Bryher Herak and MJ Williams

THE ART MINE is an eclectic art and performance venue on a hilltop overlooking the small town of Basin, Montana. Dedicated to nurturing the arts across all disciplines, the refurbished warehouse features a small gallery, a “low pretension but high quality” 100-seat performance space, and several artist studios.

When Basin resident Bryher Herak purchased the Art Mine warehouse at a Sheriff’s auction in June, 2023, it was a land in recovery. Formerly the site of the Basin Flotation Mill (aka O.T. Mill), which processed ore from small hard-rock mining operations across Montana, the compound included a ball mill, a tailings impoundment, and support structures, including a warehouse filled with core samples. White tail deer, rabbits, bluebirds, swallows, elk moose, and a bear cub roamed across the twenty-six acres.

Our goal is to create a place of interest for humans and other animals, and for native plants to flourish and reseed The right people showed up to create a perfect team; local plumbers, electricians, carpenters, insulators, painters. artists, musicians, and poets. There are plans for hiking trails and sculptural installations. The Art Mine is just getting started!

The Art Mine celebrated its opening in July of 2024 with the performance of Atlanta-based playwright Margaret Baldwin’s Notes for the Sweet Apocalypse: An Evening of Poetry, Prophesy and Music and continues to host seasonal productions by musicians, dancers, actors, writers, composers, and visual artists. As Program Director M.J. Williams says, “It’s really a big transformation from the extractive industry to the creative industry.”