Following last Winter’s drama with Melbourne IT, Arts Montana is back up and running. The site is now at ArtsMontana.net.* The change in plans has ended up being a good thing. Although I lost a few months of posting, I came back to it with a new focus. The emphasis now is on artist and arts links, and the links are now coupled with thumbnail excerpts of the artists’ works, so visitors can get a small taste of what a particular artist or designer does. The site also has a page for visitors to contribute posts, and I hope that will be a way for folks to spread the news about their shows and events, or anything else going on with their work in particular or in the arts in general. It’s a very simple form, no log in required, and allows for image uploading to go with the post. * I had hoped to recover the artsmontana.com domain name, but in the end it was not about the exorbitant rates that Melbourne IT demanded after my domain name slipped through their loopholes, it was the principle of the thing. Instead of putting the domain name on the open market after their expensive “redemption” period ended, they sold it to a squatter company, one of those ticks on...

A customer just told me that she found the perfect size frame for our 12″ by 18″ posters at a local (Bozeman) Michaels Arts & Crafts store. You can view them on the Web; just click on Framing > Poster Frames. According to MIchaels.com: We have the largest assortment of styles and sizes of poster frames found anywhere. Our poster frames come in the basic sizes: 11 3/4 x 36, 16×20, 18×24, 22×28, 23×35 and 24×36 and also we offer some unique sizes: 10×20, 11×17, 12×18, 13×19, 20×30, 24×32 and 27×40! Great for digital prints, with the 12×18, 13×19 and 20×30 sizes! Michaels hours are Mon-Sat: 9:00 am- 9:00 pm, Sun: 10:00 am- 7:00 pm, and Montana store locations include: Bozeman store: 2855 N 19th Ave, Ste B Bozeman MT 59718-8504 (406) 587-4103 Billings store: 2800 King Ave W, Ste C Billings MT 59102-6432 (406) 652-7440 Great Falls store: 1601 Market Place Dr Ste 25 Great Falls MT 59404-3482 (406) 268-0800 Missoula store: 2850 N Reserve St Missoula MT 59808-1318 (406) 542-0128 To find other stores in the US and Canada, use the Michaels store locator. Also, see a previous post about where to...

UPDATE: 9/4/09: A customer just informed me that Michaels Arts & Crafts carries the right size frames in their stores. More info. Thank you, Shannon! Thanks to Terry G., a recent poster customer, for inquiring about where to find 12 by 18 frames. That reminded me to post some links for Web sites that carry that frame size. I have not actually ordered the frames myself, so I hope to hear from those who have either used the resources below or have found other sources for 12 by 18 frames. UPDATE: 12/3/08 – Terry reports success with frames from Amazon. “The frames arrived yesterday in perfect condition and the posters look great in them.  I went through Amazon and am really pleased. ” Terry’s reward for this helpful information is a free poster from the Dawg! ——- Here are some online stores that sell 12″ by 18″ frames: Amazon.com has 12 by 18″ frames size at $16.95 per frame, or three for $38.85. They offer three color/materials choices. FrameDestination.com offers 12 by 18 frames at $18.49 per frame in a nice, simple, black metal, with quantity discounts (e.g. $16.64 each when you buy 4). MyFrameStore.com has a simple black wood...

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