We often don’t stop to realize the impact that cultural icons have on our life and on our culture as a whole until they are gone and we take the moment to pause and look at their life’s work.

Can you imagine a world where Dolly Parton never existed? Or better yet- can you imagine a world without the songs “Jolene” or “I Will Always Love You?”

Can you imagine a world never having seen Tim Curry’s iconic role as Frank-n-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show?

You may be less familiar with Glen Hansard, but look up a performance of him singing Say It To Me Now, and I challenge you to a find a more raw, emotional, and vulnerable performance out there.

These artists and their work are iconic. They are singular. And they shape our world in ways we don’t even realize.

They create ripples through our culture. They create moments that unite us. They create masterpieces that live inside us for our entire lives.

I’d hate to live in a world where those masterpieces don’t exist.

I recently watched the Billy Joel documentary on HBO, And So It Goes. (Highly recommend if you haven’t seen it!) There’s a scene where he talks about writing “The Piano Man.” He was a starving artist working as a lounge pianist in LA to pay the bills.

The song was completely autobiographical about his experience playing in that bar every night, even referencing the various characters that he came to know. You know - “Paul, the real estate novelist” or “Davy, who’s still in the Navy.”

This scene hit me hard, because it was a stark reminder that art is created in time and space. It does not appear out of the ether. It was only because he was in that place, in that situation that “The Piano Man” exists. Can you imagine a world where that song never came to be?

Similarly, one of our earliest artists-in-residence, Shoshana Bean, asked me if she could ride a horse during her time with A.I.R. Luckily we have an incredibly generous donor who has 2 horses and made this wish come true. Thanks to that experience, Shoshana returned to her cabin and the song “Montana” poured out of her.

That is just one tiny example of the art that has already been made here with visiting artists. But it’s a powerful example that art requires time and space and circumstance. Whether you are a young singer/songwriter just starting out, or you are a cultural icon like Dolly Parton, art happens thanks to the inspiration around us and our ability to channel that into something tangible.

And that is what we are creating here at A.I.R.- the time and space for artists to create, and hopefully some inspiration from the surroundings while doing so.

Last week was a reminder that this work is crucial and important. That the world needs these songs, and movies, and books, and art work. That life without them would be boring. And that its incumbent upon us all to support the creation of that work in whatever way we can.

For me, that means doing everything I can to continue to build A.I.R. and provide the space for art to happen.

One of the simplest ways that you can support that work is to upgrade your subscription to this Substack. These articles are free to all subscribers every Monday, but each Friday we release an interview with some of our favorite artists. These are exclusive to our paid subscribers.

So for just $8/month, you get access to these interviews AND you are supporting artists in the creation of new work. Please consider upgrading today to ensure that in an ever-increasing digital world, dominated by AI, iconic, human-made art can still happen.

We are gearing up to welcome our fall residents and we cannot wait to see the work that is created. We look forward to sharing more with you each and every week. Make sure you are subscribed to see this Friday’s interview with Nashville singer/songwriter, Jamie Floyd.

In the meantime, thank you Dolly.

Thank you, Tim.

Thank you, Glen.

And thank you to each and every artist who has put themselves out there to share their gifts with the world.

It is a better place because you were here.

With gratitude-

Jared Stein, Co-Founder/Executive Artistic Director of A.I.R.

www.airmt.org

With 10 Broadway credits to his name, that barely begins to tell his story. He’s a singer, dancer, painter, spoken word artist…the list goes on. Witnessing him live is a religious experience, and you will leave a changed person, wondering how you can even begin to create something as meaningful and impactful as he does so seemingly effortlessly.

We discuss his latest projects, the challenges of balancing your own creative endeavors and the artistic jobs that actually pay the bills. Daniel offers some incredible insight and inspiration for the next generation of artists.

His wisdom is so great, that I had trouble keeping this one to 10 minutes. So it goes a little longer than our usual format, but I promise you, every second is worth it.

Remember- if you want to see the full episode, you’ll need to be a upgrade to a paid subscription. For only $8/month, you’ll get exclusive access to these interviews each and every Friday. Meanwhile, you’ll be supporting our mission of providing time & space for artists developing new works.

We have a ton in store for the fall, so please continue to follow along via our social media and these weekly Substack posts. We can’t wait to share more very soon!

Thank you for being here, and thank you for believing in the power and the importance of the arts.

Feeling inspired-

Jared, Co-Founder/Executive Artistic Director of A.I.R.

www.airmt.org

But with that joy, comes the reality that I also had to send out rejection letters to the artists who were not selected. And the word “rejection” itself is a terrible one, and not entirely accurate, but it’s the only one I have at my disposal. The truth is- each and every artist who has applied is more than deserving, incredibly talented, and working on projects that all require this time to incubate.

All of these factors made our decision making process very difficult. We toiled over each artist and their project, what we are able to offer them, how we could best support them, which artists might work well in the same spaces, how each artist might interact with our community, and so many other factors. And that’s just for September. The work continues for our October and November applicants.

What’s interesting is that in my own career as a music director, I’m constantly having to choose. Which performer is best for a particular show.? Who has the right vocal range or style? How do they fit in with the other performers and creative team? Who will be the best person to bring the artistic vision to life?

And even though I’m used to being a part of those decisions, this feels different. I haven’t been able to put my finger on “why.” Maybe it’s because I know how desperately each artist needs this time. Because I know the impact it will have on their art and their process. Because I’ve seen first hand the art that has been made here, and I want every artist to have that experience.

What this all boils down to is wanting to serve each and every artist in need, but simultaneously being limited in our capacity to do so. Our limiting factors include having enough housing to host these artists, having ample work space for these artists to spend their creative time, and of course the appropriate funding to ensure we can properly support these artists during their stay with us. As each of those areas grow- increased housing, studio space and financial support, we can build upon our early successes and serve even more artists than our current capacity allows.

So if you are reading this, and you are an artist- please know that we are working around the clock to increase that capacity. Working towards having our own space to be able to serve artists year round and expand upon our programming. So we thank you for your patience as we continue those efforts to better serve you!

If you are a patron or consumer of the arts- please know that our work requires your support.

Here are some very simple ways that you can demonstrate your support of A.I.R.:

1. Increase your Substack membership from free to paid. For just $8/month, you get access to our Substack feed, exclusive artist interviews each and every Friday. Or pay $80 for the entire year, or become a Founding Member for $250 and get some exclusive perks on our brand new merchandise.

1. Speaking of merchandise, you can buy a t-shirt, sweatshirt or hat directly from our website. You’ll be representing A.I.R. wherever you wear it, and supporting our mission while you do!

1. Lastly, you can simply make a donation through our website. Each and every dollar raised goes directly towards support our programming, covering travel, housing, and food costs for our visiting artists.

If none of those are viable for you, simply sharing a Substack post, an instagram reel, or forwarding a newsletter to a fellow lover of the arts can have an incredible ripple effect. However you choose to support, we are grateful for you being a part of this journey with us and for following along as we build this unique space for artists to create.

Stay tuned for our next interview in our 10in10 series. This week features multi-hyphenate artist, Daniel J. Watts. This is one you won’t want to miss…so make sure you are subscribed to receive the full interview. Meanwhile, follow our Instagram for daily posts about the arts, the push back against A.I., and sneak previews for Friday’s interview.

Thank you for being here!

In service to the artists-

-Jared Stein, Co-Founder/Executive Artistic Director, A.I.R.

We sit down with some of our favorite artists to ask them 10 questions in 10 minutes. You know, because, attention span.

Short, inspiring conversations about art, the creative process, where we find our inspiration and how we push through the challenges and set backs.

For our first guest, I invited my daughter, Pax, to sit down and act as my test-dummy. But she’s so much more than that. Already, at the age of 10, she’s doing theater, film, and studying voice, drums, and viola. She’s an artist in every sense of the word, AND she’s young enough to not yet be jaded by “the business.”

She spits wisdom and insight in that way only a 10 year old can. She hasn’t lost her intuitive confidence and creativity flows through every bone in her body.

I’m excited to share this conversation as we kick off this series. New interviews will be dropped each and every Friday, featuring writer, composers, film makers, dancers, Broadway performers, designers, painters and every artist in between.

These interviews are exclusively available to our paid subscribers. For just $8/month you’ll get access to these interviews every Friday AND you’ll be supporting A.I.R. along the way. We have perks for those who sign up as a “Founding Member,” including discounts on our brand new merch, available on our website.

To find out more about A.I.R., our current programming and future plans, and how you can support our work, please visit our website, and follow along on our instagram for all the latest!

Thanks for being here-

Jared, Co-Founder/Artistic Director of A.I.R.

As someone who has spent their career as a music director, pianist, arranger and a freelance musician, I thrive on being in a room with other artists making things. Whether that be a Broadway musical, a pop-album, a tv show or a movie musical, I need to create. It’s in my blood. And without that outlet, I felt as though I lost my purpose.

And I know that I was not alone in this experience. Seemingly overnight, our ability to BE artists was taken away from us. Shows shut down, venues closed, and the world went into lockdown. Sure we had all the time in the world to sit at home and write music or paint, but doing so in solitude lacked the collaboration and inspiration that so many artists thrive on.

In order to escape that feeling of being “stuck,” my family and I hit the road. We figured if we couldn’t make use of the trails and beaches in LA, at least we could be outside, explore national parks and camp our way across the country. We very quickly stumbled upon Montana!

You have to understand, as some context, both Kimberly and I have spent much of our lives touring the country with Broadway shows, but very rarely do those shows make their way to Montana. There just isn’t the infrastructure to support these touring productions. So driving along the Gallatin River past Big Sky and making your way to Bozeman is a majestic experience. And those who’ve had the opportunity to experience that know exactly what I’m talking about. Montana is a special place and there’s really nowhere else like it in the country.

As 2020 went on and the shut downs and cancellations of gigs continued, we continued our journey on the road, and at every opportunity, took the road less traveled through Montana. Thanks to the generosity of some friends, we had the chance to camp on Flathead Lake for a couple weeks. It was during that stay that we knew Montana was calling us. We couldn’t explain it, but we were being pulled in this direction and knew that we needed to call this place home.

I also knew that I wanted other artists to experience what I had experienced. That peace, quiet, solitude and escape that you simply cannot experience living in big cities. Having spent the majority of my life in New York City and Los Angeles, the clean mountain air, the rush of the rivers, being surrounded by mountains and beauty at every turn…THAT is what artists need to create. That inspiration doesn’t exist amongst the bustle of NYC taxi cabs.

And thus the idea of A.I.R. was born. Quite simply, time and space for artists to create. Get away from the noise, escape to nature, create community around art, and hopefully in the process, support the creation of some incredible new work.

So here we are. We are gearing up to welcome our next round of artists this fall through three separate residencies. These are made possible thanks to the generosity of the Bozeman community and donated housing. Meanwhile- we have identified the long term property of our dreams which will allow us to build all of the necessary studios and workspaces to bring our full vision to life.

If you’d like to learn more about AIR and the ways you can support our mission, please visit our website: www.airmt.org

If you’d like exclusive access to our artist interview series, please consider subscribing to our paid Substack. Not only will you get incredible content and insight from today’s most sought-after artists, you’ll also be support A.I.R!

Please stay tuned for more content and updates on our programming and events. Thank you for following along in our journey.

-Jared Stein

Co-Founder/Artistic Director, A.I.R.