The Missoula Art Museum has a colorful new monolith to call its own.

Two longtime supporters donated a piece that stands over 8 feet tall and weighs 1,582 pounds for the MAM’s permanent collection.

The sculpture was made by Jun Kaneko, an artist widely recognized for his large-scale works. The form calls to mind the otherworldly presence of the upright, ovular spaceships in the Denis Villeneuve movie "Arrival."

It’s a 2004-2007 entry in Kaneko's “Dango” series, which he nicknamed after the Japanese word for “dumpling.”

“He has some of the biggest kilns in North America, and you can say without exaggeration that his level of production is really enormous,” said MAM Executive Director Brandon Reintjes.

Kaneko, now in his 80s, has undertaken public art projects such as wall-tile murals i

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