species until the fall of 2020 when isolation brought back an old love of creating art. Taking inspiration from their wilderness experiences, they created Up Moss Creek Studio in 2021 as a habitat for experimentation where they combine their knowledge of scientific illustration, botany, mycology and multiple art mediums to create realistic figure paintings, jewelry and art objects that highlight the hidden mossy worlds within western Montana’s diverse ecosystems. They are currently based in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana where they share a home with their partner Brandon, dog Dagwood, and cat Orion. INSTAGRAM: @Upmosscreekstudio
Erynn McNeill is an artist, botanist, and scientific illustrator. While obtaining their Bachelor of Science in Biology they worked throughout the backcountry of Montana, Idaho and Alaska tracking animals and recording plant species until the fall of 2020 when isolation brought back an old love of creating art. Taking inspiration from their wilderness experiences, they created Up Moss Creek Studio in 2021 as a habitat for experimentation where they combine their knowledge of scientific illustration, botany, mycology and multiple art mediums to create realistic figure paintings, jewelry and art objects that highlight the hidden mossy worlds within western Montana’s diverse ecosystems. They are currently based in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana where they share a home with their partner Brandon, dog Dagwood, and cat Orion. INSTAGRAM: @Upmosscreekstudio
Kiley Voss / Topophilia Photography
For the past six years, Kiley has worked as a seasonal National Park Ranger. She is a lover of landscapes and little moments, of multitudes and wild spaces, of vast openness and the details on a single pinecone, of cliffs that look like they have been painted onto the sky, and of bees buzzing from tiny flower to tiny flower. Topophilia means “a strong sense of place; a love for peculiar places; a sense of home.” It reflects Kiley’s desire to connect herself and others to the breathtaking spaces in which she works and lives, and to help guide visitors towards a deeper appreciation for our remarkable natural world. She makes handmade nature cards and earrings of her photography from her time working in the national parks and exploratory weekend road trips. INSTAGRAM @topo.wanders
For the past six years, Kiley has worked as a seasonal National Park Ranger. She is a lover of landscapes and little moments, of multitudes and wild spaces, of vast openness and the details on a single pinecone, of cliffs that look like they have been painted onto the sky, and of bees buzzing from tiny flower to tiny flower. Topophilia means “a strong sense of place; a love for peculiar places; a sense of home.” It reflects Kiley’s desire to connect herself and others to the breathtaking spaces in which she works and lives, and to help guide visitors towards a deeper appreciation for our remarkable natural world. She makes handmade nature cards and earrings of her photography from her time working in the national parks and exploratory weekend road trips. INSTAGRAM @topo.wanders
Elena Ulev / Artisan and founder of Blue Heron Nature Tours
Elena Ulev is a Master Naturalist and Certified Interpretive Guide with 30 years of experience as a scholar, professional biologist, writer, and educator. Elena has been making and selling her crafts in Missoula since 2000. She teaches with the Montana Natural History Center, the Glacier Institute, MOLLI, the O’Hara Commons and Sustainability Center, and her business, Blue Heron Nature Tours. INSTAGRAM @blueheronnaturetours
Elena Ulev is a Master Naturalist and Certified Interpretive Guide with 30 years of experience as a scholar, professional biologist, writer, and educator. Elena has been making and selling her crafts in Missoula since 2000. She teaches with the Montana Natural History Center, the Glacier Institute, MOLLI, the O’Hara Commons and Sustainability Center, and her business, Blue Heron Nature Tours. INSTAGRAM @blueheronnaturetours
Diane Olhoeft / Ouzel Cliff Artwork
Diane is a watercolor artist living in Corvallis. She grew up watching her mother paint and sketch ideas for clothing she wanted to create. Most of Diane’s time was spent outside, building forts, exploring old homesteads and pretending she was a wild horse. Her ties to the outdoors remain strong. Watercolor was a perfect medium as it was light, portable and could go on any adventure. It has really helped Diane see her surroundings in a more appreciative and detailed way. She loves the colors and free flowing way the paint goes on the paper. It seems to be in tune with the unpredictability, adaptability and movement of nature. Silk painting has the free spirit of watercolor with the added advantage that you can wear it and it feels so good.
Diane is a watercolor artist living in Corvallis. She grew up watching her mother paint and sketch ideas for clothing she wanted to create. Most of Diane’s time was spent outside, building forts, exploring old homesteads and pretending she was a wild horse. Her ties to the outdoors remain strong. Watercolor was a perfect medium as it was light, portable and could go on any adventure. It has really helped Diane see her surroundings in a more appreciative and detailed way. She loves the colors and free flowing way the paint goes on the paper. It seems to be in tune with the unpredictability, adaptability and movement of nature. Silk painting has the free spirit of watercolor with the added advantage that you can wear it and it feels so good.
Jason C. Poole / Paleo Artist: Painting, Sketches, & More 
Jason C. Poole has worn many hats, Adjunct Professor of Paleontology, Scientific Illustrator, art teacher, and Paleontology field instructor. Jason has excavated dinosaurs on three continents, including Africa, South and North America. Paralititan, Dreadnoughtus and Suuwassea are three dinosaurs worked on by Poole, all were new to science when discovered and two of which are supermassive titanosaurs. Poole is also a Paleontological Artist who has published in National Geographic and whose art work appears in many museum and private collections. INSTAGRAM: @jasoncpoolepaleoartist
Jason C. Poole has worn many hats, Adjunct Professor of Paleontology, Scientific Illustrator, art teacher, and Paleontology field instructor. Jason has excavated dinosaurs on three continents, including Africa, South and North America. Paralititan, Dreadnoughtus and Suuwassea are three dinosaurs worked on by Poole, all were new to science when discovered and two of which are supermassive titanosaurs. Poole is also a Paleontological Artist who has published in National Geographic and whose art work appears in many museum and private collections. INSTAGRAM: @jasoncpoolepaleoartist
Pat Kittelson / Bee-cycled Crayons
Pat Kittelson grew up in Minnesota and graduated from the University of Minnesota college of education. She went on to complete a master’s degree in library science with an emphasis in early children’s literature. Pat, working with illustrator Brooke Connor, started writing books for children in 1978 for the Bryce Canyon Natural History Association and created a series of books focused on scientists tackling environmental problems using homespun research. Also, a beekeeper, Pat works with the National Crayon Recycling Program to keep old crayons out the landfill. “Bee-cycled Crayons” are made using broken abandoned crayons and beeswax from Pat’s hives.
Pat Kittelson grew up in Minnesota and graduated from the University of Minnesota college of education. She went on to complete a master’s degree in library science with an emphasis in early children’s literature. Pat, working with illustrator Brooke Connor, started writing books for children in 1978 for the Bryce Canyon Natural History Association and created a series of books focused on scientists tackling environmental problems using homespun research. Also, a beekeeper, Pat works with the National Crayon Recycling Program to keep old crayons out the landfill. “Bee-cycled Crayons” are made using broken abandoned crayons and beeswax from Pat’s hives.
