BOZEMAN INTERVENTIONS
This dual-location public art event explored Bozeman’s complex and layered past through temporary nighttime projections on two significant historical sites. The projections were designed and executed by students, using archival research, visual storytelling, and community-centered dialogue to highlight overlooked narratives within the built environment.

📍Location 1: 34 N. Rouse Ave, Historic Red-Light District Building
Situated in what was once Bozeman’s red-light district, this 1880 structure stood as a silent witness to a vibrant yet often silenced chapter of the city’s history. From the 1870s to 1918, this area along Mendenhall and East Main Streets housed brothels, parlor houses, and boarding homes that served a transient population of miners, railroad workers, and ranchers.

The arrival of the Northern Pacific Railway in 1883 spurred economic growth and population shifts, drawing national attention to Bozeman and fueling demand in the district. While city leaders and reformers eventually shut down the red-light district in 1918 under increasing prohibitionist pressure, the contributions of women who lived and worked there remain vital—economically and socially—to Bozeman’s early development.

This projection reclaimed visibility for those stories, offering a space for reflection on gender, labor, and the dynamics of official vs. unofficial histories.

📍Location 2: 34 N Rouse Ave, Bozeman Fire Station #1
The second site focused on Bozeman’s civic evolution. This mid-century fire station operated for over 50 years until its 2022 decommissioning. It replaced the original firehouse in the Bozeman Opera House, a multifunctional building that, beginning in the 1890s, served as a cultural and public safety hub.

A prominent feature of this civic legacy was the 1886 McShane Tower Bell, which was moved from the Opera House to the 1965 station in 1972 and now resides in the city’s new Public Safety Center.

Through projection, this site explored themes of continuity and change in civic infrastructure, while honoring the firefighters, public servants, and community members who shaped public life in Bozeman across generations.

Bozeman Then and Now
Nestled in the Gallatin Valley and surrounded by three mountain ranges, Bozeman today has a population of over 56,000 and is home to Montana State University. It has grown into a center for outdoor adventure, innovation, and cultural heritage.

Long before European-American settlement in the 1860s, the area was part of the ancestral homelands of the Apsáalooke (Crow), Niitsitapi (Blackfeet), Salish, and other Indigenous peoples. These deeper histories underscore the importance of acknowledging whose stories are remembered, celebrated, or erased in public spaces.
As one of the fastest-growing cities in Montana, Bozeman continues to evolve. The Grafik Intervention project aimed to spark dialogue around preservation, memory, and identity by reimagining how we engage with the physical and historical landscape of our city.

Credits
Photography by William Culpepper

Special thanks to the 2025 Montana State University School of Art students.

Location
Bozeman, Montana

Population
57,305

Participants
Montana State University
School of Art

Faculty
William Culpepper

Social Media
Fire House Instagram
Brothel Instagram