This past spring, Montana Quarterly editor Scott McMillion called Andrew and Alex Smith, twin brothers who produced the movie “Winter in the Blood,” to see about arranging a showing of the film in Livingston, Montana and the How It Happens Festival was born.
The concept of the festival is to bring together some of Montana’s finest creative minds in the worlds of painting, music and literature, then give them a platform and get out of the way. “Personally, I like to hang out with people who are smarter than me,” related McMillion in a recent conversation. “So I thought I’d put a bunch of them in a room and see what happens.”
Engine 8 chipped in by developing a website for the festival, which will draw together painter Clyde Aspevig, musician Phil Aaberg, and writers Allen Morris Jones, Annick Smith, David Quammen, Tim Cahill, Tom McGuane, Montana Poet Laureate Tami Haaland, and others. We feel pretty excited that our design work is supporting the mingling of these creative minds!
Festivities begin early in the afternoon on June 20th at The Shane Lalani Center for the Arts, a newly refurbished performing arts center in the heart of Livingston, Montana. Panel discussions, readings, and the “Winter in the Blood” screening will all promote the festival’s theme, “Creativity Under the Big Sky.” The festival wraps up Saturday night with the serious boogie of Wylie and the Wild West at the historic Elks Lodge in downtown Livingston.
It’s solstice weekend. So while the days will be long, the ideas will be big. “We’ll have a cool movie, a hot band, great art, and a bunch of creators showing their stuff,” McMillion quips, “What’s not to like?”
Visit the festival’s web site at howithappensmt.com to register and see a full schedule.