Intrigued by the works of James Castle on view at Tinworks Art's 2024 The Lay of the Land exhibition and want to know more? Join us for an evening of hands-on learning about this incredible artist's work with Collections Manager of the James Castle Collection and Archive Andrea Merrell.

A selection of Castle’s art is on view in Tinworks’ current exhibition The Lay of the Land until October 19th.

The Art of James Castle is a ticketed evening event, open to the public, and hosted by The Rialto theater in downtown Bozeman. Doors at 7pm, event starts at 7:30pm.

Andrea Merrell is the Collection Manager at James Castle Collection and Archive in Boise, ID.

Boise City Department of Arts & history, James Castle Collection and Archive

Jenny Moore is the inaugural Director of Tinworks Art. From 2013 to 2022, she was Director of the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas. Under her Directorship, Chinati completed Robert Irwin’s monumental permanent installation Untitled (dawn to dusk), organized and made public its institutional archive, and completed restoration of the John Chamberlain Building. She has championed the work of female artists, scholars, and professionals, including Charlotte Posenenske, Bridget Riley, and Solange and received a $1.25M grant from #StartSmall to provide professional development opportunities for women, and particularly women of color, in far west Texas and the broader arts community. Moore held curatorial positions at the New Museum (NYC), the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts (NYC), Exit Art (NYC) and the 8^th Gwangju Biennale (South Korea). She received an M.A. from the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, NY, and a B.A., cum laude, in cultural anthropology from Wake Forest University, NC.

James Castle

James Castle was born in 1899 to Frank and Mary Castle in the sparsely-populated mountain community of Garden Valley, Idaho. His parents served as postmasters in Garden Valley from 1901 to 1923, working out of the living room of the family home. James, the fifth of seven surviving children, was deaf from birth. He began drawing at about age six and, from age ten to fifteen, attended the School for the Deaf and the Blind in the Idaho town of Gooding, 150 miles away. The Castle family moved to Star, Idaho, in 1923 and purchased the Star Grinding Mill. Frank Castle died in 1927, and Mary moved with James in 1931 to a property on the outskirts of Boise. When his mother died in 1948, James lived in the Boise house with his sister Agnes (Peggy), her husband Guy Wade, and their four children until he died in 1977.

Castle had gained recognition as an artist in the early 1950s when his nephew Bob Beach while attending the Museum Art School in Portland, Oregon, showed his uncle’s drawings to his instructors. Castle’s work was then included in exhibitions throughout the northwest, with one-person shows in 1963 and 1976 at the Boise Gallery of Art, now the Boise Art Museum.

The James Castle Collection and Archive

Located in Boise, Idaho, this institution maintains James Castle’s drawings, handmade books, and constructions, as well as his tools, supplies, source materials, family photographs, and historical documents. The mission of the Collection is to cultivate, preserve, and promote Castle’s artistic legacy. The Collection makes artwork available for exhibition to non-profit institutions and facilitates the acquisition of his work to enter the permanent collections of museums worldwide. The Collection also consigns artwork directly to select galleries in the U.S. and abroad for exhibition and sale.

The Archive supports access, public awareness, and understanding of James Castle and his work. It is an essential research and educational center for curators, educators, scholars, and writers working on Castle-related projects. The Archive manages image use and artwork inventory and develops original publications to continue building upon Castle’s legacy. Additionally, the Archive provides custom framing and display solutions for Castle artwork to private collectors and institutions.

For more information visit - https://jamescastle.com/

Plan your visit to the James Castle Hourse here - https://www.jamescastlehouse.org/

This event is open to the public, hosted at the Rialto Theater in downtown Bozeman. Tinworks Art is an artist- and community- centered nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the cultural and social fabric of greater Bozeman by supporting inclusive and immersive contemporary art experiences for artists and audiences in non-traditional spaces.

For questions, or to request sponsored (free) tickets for yourself or your students contact info@tinworksart.org. Committed attendance requests only please.

The Art of James Castle: The Brightest Light Casts the Darkest Shadow

By Tinworks Art

The Art of James Castle: The Brightest Light Casts the Darkest Shadow

Exploring the work of James Castle with Collection Manager of the James Castle Collection and Archive Andrea Merrell