L to R: Mary Young, Bill Marcil, Roberta Anderson, Chris Linnares

Everybody enjoying the Gallery show before the film screening! Thank you everyone for coming!

A photo of Doris Sandford’s daughter and granddaughter – enjoying the Beautiful Women of North Dakota book while having tea and Doris’s homemade raisin-rye bread:) “We certainly appreciate the book as a wonderful tribute to our mother, as well as to the many other amazing women that were featured. Thanks again for the great job you did!  Also for attending Mom’s 90th birthday party:)” – Sincerely, DeLoris Larson

Thank you ladies for all the wonderful support!

Beautiful Women of North Dakota was in Bismarck last week. Thanks to everyone that attended. It was a great event. Linda Christman at BAGA was fantastic. The show ran so smoothly. I had never been in the Gallery there, and I was really impressed. A wonderful building that really showcases the art. When your in Bismarck make sure you stop by. 411 E. Front Ave.

I screened  the new 15 minute version of the documentary the night of the event.. It starts out with Chris speaking. She unfortunately was still in Brazil so she couldn’t attend, but the crowd all clapped and cheered as the film showed her talk about North Dakota power. This was from her speech at the Rourke Art Museum back in November. Even when she is 5 thousand miles away she still gets more applause then me.

A special thanks to the Beautiful Women that were able to attend. Deb Dawson, Tollie Schaumberg, Roberta Anderson, Mary Young, Susan Ekberg Risher, and Ida Womacks. It was great to see them. I am still in awe of these ladies.

I just made an official count. We have 180 books left. We are doing a promotion with Fargo Stuff and advertising in the newspaper, so if you want a book better get it now.

I have posted a few photos of the event at BAGA.

BB

The BAGA Art Gallery in Bismarck

Speaking about the Beautiful Women Project

Beautiful Women, L to R Roberta Anderson, Susan Ekberg Risher, Ida Womacks, Deb Dawson, Tollie Schaumberg.

Having fun at the Gallery!

An Old Schoolhouse outside of Bismarck

http://www.kfyrtv.com/news_stories.asp?news=39324&yr=

Watch Video Here: http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_video.asp?news=39324#

What defines beauty? One artist has attempted to answer that question with a special project featuring women from North Dakota.

-What do a 25-year old woman in a wheelchair and a 103-year old bridge player have in common? They are part of “The Beautiful Women of North Dakota” exhibit at Bismarck Art & Galleries Association, 422 E. Front Ave., through April 24. Crossing North Dakota, husband and wife, Billy Black Marcil and Chris Linnares, sought out the women to tell their stories in words and pictures. For more information and a book content review, visit BeautifulWomenOf.com. “The Beautiful Women of North Dakota” exhibit recognizes women whose beauty is revealed through action. Larry Maslowski, a member artist also is on display in the small gallery. He is a native North Dakotan and a self-taught artist. Initially working mostly with still life he has begun to paint more wildlife and landscapes. An opening reception will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at BAGA. Black will introduce women from the book who are attending the reception and do a gallery chat.

Read the Article

Watch Chris Linnares speak on “North Dakota Power” and give thanks to the Beautiful Women of North Dakota experience.

The World’s Largest Advertising Competition

The ADDY® Awards represent the true spirit of creative excellence by recognizing all forms of advertising from media of all types, creative by all sizes and entrants of all levels from anywhere in the world.

We were awarded a Silver ADDY for our Beautiful Women of North Dakota Elements of Advertising, Newspaper, Interactive Media, & Collateral Material!

Hello my Friends,

As we come to the end of the year, I am still overwhelmed with the happiness and inspiration we felt the day of the Beautiful Women of North Dakota Book Release and Art Exhibition in November.

It was a dream come true watching women that are quietly making our world a more beautiful place, being recognized with the same tools that usually our society uses to honor artists and celebrities. Women like Deb Dawson, who is building orphanages in Sudan, or Sandra Leyland who helps children with special needs, were treated like stars as they got their hair and makeup done and rode in a limo to the Red Carpet.

Talking about dreams coming true, I remember when my husband and I were in the basement of our home, in his dark room, more than one year ago… We started  dreaming about this day, the day we would put these remarkable women on the spotlight, and we wrote on our Beautiful Women of website:

Well, one year went by and we are delighted to share with you that on December 8th, 2009, Entertainment Tonight, one of the biggest entertainment magazines posted in their website the Beautiful Women of North Dakota event:

I had tears in my eyes when I saw the images and I couldn’t stop imagining a teenage girl watching this video and being inspired to one day be on that Red carpet. A place walked by women that are vivid testimonials that the life long beauty a lot of us are desperately searching for, is not in a miracle lotion bottle, but inside our souls.

I look back on our journey to bring the Beautiful Women project to light and I remember the difficulties and hurdles that my husband and I needed to face to make this dream come true. I will be honest with you, sometimes it wasn’t easy, especially when we were on the road trying to interview the women, taking care of our 3 kids, and I was having my PMS days…(I don´t wish this to any man to have to deal with a “Latin-PMS- Woman” in a motorhome! LOL).

But as a photographer’s wife, the moments I was feeling really tired and overwhelmed, what kept me faithful in the journey was realizing that any beautiful picture we want to see in the world, begins… in the dark room.

Today I want to express my gratitude to every one that helped us to continue on  this journey, especially the One that gave us the light, and the faith we needed to continue to dream, even when we were in the dark.

I wish to you and to your family a Beautiful Holiday Season!

Chris Linnares

PS: As eternal dreamers, we are still waiting for Anna Wintour´s call. We can’t wait to see these Beautiful Women on the pages of Vogue magazine!

Book Signing with Billy Black and Chris Linnares at

Zandbroz
420 North Broadway
Fargo, ND

December 17, 6-8 pm

By Chris Linnares

When I arrived at US customs on my first trip to North Dakota, the immigration officer looked over my Brazilian passport and my airline ticket.  When he saw my destination —  Fargo, North Dakota — He asked, “What are you going to do in Fargo, coming from Brazil?”

I didn’t hesitate and with a big smile, full of hope, I told him, “I met my soul mate. We’re getting married, and I’m moving to Fargo!”  Laughing, he said, “You truly must love this man.”

Who says North Dakota is always cold? Here are the kids and grandparents in Medora on a beautiful day!

At the time, I didn’t understand why he said that.  Raised in Sao Paulo, one of the largest cities in the world, I didn’t know much about North Dakota besides a brief conversation I had with a woman that told me they have the four seasons – winter, still winter, not winter, and almost winter.

Many people from all over the world and even within the US have a superficial cliché idea of this part of the country: brutal winters, bugs in the summer and not much to do.  To be completely honest, many times during the four years I’ve lived here, I have focused on these ideas.

In July of 2009, my husband and I became passionate about exposing our three daughters to ordinary women creating extraordinary lives. We took our family on a road trip in a motor home, or “house truck,” as our 3-year-old called it. Our goal: create a book about women who are quietly making our world a more beautiful place.

At the time, I thought this was our only purpose.  What I couldn’t have known was that the vastness of the plains and the endless beautiful skies would invite me on one of the most fascinating trips of my life, a journey unto myself. . .

In Bismarck, 102 year old Beautiful Woman, Tollie Schaumberg, Billy and I.

When I complained about how hard it is to live in this cold weather, inside my heated cozy home, I met women who bravely shared with me how they survived the harsh winters and the hardships of the Great Depression.

When I whined about being overwhelmed with my motherly duties taking care of one toddler, I met women who happily shared with me how proud they were for raising 11 children on an isolated farm or working to build an orphanage to help kids in South Sudan.

When I was feeling unmotivated to get up on a cold day to get my workout finished, I met women who happily shared with me how they every day overcome their physical disabilities and act as a force for good, for their families and communities.

In Rugby, at the Geographical Center of North America

The beauty of their stories — told with joy, peace or a tear — touched my heart in a special way that they helped me to see the beauty and light we all can be.

Our journey through North Dakota opened my eyes beyond the stereotypes and I felt truly in love with this blessed country. I wonder about women in other states who are quietly making the world a more beautiful place. I want them to be recognized, women from every state, because these are the women I want my daughters to see and hear about.

Izzy and Zoe with ND Governor Hoeven

No matter where you live, I invite you to travel on this journey with us. Take the opportunity to see these beautiful women and read their remarkable stories. I hope you will feel inspired, as my husband and I were, to embrace this cause and ask yourself one simple question:
How do I want to be remembered?