A nonprofit that brought a famous 1982 land art project back to life in Montana has just acquired a new home: a 116-year-old theater on Main Street.
Tinworks Art, based in Bozeman, now owns the Rialto—a building that started as a post office in 1908 and became a cinema in 1924. The organization, which gained attention last year for resurrecting Agnes Denes's Wheatfield project on a local rooftop, is opening the theater with screenings of Matthew Barney's film Redoubt, a quiet, contemplative work shot in Idaho's Sawtooth Mountains that explores wolves, alchemy, and the night sky.
The move marks a significant shift for Tinworks. Until now, the organization has operated from a two-acre complex of converted warehouses and farm buildings on the edge of town—spaces that have hosted exhibitions by photographers like Stephen Shore and artists including Theaster Gates. Placing their new venue downtown changes the equation. "Bringing Tinworks into the heart of downtown strengthens our connection with the community and ensures that ground-breaking contemporary art is part of Bozeman's daily life," said Jenny Moore, who became the organization's director in 2023 after running the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas.
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Start Your News DetoxWhat makes this acquisition particularly interesting is how it reflects a broader shift in how cultural institutions operate. Rather than hoarding a space, Tinworks plans to share the Rialto with other nonprofits and creative organizations. The theater will host not just film screenings but also live music, performances, and a "Film School" series featuring talks from local filmmakers.
The choice of Barney's film for the inaugural screening feels deliberate. Redoubt engages directly with the landscape and politics of the American West—including the contentious reintroduction of wolves near Yellowstone, an issue that still divides rural communities. By opening with a work that doesn't look away from regional complexity, Tinworks signals that it's not here to provide easy answers, just deeper conversations.
Moore put it simply: "We're really excited to think about the Rialto as a place of experimentation." In a town that's seen rapid growth and cultural change, a 1924 theater becoming a hub for contemporary art feels like one small anchor holding ground.
