Information

All lectures are Tuesdays evenings at 6:30pm in Library 148. Free and open to the public.

Library 148 is accessed from the lower level of the hallway that runs between the Library and the Liberal Arts Building.

Free event parking is at the MSUB Parking Garage.

Lectures

Attempts at film adaptations of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien date back over eighty years. Relatively few adaptations of his “unfilmable” work have reached fruition. What is the essential “core” of Tolkien that must be maintained to remain a legitimately Tolkienian piece? We will look at various examples, and examine what makes a Tolkien film adaptation successful, both as a recasting of his mythology and in a more general sense.SpeakerDaniel Funderhide is the Access Services Technician at the MSUB Library. He has a bachelor's degree in History from MSU Billings. Daniel is the president of The Council of Westmarch, an official branch of UK-based The Tolkien Society, an educational charity and literary society dedicated to the study and promotion of the life and works of author and academic J.R.R. Tolkien. Daniel has lectured regularly on Tolkien at the Billings Public Library.

The framing of the working class on screen: A quick exploration of media research

October 8, 6:30pm, Library 148

A smiling woman with blonde hair, black glasses, and a striped scarf.

Media scholars have documented the often negative framing of working class people in news media. Similarly, research has also shown a link to negative stereotypes of characters who struggle financially in dramatic television series and film. In this lecture, we’ll briefly review common stereotypes used in popular television programs since the 1940s. We’ll conclude by taking a closer look at a more recent program, Netflix’s 2021 limited series Maid.

Speaker

Dr. Melissa Boehm is a Professor in the Department of Communication at Montana State University Billings. She earned her Ph.D. in Mass Communication and her research focuses on media representations of marginalized groups, with specific attention to White women in poverty in the United States. She teaches communication courses at both the graduate and undergraduate level. 

The I Remember Project

October 15, 6:30pm, Library 148

A smiling woman artistically posed, wearing a bold black polka-dot top and with with her head slightly tilted.

The I Remember Project is a participatory multi-generational community engagement project that resulted in artworks. These artworks, celebrating the Yellowstone Art Museum’s 60th anniversary, incorporate thousands of photographic negatives and slides that were collected from generous community members in the Billings area. Each donation depicts individual and family histories and collectively, the artworks function as a record of the area’s identity.

The donated photographic materials span over 100 years and not only illustrate a large swath of photographic history but also provide a window into life in this area from the early 1920’s to 2023. The images reveal moments in our lives, slices of time that encourage reflection: weddings, funerals, family gatherings, trips, portraits of loved ones, light falling on the landscape and of course cats.

Billings community members have assisted in the production of the artworks at “sewing bee” sessions throughout the year. Sparked by the power of family photographs, the I Remember project has become an opportunity for this community to participate, pause and reconsider the many perspectives of a communal experience.

Speaker

Elizabeth Stone is a Montana-based visual artist exploring potent themes of memory and time deeply rooted within the ambiguity of photography. Stone’s work has been exhibited and is held in collections including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, AZ, Cassilhaus, Chapel Hill, NC, Candela Collection, Richmond, VA, Archive 192, NYC, NY, Nevada Museum of Art Special Collections Library, Reno, NV. Fellowships include Cassilhaus, Ucross Foundation, Jentel Arts, the National Park Service and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts through the Montana Fellowship award from the LEAW Foundation (2019). Recent awards include the Arthur Griffin Award (2024), the inaugural Critical Mass Archive 192 Award (2023) and the Photolucida Critical Mass Top 50 (2022). Process drives Stone’s work as she continues to push and pull at the edge of what defines and how we see the photograph. 

Not Perceiving Where the Core of the Original Lies: Film Adaptation of the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien

October 22, 6:30pm, Library 148

Attempts at film adaptations of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien date back over eighty years. Relatively few adaptations of his “unfilmable” work have reached fruition. What is the essential “core” of Tolkien that must be maintained to remain a legitimately Tolkienian piece? We will look at various examples, and examine what makes a Tolkien film adaptation successful, both as a recasting of his mythology and in a more general sense.

Speaker

Daniel Funderhide is the Access Services Technician at the MSUB Library. He has a bachelor's degree in History from MSU Billings. Daniel is the president of The Council of Westmarch, an official branch of UK-based The Tolkien Society, an educational charity and literary society dedicated to the study and promotion of the life and works of author and academic J.R.R. Tolkien. Daniel has lectured regularly on Tolkien at the Billings Public Library.

Big Sky Dreams: Getting Montanans into the Film Industry

October 29, 6:30pm, Library 148

A young, dark-haired woman, head slightly tilted, wearing a high floral top and beaded earrings.

Learn about my journey of breaking into the film and television industry—from a Montana girl’s perspective. I will walk through my method formulaically, from my initial training, to booking my first principal speaking role in a huge studio feature film, to navigating awards shows and red carpets. I hope to answer any questions that fellow Montana actors/actresses may have about the industry and furthering their dreams of acting in television and feature films. 

Speaker

JaNae Collins is an enrolled member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes from Poplar, MT. She began her study of acting at the University of New Mexico where she began training and auditioning. After securing Screen Actors Guild Union eligibility in New Mexico with a speaking role on the production Longmire, she moved to Los Angeles, CA, where she currently resides. Since moving to Los Angeles, she has appeared notably as Cookie in Reservation Dogs, Chloe in Rutherford Falls, and Reta in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.