If you’ve enjoyed the Art Center’s gorgeous display of costumes from Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, then this program should be right up your alley. Join us Wednesday, April 26 from 6:00-7:15 PM in the Library’s upstairs meeting room for “Queen Elizabeth I Time-Travels to Montana” with performance artist Leslie Van Stavern Millar III. This program combines history, science fiction, and everyone’s favorite 16th-century queen (in costume!) and is tailored toward ages 10 and up. Humanities Montana is sponsoring this event and has provided the following program description and presenter bio.

            “Artist Leslie Van Stavern Millar III dresses in period costume and brings a selection of her three-dimensional, sci-fi alternative history art works, the Montana Peepshow Story Boxes, depicting time travel episodes of Queen Elizabeth I. She leads an entertaining and thought-provoking discussion, telling stories of Montana history from the perspective of the time-traveling Queen from 16th century England to Montana since 1803. The art and stories lead to conversations about episodes of Montana history, what was occurring in 16th century England that encouraged exploration and invention, and the use of imagination and creativity in problem solving. Participants are encouraged to think about topics like who decides what qualifies as history, and their own stories of local history.

            Leslie Van Stavern Millar III has been doing performance art as Science Woman since 1991. She is an independent researcher and visual artist in Missoula, Montana.”

            If you’re interested in learning more about Queen Elizabeth I and her contemporaries, check out Anna Whitelock’s “The Queen’s Bed: An Intimate History of Elizabeth’s Court” (942.05 WHITELOCK) or Helen Castor’s “She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth” (942 CASTOR).