Montana Black was born and raised in Las Vegas, and in 1990, she graduated with honors from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts.

As a young student, Montana chose plant biology as her major and planned to become a park ranger, but a tour of Europe in the summer of 1986 changed her path. Montana fell in love with the art and architecture she discovered abroad and, upon her return home, decided to refocus her studies from an emphasis on the sciences to art. During her time at UNLV, she studied with artist and print maker Jim Pink as well as noted art critic Dave Hickey.

Montana has been a working and exhibiting artist for the past 30 years, and her work is widely collected, locally and nationally. The most notable of these collectors is University Medical Center in Las Vegas, which displays a permanent installation in the main lobby of 10 large-scale reproductions of her “Angels Unveiled” series.

Her awards include three earned in 2022, the Hermes, Marcom and Pinnacle awards for the design and illustration of a map for the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce. Her work also appeared on local billboards in 2018-2019 as part of a juried exhibition organized by ArtPop Street Gallery. And Montana was one of four featured artists in “The Bus Stops Here”, juried competition sponsored by the City of Las Vegas and the Regional Transportation Center. Her work was was displayed on several bus shelters from 2009-2010.

Montana resides in Las Vegas, where she also runs her studio. In her spare time, she volunteers with a local environmental group working to fight climate change.

Professional Certifications:
Adobe Certified Professional in Visual Design