MEDIA RELEASE FOR BILLINGS GAZETTE
For Release September 1, 2020
Title of Event Gallery Conversations – The Art of Women’s Work
Date of Event October 1, 2020
Time of Event 6:00pm
Location Face Book Live-stream from the Montana Gallery at Yellowstone Art Museum
Media Agents All media agents are invited to attend this event in person at the Museum, ask the Panelists questions, and observe CDC guidelines.
Contact Jane Urbaska at donorrelations@artmuseum.org or 406-451-4761
The Art Of Women’s Work
To think about our world and our work from new perspectives, the Yellowstone Art Museum (YAM) will host a Face Book Live-Stream Event, “Gallery Conversations” on October 1st at 6:00pm. Four outstanding women will share their insights about the art of their work. Their conversations promise to stimulate our thinking about our work and our worlds. There will be time for Q & A with the panelists.
The four panelists and titles of their segment are:
- Sarah Calhoun, Founder of Red Ants Pants Company and Red Ants Pants Festival, “The Art of Rural Entrepreneurship”
- Carmelita Dominguez, Community Activist and Mother , “The Art of Community Activism, from a Mother’s Perspective”
- Heidi Duncan, M.D., Billings Clinic, “The Art and Science of Medicine”
- Julie Seedhouse, Century 21 Realtor and Founder of 100 Women Strong Philanthropy, “The Art of Founding a Philanthropy”
Sarah Calhoun, one of the four women leading the October 1st Gallery Conversations, describes the canvas of her work in this way:
There is so much potential for entrepreneurship in small towns and rural areas. The quality of living is high and the cost of living low. Small towns often have an eager, hard working workforce, historic Main Street buildings that can house brick and mortar store fronts, and even high speed internet. The big sky allows us to dream even bigger!
Sarah’s vision, creativity, and collaborative spirit shaped and built the Red Ants Pants Company that makes work pants for workingwomen. Along the way, Sarah also founded the Red Ants Pants Festival that has brought together her community of White Sulpher Springs to host hundreds of people every summer to enjoy live music in a pasture under the beautiful big sky!
The October Gallery Conversations event compliments the Yellowstone Art Museum’s 2020 theme, “Women’s Work,” which celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Women’s Suffrage Movement. YAM Galleries are filled with amazing art that provide wonderful opportunities to be inspired by the shapes, colors, textures and perspectives of the artists.
For more information please “like” the Yellowstone Art Museum on Face Book and visit www.artmuseum.org or call YAM at 406-256-6804 to register. The Yellowstone Art Museum follows CDC Guidelines and is open Tuesday – Friday 10am – 5pm, with extended hours on Thursdays until 8pm as well as on the First Friday of every month.
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BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES FOR THE FOUR PANELISTS
Sarah Calhoun, Founder Red Ants Pants and Red Ants Pants Festival
“The Art of Rural Entrepreneurship”
Contact – Sarah@redantspants.com 406-547-3781 – work
or Brianne Rogers at brianne@redantspants.com 406-547-3781 – work
Sarah Calhoun has over two decades of leadership experience in both the non-profit and small business sectors, working in the outdoor education industry before founding Red Ants Pants in 2006. Tired of wearing men’s work pants that didn’t fit, she designed pants that would fit, function, and flatter workingwomen. Red Ants Pants is based out of White Sulphur Springs, Montana.
In 2011, Calhoun created the first annual Red Ants Pants Music Festival, where 6,000 fans came to celebrate rural Montana in a cow pasture. The Festival is a program of the Red Ants Pants Foundation whose mission is to support women’s leadership, working family farms and ranches, and rural communities.
Calhoun’s grit has brought national recognition to her enterprises over the years. She was named the 2012 National Women in Business Champion for the Small Business Administration and the 2011 Entrepreneur of the Year for the State of Montana. In 2018, the Festival was named the Event of the Year by the Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development and Calhoun was inducted into the Montana Business Hall of Fame. In her spare time, Calhoun enjoys the outdoors, cutting firewood, hunting, and camping.
Carmelita Dominguez, Mother and Community Activist
“The Art of Community Activism, from a Mother’s Perspective”
Contact – Carmelita13@yahoo.com 406-670-6132 – cell
Born from immigrant Filipino parents, and raised in the Midwest, Carmelita Dominguez combined her Filipino work ethic and her American individualism to believe that she could make a difference in the world. She went to college at Washington University in St. Louis to study Biology and Women Studies and achieved her Masters in Business at the University of Cincinnati. She did multiple study abroad programs, and delved into the world of both medical and ecological research. She thought her career would take her in international nonprofit world, but all that changed when she met her husband Tom.
Tom was finishing his medical training in Seattle, and Carmelita was developing her consulting/project management career in e-Commerce when they had their first child and chose to move to Billings MT to establish roots in the Rocky Mountains. Together they established the Montana Allergy and Asthma Specialists where Tom ran the clinic, and Carmelita was responsible for the business. Soon after, a baby girl arrived, and Carmelita filled her days with work, kids, and community.
It is in community where Carmelita started to remember her youthful desire to make a difference. Motivated by hope, possibility and the character of its residents, she thought hard work could make a dent into problems and injustice found in our community. Carmelita also found something else- the desire to show her children what she was made of, and how “just a mom” could make an impact. Most recently, Carmelita ran for City Council in Ward 4 and lost by a 1.5% margin. And with all of this, and the future open to new opportunities, Carmelita Dominguez knows that the biggest difference she can make is to be true her convictions and to show her children what strong mothers really look like.
Heidi Duncan, M.D. Billings Clinic
“The Art and Science of Medicine”
Contact – hduncan@billingsclinic.org or 406-238-2939 (Heidi’s Nurse#)
Heidi Duncan grew up in a rural ranching community near Missoula, Montana. She attended Stanford University for her undergraduate education, and the University of Washington School of Medicine for medical school and residency. After completing her residency in Family Medicine, Dr. Duncan moved to Billings in 1994 and joined the Billings Clinic where she continues to practice Family Medicine.
Heidi’s practice has included inpatient hospital work, obstetrical care, minor office procedures, and teaching medical students and residents in the office and hospital settings. In 2014, she added the role of Billings Clinic’s Physician Director of Health Policy to her clinical work. She is married to Jim, and they have a daughter, Mara, age 17.
Julie Tschetter Seedhouse, Century 21 Realtor and Founder of 100 Women Strong Philanthropy
“The Art of Founding a Philanthropy”
Contact – Julie.seedhouse@century21.com or 406-690-2711 – cell
Originally from Aberdeen, SD, Julie moved to Billings as a junior in high school and fell in love with this community and surrounding area so much that she considers this her forever-home. Julie describes herself as a bit of an education junkie and earned a B.S. in English Education and an M.S in Public Relations from MSU Billings, and an M.S. in Technical Communications from Montana Tech. After 13 years as a high school English teacher Julie made the jump to higher education administration where she served as the Director of Alumni Relations at MSUB and the Vice President for Advancement at Rocky Mountain College.
While Julie thrived in all the directions her career led her, there was always a real estate dream in the back of her mind. As someone who always advises people to follow their passion, in 2013, Julie finally decided to heed her own advice and join Century 21 Hometown Brokers, which she says is one of the best decisions she ever made. It is through real estate that Julie learned the most about herself and her community. Julie feels that all of us who live in Billings are so lucky to live here and it’s imperative to her to do whatever she can to help Billings grow and thrive. Julie says her most precious gift is her family, all of whom live in Billings and believes she couldn’t possibly be luckier!
