Outrage Book Won High Plains International Award
The project honoring missing and murdered Indigenous people in Montana received top honors in the 2026 book competition.
Updated on Oct. 14, 2026 in Fine Art
The book Outrage: Missing and Murdered Indigenous People in Montana has won the Art & Photography category of the 2026 High Plains International Book Award. The work is now being showcased through an exhibition at This House of Books in Billings.
Why it matters
The award recognizes a long-term artistic effort to memorialize individuals through collaborative portraiture. This recognition highlights the ongoing project that seeks to bring attention to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people in the state.
For each subject featured in the book, artist Brian Maguire produces two paintings. One canvas is gifted directly to the family of the individual, while the second is retained for public exhibitions.
The players
Brian Maguire
He is the artist who initiated a multi-year portrait project to honor missing and murdered Indigenous people in Montana.
Missoula Art Museum
This institution hosted the inaugural 2025 exhibition for the portrait series.
This House of Books
This Billings venue is currently hosting an exhibition of portraits from the award-winning book.
The details
Artist Brian Maguire launched the portrait project in 2020 by working directly with Montana families to create likenesses based on photos of their loved ones. The collection was first published alongside a 2025 exhibition held at the Missoula Art Museum.
Timeline
Brian Maguire began the portrait project in 2020.
The book was published with an exhibition at the Missoula Art Museum in 2025.
The book won the High Plains International Book Award in 2026.
An exhibition of the portraits remains on display in Billings through December 2026.
Industry Dynamics
The High Plains International Book Award serves as a major benchmark for regional literature and artistic documentation. By honoring this work, the award reinforces the industry trend of valuing projects that blend social advocacy with traditional art forms.
Readers interested in the project can view the portrait exhibition at This House of Books in Billings throughout the remainder of 2026. The book itself remains available for purchase as a record of the artistic collaboration.
The takeaway
This project demonstrates the impact of using portraiture as a collaborative tool to humanize statistical crises. Readers can support similar efforts by engaging with local exhibitions that focus on the intersection of art and social memory.
Further reading
Learn more about local visual culture by visiting our Fine Art section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by NBC Montana.
