We hope you enjoy your tour of one of the most exciting art museums in the northwest. Whether it's the incredibly diverse contemporary art scene or the work of groundbreaking artists from the past, our mission is ART! We are Montana's premier art museum, presenting Montana's most forward-looking artists and bringing here to Montana historic and world art significant for our region. In August, the YAM opened its innovative Visible Vault, a space where we store our permanent collections in a publicly accessible way. The Visible Vault also includes an artist-in-residence studio. The YAM was awarded a $600,000 grant from the Michigan-based Kresge Foundation to complete this project as well as assist with a new permanent collection gallery.

The Yellowstone Art Museum collects American art with an emphasis on progressive contemporary art from the northern Rocky Mountain and northern Plains regions. Collecting began soon after the museum’s founding in 1964. In 1984, with a major grant from the Montana Cultural Trust and generous donations from private individuals, the YAM began to build what is now the largest permanent collection of significant contemporary art of the region. Today all of the permanent collections number over 7,300 objects, including both art works and archival pieces.