This year, the Sandpiper Art Gallery & Gifts takes great pleasure in announcing that four deserving students were recently awarded scholarships ranging from $500 to $3000. Sandpiper Art Gallery & Gifts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has been a mainstay in the Polson, MT community for over 50 years. Sandpiper Art Gallery & Gifts places emphasis in making art available to people and to promote art as a career. Every year the Sandpiper Art Gallery & Gifts has local art festival events in Polson to raise funds to award scholarships. This year the Flathead Lake Festival of Art is scheduled for July 19-20, 2025; the Courthouse Art Festival will be held on August 9, 2025.

Kianna Hensley is currently a major in The Fine Arts Program at Salish Kootenai College. Kianna is a contemporary artist who specializes in the human form, surrealism, and incorporates concepts of art history, and mythology while using mediums such as charcoal and acrylic paint. She has been instrumental in starting a campus-wide Tribal Flag Mural Project. Upon graduation with her AA in Fine Arts, Kianna intends to enroll in an institution offering both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Fine Arts.

Tina Maughan is enrolled in the Salish Kootenai College Tribal Historic Preservation Associate of Arts degree program. Tina has also aended the Fashion Design Program at Brooks College in California. She has sold jewelry in Bigfork, MT at “Creative and Native”. Tina has taken many courses in Flathead Reservation Arts and her goal is to aend a program in Museum Studies with emphasis on artifact preservation and reconstruction.

Trendon Butterfly is a graduate in Business Management from Blackfeet Community College in Browning, MT, and is currently enrolled in the Digital Design/Fine Arts Program at Salish Kootenai College. His artworks range from traditional imagery in ledger art to incorporating contemporary design in digital works. Trendon utilizes various media, including watercolor, colored pencils, and acrylic paint while practicing photography as well. Trendon’s goal is to enroll in the University of Montana’s Visual and Media Arts Program with a focus in Online Design.

Katie Medicine Bull will be completing her AA in Fine Arts at Salish Kootenai College by Spring 2026, after which time she intends to apply to University of Montana School of Visual and Media Arts Department. Katie is currently employed part-time as an intern/photography assistant. While a high school sophomore in Ronan, Katie was recognized with a national award when one of her photographs was show at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and in 2024 two of Katie’s photographs were shown at the 2024 Photoville Expo in New York City.

All scholarship honorees will receive a complementary student membership at Sandpiper Art Gallery & Gifts. They are also invited to display their artwork at the Gallery and to participate in the August 2025 Courthouse Art Show.

For more information on art shows, gallery receptions, workshops, and memberships please visit our website: SandpiperArtGalleryandGifts.com