They have contributed to the community through culture, sports, healthcare, education, social work and the business world, as well as through the countless hours they have dedicated to volunteering.
Now they are being recognized through their inclusion with the Heroines exhibit that is now on display at the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum’s Gallery No. 2.
A reception was held on Friday night for Heroines, which features black and white photographs of 18 local women. A large crowd of family members and friends turned out to help celebrate the exhibit’s launch.
The Heroines are Shirley Andrist, Lynn Chipley, Pam Dechief, Jocelyn Dougherty, Lorie-Gay Drewitz-Gallaway, Jennifer Durr, Marguerite Gallaway, Doreen Hagen, Valerie Hall, Jackie Hank, Tania Hlohovsky-Andrist, Tara Johns, Brady Johnson, Lorna Lachambre, Patt Lenover-Adams, Brenda Lyons, Amanda Minchin and Jennifer Pettitt.
Sarah Durham, who is the curator of collections at the EAGM, said she has enjoyed getting to know about each of the women involved.
“We still have very strong and active women in the community who are always willing to help,” said Durham.
Director Amber Andersen, meanwhile, said having strong mentors, leaders, volunteers, allies and friends is a big component of having a great community.
“We had to look no further than these women in Gallery No. 2 to see a selection of those roles,” said Andersen.
The 18 women recognized represent a fraction of the strong female leaders in the community, she said.
Minchin has one of the most distinctive photos in the exhibit. Not only was taken outdoors at the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club, where she is the head professional, but it’s the only photo in the exhibit taken from a side angle.
“We did a bunch of pictures on the deck, looking out over the golf course, and I’m really happy with it,” said Minchin.
She admits she doesn’t know who nominated her or why, but she’s humbled and honoured to be included.
Minchin paid tribute to the other people who work with her at the golf course.
“I’m fortunate to be in a spot where maybe I get recognized, but it’s due to a group of people,” said Minchin. “I’m not speechless very often, but today I am.”
Lyons agreed that it was a great honour to be included in an exhibit with so many outstanding women in the community.
“There are so many people who do so many great things for the community, so it’s a huge honour to be put into a room filled with other great women that I admire so much,” said Lyons.
Many of them are friends she knows through her volunteering efforts.
Lyons admitted that she was shocked to be included for Heroines, so she was touched that someone took the time to write up a nomination.
Her photo shows her sporting a large, ear-to-ear smile. She noted she encourages the girls who are part of the Estevan Mermaids synchronized swim team, which she coaches, to be proud of how they look.
Jon Gillies, who instructs the South Sask. Photo Club that meets monthly at the EAGM, was tasked with taking the photos for the exhibit. He said the photographs blend together to tell the story of the Heroines.
“I’ve been staring at all of these pictures for the better part of 25 to 30 hours, editing 18 different ladies’ (pictures), getting their photos all ready and printed,” said Gillies. “When you see them up on the wall, it’s a different feeling.”
With each woman, he took 45 to 50 photos, and in several different poses. Then he had to edit those pictures.
“Out of those 50 different photos, my goal was to get two separate poses … and one was a formal pose and one was a fun one,” said Gillies.
With each Heroine, he asked them how their best friend would react upon seeing the photo. If the friend says “That’s so you,” then it was the right picture.
It often resulted in a personal touch being added to the pictures, with a unique setting or props for the photos. He didn’t want to have a standard head and shoulders photo.
“It gave a whole lot of cool ideas to be able to take pictures,” said Gillies. “And an opportunity to be able to explore and take a whole bunch of photos.”
Those props also allowed him to relieve tension among the women, because some people can be stressed out for photos.
The photos are in black and white because a similar exhibit, Estevan Women: The Dynamics, which appeared at the EAGM in 1998, also used black and white photos.
“We’re trying to keep true to the form of the original show that happened a couple of decades ago,” said Gillies.
Gillies said he knew a few of the women in Heroines previously, but not on a personal level. So for many of them, it was a first-time meeting, which allowed him to learn about the women selected. He was amazed at the diverse background of each woman, and found out so many personal details.
The backgrounds of the women are featured in a booklet released for the exhibit.
Andersen noted that Heroines is one of the EAGM’s Canada 150 legacy projects, and it is also among the projects to help celebrate the EAGM’s 40th anniversary next year.
