BY KAREN BOSSICK

Some people learned to bake sourdough bread during the pandemic. Others hoarded toilet paper.

Esther Williams and Halsey Pierce created an art calendar showcasing female business owners in the Wood River Valley.

Their “Valley Girls” calendar is out in Ketchum stores and on https://www.gold-whip.com/, in hopes people actually have something to pencil in during 2021.

Proceeds from the calendars benefit Girls on the Run of Southern Idaho, which uses running, games and other exercises to help young girls build confidence and self-esteem.

Both Williams and Pierce are Wood River Valley girls—born and raised.

Pierce, who owns Halsey Pierce Photography, graduated from Wood River High School in 2011 after having competed in skiing and soccer. She became interested in film and photography through the high school’s video class and went on to study film at the Los Angeles Film School.

She worked on commercial film sets in Los Angeles before moving to New York where she shot events, weddings, lifestyle and fashion, her work featured in Town and Country Magazine and other publications.

Williams was home schooled, fulfilling her grade K through 12 requirements in 2009. She studied abroad in Australia and elsewhere, working in orphanages along the way for more than a year.

Returning home, she worked at Sun Valley Museum of Art as special events coordinator for four years, helping to design the wine auction and Junior Patrons Circle events. She now owns her own business For Such a Time Events, which plans weddings and other gatherings.

With no one in need of photographs or events during the pandemic, Williams and Pierce began brainstorming what they might create together.

“We had an idea for a couple years to do the calendar,” said Williams. “It’s an item we could create together. With time on our hands, we realized now was a good time as ever to put our time together to use. All we had to do was figure out who was going to be our subjects.”

They decided to focus on young females who have created successful businesses.

Among them, Hannah McNees who owns Boho Lounge and Jersey Girl; Christiana Giordani, who creates botanical cocktails out of her lovingly restored Roadbars vintage trailer; Kaitlyn Wright, who owns Two Hands Floral, graphic designer Hannah Lynch and Bronwyn and Molly McGary, who recently opened the Manor House, a Ketchum bridal boutique.

With the snow quickly melting, Pierce and Williams scurried to get some shots on top of Galena Summit to fit the winter months of the calendar. They set Kellee Havens of The Haven up with a fondue pot and Perrier, the snow-capped mountains in the background.

And they put Elizabeth Grabher of Grabher Construction in a “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” setting surrounded by her construction workers.

 “I might have an idea, and Halsey makes it a work of art,” said Williams.

In addition to posing a shot, they asked each woman such questions as “What makes you feel most confident and powerful?” hoping that the inclusion of each women’s thoughts would inspire young girls who see the calendar.

Said one: “Failures are your best gift and often land you in a direction that’s inspirational.”

Williams says they hope this will be the first of many creative projects. In the meantime, they’re thankful for the creative outlet the calendar gave them during a year of COVID.

“A calendar is a very useful item but it’s also a catalyst,” said Williams. It’s like a coffee table book but it hangs on the wall.”

Added Pierce: “We want people to view it as a piece of art.”