GREAT FALLS — Just inside the Times Square building in downtown Great Falls, contemporary artist Liisa Nelson’s creations hang in her newly unveiled gallery called Theorii.
Nelson said Theorii is a space in which she and fellow artists can showcase their work.
However, her own work is on display for the gallery’s very first show, entitled “The First Postulate." The inaugural art show derives its name from the idea that a postulate sets the foundation of a theory, the same way as her first show lays the foundation for her gallery.
“I wanted to come up with a title that would reflect...some of the ways that art functions,” Nelson said, “The title of the space is Theorii and the title of the show is...The First Postulate because I wanted to feel like it was kind of a foundational beginning for the idea of how we build a theory,”
The Great Falls native relocated back to her hometown just before the start of the pandemic and purchased a space of her own in the Times Square building. “When Covid came and we all had to stay home...I started working and kind of made a home studio. And then I thought, ‘OK, I have this space’. I was kind of renovating it anyways. It was like a brown office space and I wanted something that was beautiful and light, and I thought I could make a gallery."
After deciding to convert the space into a gallery, she decided her gallery wouldn’t be of the traditional sort. “I don't want it to feel like it’s just another kind of place to buy commodities necessarily. I want it to be a space where people can come in and have an experience of art and where people can learn something about art and maybe about themselves,” Nelson said.
Instead of housing art for sale, her gallery will serve as a stage for artists hoping to introduce their work to the public.
She said she hopes Theorii will be the host site of artist talks, solo shows, or even a space where artists can create - in the future. In the meantime, Nelson said she’s using the space as a platform to share her art online and has a website in the works.
To keep up with Theorii or get in touch with Nelson, click here to visit her Facebook page.
