Artist Wilderness Connection participants chosen

The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation chose four artists to participate in its 2026 Artist Wilderness Connection. 

Each summer the program places artists from various disciplines, media, and styles in remote backcountry cabins in the Great Bear or Bob Marshall Wilderness areas. During their one- to two-week stay, selected artists create work in a beautiful, remote setting. In return, the artists share a public presentation or workshop related to their residency experience with the community.

Karen Minton is based in Whitefish. Her current work explores the concepts and methods of the Tonalism movement of the late 1800s. Through a careful study of light, value, and mood, her oil paintings draw from familiar landscapes, transforming them into meditative spaces that invite viewers not just to observe, but to be immersed in a sense of peace and stillness. 

Maddie Tucker is a visual artist and musician born and raised in Missoula. She began creating art as a little girl and from the beginning, she’s been drawn to the natural world as her primary subject matter. Since graduating college in 2020, she’s continued to hone her craft primarily as an oil painter and began participating in local art markets in the summer of 2025. 

Emily Roach is a career Wildlife Biologist and artist who uses her knowledge and experiences with wildlife to inspire her art, and vice versa. She explores themes of nature and wildlife, striving to convey a sense of whimsy with accurate portrayals of the natural world. One of her main goals is to ignite a sense of empathy and connection between her audience and the subjects in her pieces. Her mission is to get others engaged in nature and art and to foster easygoing and creative spaces for others. 

Ginny Lefler is from the Virginia area and now lives in Northwest Montana. She is a quilter and textile artist whose work explores our relationship with the land, the role textiles play in our lives, and where the two intersect. She is interested in the history evident in textile work, and how we carry that history forward into our own lives. Lefler’s work is inspired by stories, photographs, memories, inherited traditions, and places near and far.