Central Commons, Helena

Smithsonian MagazineSep 14

Montana Built a $107 Million Museum. Its Smallest Room Says a Lot About the Thought That Went Into Designing the Space

The Montana Heritage Center in Helena has a smudge room. It is open to the public and teaches non-Native visitors why a room dedicated to the burning of cleansing materials, a practice of many Indigenous cultures, is needed

Space for art markets and dinners

10 things in this story

Montana Heritage CenterMuseumNew museum in Helena, opened December 2025
Charles M. Russell GalleryMuseumExplores life and works of cowboy artist Charles M. Russell
State CapitolSightViews from the Montana Heritage Center
Montana Historical SocietyMuseumTerritorial agency dating to 1865
Central CommonsPlaceSpace for art markets and dinners
Homeland GalleryMuseumChronicles Montana history from Ice Age to today
Elsewhere
Northern Cheyenne Youth Services CenterPlaceBusby, United StatesTribal juvenile detention and care facility in Busby
American Indian HallMuseumBozeman, United StatesAt Montana State University
Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American IndianMuseumWashington, United StatesHas a ceremonial room for smudging
Anzick siteSightWilsall, United StatesRoughly 13,000-year-old burial of an 18-month-old boy

Read the full piece at Smithsonian Magazine →

Central Commons

In the coverage1 story

Montana Built a $107 Million Museum. Its Smallest Room Says a Lot About the Thought That Went Into Designing the Space