About the National Discovery Center
Two of the core tenants of American Prairie are providing education about the prairie and access to the land. The National Discovery Center is a rendezvous point for visitors going to the prairie, a vibrant place for community building and partnership, and an important educational resource on the importance of grassland ecosystems to the health of our planet. The National Discovery Center is located a short drive from the prairie in Lewistown, Montana. It is open to the public and hosts an ever-growing lineup of local, regional, and national activities and programs that stir visitors to love and want to preserve the prairie and all of its inhabitants.
Located in the renovated Power Mercantile building, the National Discovery Center features interactive exhibits about the prairie ecosystem, community meeting spaces, and a film theater. The Exhibit Hall includes interactive exhibits and the Night Sky Theater that explore the nuances of the prairie ecosystem. The Talpins Children’s Center gives kids their own place to play and learn about the prairie. The Clyde Aspevig Event Center, which provides flexible spaces for events, presentations, and meetings with state-of-the-art technology. The Ken Burns American Heritage Theater offers a variety of films that introduce visitors to American Prairie, its mission, and the prairie ecosystem.
Location: 302 W Main St Lewistown, MT 59457
Hours: Thursday-Saturday from 10am-4pm
Upcoming Events
April
6
2024
Parading Through History – The Apsáalooke Nation
Apr 6–Oct 1 / 9:00am
Traveling Exhibit at the National Discovery Center. This unique exhibit was developed, designed and created by a team of local Crow Indian scholars and artists with the intent of sharing the many traditions of the Apsáalooke people. The exhibit features fifteen large banners with historical and contemporary comments about the Apsáalooke Nation.
August
24
2024
American Prairie presents ECO-Critters with ZooMontana
Aug 24 / 10:00am–4:00pm
ZooMontana staff bring live animal ambassadors to the National Discovery Center and offer educational information about prairie animals and other interesting critters from around the world!
August
30
2024
An Evening with Chris La Tray: Montana’s Poet Laureate
Aug 30 / 1:00pm
Chris La Tray, Montana’s current Poet Laureate and a member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians, will be on hand for an exciting presentation and book signing. La Tray, a Metís storyteller, is author of a number of books, including One-Sentence Journal: Short Poems, Essays from the World at Large, and Becoming Little Shell. This program is part of the Montana Poets Laureate program from Humanities Montana and coincides with American Prairie’s Annual Indigenous Peoples Celebration.
September
7
2024
American Prairie presents ECO-Critters with ZooMontana
Sep 7 / 10:00am–4:00pm
ZooMontana staff bring live animal ambassadors to the National Discovery Center and offer educational information about prairie animals and other interesting critters from around the world!
October
5
2024
American Prairie presents ECO-Critters with ZooMontana
Oct 5 / 10:00am–4:00pm
ZooMontana staff bring live animal ambassadors to the National Discovery Center and offer educational information about prairie animals and other interesting critters from around the world!
November
1
2024
Open AIR Art Exhibit
Nov 1–Dec 14 / 9:00am
Artists Melissa Kwasny, Brandon Reintjes, and Delia Touché, each selected for the Open AIR Artist-in-Residence program with American Prairie in 2023, will present their exciting creations in an exhibit at the National Discovery Center. include poetry, paintings, and three-dimensional works.
December
1
2024
David Romtvedt and Ospa: A Basque Musical Experience
Dec 1 / 9:00am
Wyoming Poet Laureate (2003-2010), musician, writer, and expert on Basque culture, David Romtvedt and the band Ospa will perform the traditional music of the Basque country while providing a look at the Basque’s cultural impact on Montana and the American West. It was the Basque immigrants who seasonally traveled the western US, working with sheep, leaving traces of their culture on the landscape. Romtvedt, from Buffalo, Wyoming, is the recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, the National Poetry Series award, the Pushcart Prize, and the Wyoming Governor’s Arts Award, to name only a few. He is the author of numerous books, including his latest book of poetry, No Way: An American Tao Te Ching, published by Louisiana State University Press (2021). His book, A Flower Whose Name I Do Not Know, was a National Poetry Series selection. In 2020, the Center for Basque Studies at the University of Nevada published Gernikako arbola/The Tree of Gernika, Romtvedt’s translations of the nineteenth century Basque poet and troubadour Joxi Mari Iparragirre.
January
7
2025
A Baroque Ensemble at the National Discovery Center
Jan 7 / 7:00pm
This baroque concert features the compositions of Fanny Mendelssohn and Wolfgang Mozart performed by accomplished musical artists from around the world. The ensemble includes Davina Clarke and Carrie Krause (violin), Maureen Murchie (viola), and Michael Untermann (cello). Clarke is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and has established herself as an award-winning violinist of the highest calibre. She plays on a 1685 Francesco Rugeri violin, loaned to her by the Stradivari Trust. Maureen Murchie performs on modern and baroque violin and viola throughout the United States, as well as in Europe, China, and Japan. Ms. Murchie, who grew up in Japan, is Concertmaster of the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra. Michael Untermann is a core member and co-principal cellist of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra in Toronto and a member of the string chamber orchestra, “A Far Cry.” He is also principal cellist of Boston Baroque and the Artistic Director of Five Boroughs Music Festival in New York City. Carrie Krause performs as baroque violinist with ensembles across the US and internationally. She is also founder of Baroque Music Montana and is Concertmaster for the Bozeman Symphony.