SNAPSHOT: Our first publication!

The Root & The Bloom Collective is proud to announce our very first publication!

"Snapshot: The Legacy of C. Owen Smithers" is a collection of writings inspired by the photography of C. Owen Smithers, a Butte-based photojournalist who documented moments both mundane and historic from 1921 to 1972. On October 28, 2016, we will debut the first copies of this book at A Night in Black & White, a fundraiser for the Archives and the Smithers collection at the Historic Clark Chateau, our home in Uptown Butte. We will also sell books through our website, where people can pre-order their own copy (including special signed copies by the authors)! Click here to pre-order your copy.

Many of Smithers' previously unseen photographs have been restored by the Butte Archives thanks to many generous grants and donations. The Root & The Bloom's President Carson Grace Becker hand-selected each photograph included in this book, and matched each piece with a local Montana writer. Carson also contributed a beautiful foreword to the collection, introducing the work and ruminating on the existential value of photography. This unique project reflects the interdisciplinary nature of the work we do at The Root & The Bloom, combining artistic expression with history and cultural commentary, and, of course, creating works of value to return to our community.

Contributors to this book include:

David Abrams

Patrick Beretta

Isabel Sobral Campos

Colin Cote

Susan Dunlap

Janet Finn

Tami Haaland

Matthew R.K. Haynes

Adrian Kien

David McCumber

Aaron Parrett

Suzanne Stefanac

Matt Vincent

Each of these writers has a unique relationship to Butte, from born-and-bred natives to enthusiastic newcomers, from journalists to poets to the current Chief Executive. We are so pleased to bring all of them together in this collection, which is hopefully the first of many!