MISSOULA — In a cozy corner of Missoula, Montana, something magical is happening.
Giving Art to Missoula (GAM) has quietly become the heartbeat of the local creative community—an art supply thrift store where donated treasures find new life in the hands of aspiring artists, seasoned creators, and everyone in between.
"You can kind of think of it as an art supply thrift store where we more value the art supplies," explains Amber Kurzenbaum, GAM's founder and driving force. "I have always loved helping artists. I grew up in Missoula. I'm an artist myself, and as I grew as an artist I found joy in helping other artists."
The concept is beautifully simple, yet revolutionary.
Community members bring art supplies—sometimes lots of art supplies—and GAM's dedicated team goes through and cleans them up, values them, and puts them on the floor where the community can pick up art supplies for low prices.
It's creative reuse at its finest, and Montana's first of its kind.
"Since we're the first creative reuse in Montana, we have helped all of Montana for a while and now I'm actually mentoring some groups in Helena and Bozeman, Billings soon and Helena," Amber shares with pride.
The movement is spreading as thrift stores across the state have been popping up, collectively considering themselves creative reuse centers because, as Amber notes, "it is kind of different than a thrift store when you get fun antique items or really good watercolor paper—you have to value that on the shelf. You can't let it slide around on a thrift store shelf."
For customers like Sophie Trudgeon, GAM has become an essential resource: "I'm here to get decorations for my graduation party. So this place I've gotten decorations for birthday parties, everything here, Christmas gifts. It's the best place. Also gathering some goodies for a friend's fairy themed birthday party. So that's kind of fun."
The impact extends far beyond individual projects.
"If you have a project, if you come here first, whether it's beading, collage, painting, knitting, it's a good place to just have a low barrier way to get art supplies for any project and maybe you don't like a project and then you can just donate it back to us," Amber explains, highlighting the circular nature of their mission.
The sustainability aspect is staggering.
"After two years we have collected over 36,000 pounds of art supplies," Amber reveals, "and I suspect with spring cleaning coming up we're gonna collect even more."
Those thousands of pounds represent materials diverted from landfills, given new purpose instead of becoming waste.
Customer Malaya Taylor captures the deeper philosophy perfectly: "I believe in the power of art and creating. I think it's healthy for children especially, but for adults to create and use their mind and stay away from the social media aspect of life at this point. Come a culture of just quick fashion and stuff that we throw away and get rid of all while we're polluting our planet."
Behind the scenes, the operation runs on passion and dedication, says GAM General Manager Akhi Boehmler.
"I researched and studied and put together all the bones of the organization and I volunteered to run the store itself," shares one of the key organizers.
"And so I get to be in charge of the day to day and a lot of the organizational capacities here and so you have people coming through the doors with boxes. Fantastic. It's a labor of love and Amber and I are both artists, both locals, so we know a bit about a few things."
The learning never stops.
"The more I go through things though, the more I learn about what I don't know, which is a fun experience and it's really just a joy to enable others to reach their creative capacities, whatever that is."
After two years, GAM has seen remarkable growth and diversity in its community.
"We've seen a lot of growth and a lot of different people and we're always, always still getting new people in. Sometimes folks will just come not knowing at all what direction they're gonna go, and maybe the spirit of inspiration will hit them and they can choose a pathway. Others will maybe come in with a project idea and I can help put those bones together for them."
Now, GAM faces an exciting challenge.
Operating from their current small space, they try to stick to art supplies and not necessarily the art adjacent items, but as Amber notes, "whenever we grow, I plan on, you know, big plans for when we grow."
To support that growth and better serve the community, GAM is fundraising for a new vehicle that will allow them to go out and collect donations more efficiently.
This investment would enable them to rescue even more art supplies from potential waste, expand their reach across Montana, and continue building the creative reuse movement that's transforming how communities think about art, sustainability, and supporting local artists.
In a world of fast fashion and throwaway culture, Giving Art Missoula stands as a beacon of hope—proving that with creativity, community spirit, and a commitment to sustainability, even the smallest organizations can make an enormous impact, one rescued art supply at a time.
