L A H A R

    • The project plans to provide artistic and educational exhibition spaces.

    • Mediums of expression will include painting, sculpture, performance, music, film, panel discussions, writing and more.

    • First floor exhibitions open SUMMER 2026.

    • Under development, the Red Lodge Canning Co will become the new location of the LAHAR Foundation Art Space in Red Lodge, Montana.

    • The Red Lodge Canning Co. is listed on the National Registry of Historic places.

    • The Canning Co. is currently under historic rehabilitation as an ADAPTIVE REUSE project.

    • The word “Lahar” comes from the Indonesian word given to rock that has cooled and solidified from a mud slurry of pyroclastic flow.

    • It forms rock formations, cliffs, and ground soil of LAHAR’s Absarokee Canyon location currently in development and not open.

    • Lahar is prevalent in this region and other areas of the Absaroka Beartooth Range.

Foundation

    • The project will provide a public art space for the exchange of ideas, education, experience and discovery.. 

    • The project will be a civic opportunity to bring people together, engage in new conversation,  explore local history and create common experiences.

    • The restored Historic Pea Cannery as a new public art museum will expand the visitor experience in Red Lodge and contribute to local culture.

    • The project will include a local cafe, bookstore, and future outdoor public pop-up space.

    • LAHAR Foundation is a nonprofit entity and holds 501c(3) status.

    • The Foundation is currently in the process of applying for tax exempt status.

Sited in the Beartooth-Absaroka Mountain range, L A H A R is an art space currently under development in two locations: Absarokee, Montana and Red Lodge, Montana. Each site will provide a unique exhibition environment for experimenting and triangulating space among art, architecture and geology.

The purpose of this project is to provide experimental ground for a dialogue between these two alternating conditions: white walls to open sky, town to canyon - building to earth.

L A H A R is an independent endeavor to support creative freedom, artistic mobility and sm(all) working environments.

L A H A R

Foundation

LAHAR Foundation is an art space committed to the interconnectedness of art, architecture, and geology.  LAHAR is currently developing two complimentary locations in the state of Montana.

The primary site is housed in the newly renovated historic Red Lodge Canning Co. in the town of Red Lodge, Montana.  The Canning Co. is a historically landmarked building anchoring LAHAR’s mission to provide an experimental and educational art space rooted in great American architecture. LAHAR | Red Lodge will present curated art exhibitions of contemporary and historic content for public visitation.  In addition, LAHAR | Red Lodge is dedicated to cultivating new art experiences through educational events, panel discussions, and conversations with artists, curators, scholars, historians, architects, geologists, filmmakers, and public figures. LAHAR | Red Lodge will also house a cafe and bookstore as additional gathering and social spaces for public engagement.

The second site is a satellite space to the historic Canning Co. and located 50 miles from Red Lodge in the town of Absarokee.  Situated in the Beartooth–Absaroka Mountain Range, LAHAR | Absarokee is a complimentary experience to the interior exhibits of the Cannery.  LAHAR | Absarokee offers an open-sky art destination set within a geologically breathtaking, historic canyon. Designed as an immersive natural environment, LAHAR | Absarokee will provide a guided public space for visitors to experience art and geology within a canyon.

Together, these two locations create unique alternating experiences: white walls to open sky, town to canyon - building to earth.  LAHAR Foundation is dedicated to creating innovative ways to experience art, architecture, and geology.  L A H A R is an independent endeavor to support creative freedom, artistic mobility and sm(all) working environments.

Locations