Bob Scriver exhibit ‘Mastery in Bronze’ at Montana Historical Society
Bob Scriver is pictured with pieces he did of Jim Shoulders, a well-known rodeo rider, cowboy and rancher.
A new exhibit at the Montana Historical Society Museum features the work of Robert MacFie Scriver, whose rodeo, wildlife and Native American bronzes have been shown at galleries and museums, and been prized by collectors across the nation and the world.
“Mastery in Bronze: Selections from The Bob Scriver Collection” features bronzes from all three genres and tells the story of the man who was born in 1914 on the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, where his parents operated a mercantile company.
This is the 100-year anniversary of his birth, and when he died in 1999, he was still at work in his studio at his gallery and museum in Browning. He grew up amid the vast plains and “shining” mountains surrounded by frontier characters and Blackfeet elders.
He was influenced by the geography of the people and animals of the Glacier Park area and was steeped in the romance of the Wild West.
His first love was music, and he was an accomplished professional cornet player and served on the faculty of his high school alma mater as music supervisor and band director. By the 1950s, Scriver’s fascination with taxidermy began to replace his interest in teaching music.
One of his first big successes was preparing the mount for Big Medicine, the famed white buffalo from the National Bison Range that is still on exhibit at MHS.
His work with taxidermy soon led him to begin experimenting with sculpting and later bronzes. He had his first major exhibition at his Browning studio in 1961. It received acclaim and national recognition followed.
In 2000, his wife Lorraine donated a large collection of his work including bronzes, sculptures and other artwork and memorabilia to the Montana Historical Society.
There will be a public event on Thursday, Aug. 14, to commemorate his birthday.
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