Artist donates work to Abbie Shelter

Whitefish artist Jane Latus Emmert received a phone call in 2002 that changed her life.

Her younger sister, Amy, was missing.

Amy Lynne Latus, the youngest of five siblings, moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, in 2001 to work on a master’s degree. She met a man, Ronald Lee Ball, online in early 2002 and they began dating.

In July that year, Amy went missing. Her body was found more than two weeks later at a building site. She had been strangled.

“I was frozen with grief,” Emmert said. “I would have nightmares. Why couldn’t I save her? That’s the hardest part; I didn’t have a chance to save her.”

Amy was the victim of extreme domestic violence and abuse. In the days after her disappearance, a letter was found taped inside one of her desk drawers at work. In it, Amy shared her fears about her relationship with Ball.

Emmert said the grieving process was so heavy for her after Amy’s death that she stopped creating art for awhile. She took up journaling and began looking for other ways to encourage women who were facing abuse.

It was a sunset that sparked the idea to create art that would honor her sister’s life.

“I was talking to God, and I said, ‘I need a sign. I need to know she’s OK. I need to know you exist,’” Emmert said. “And then in the clouds, in the sunset, I saw the form of an angel with a trumpet.

“I began painting again with that form in my mind. I wanted to show people the joy of heaven.”

The result of that night was a series of artwork Emmert has titled, “Angel Cloud Art.” The pieces in the series — which can be viewed and purchased at www.angelcloudart.com — combine watercolor images with Emmert’s original poetry and excerpts of her journals, meant to encourage and empower victims and raise awareness about domestic violence.

“I can’t get my sister back, but if I can help someone else ... That’s what I want to do,” Emmert said.

Since 2002, Emmert has given much of her time and many talents to further raise awareness, funds and support for victims of domestic abuse. She served as a committee member for the Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (mcadsv.com) in Helena for several years, working specifically toward violence prevention.

“Working with the coalition was about education and facilitating change,” Emmert said. “One in four women will face violence at the hands of a partner before age 25, and most of us have assumptions about who’s going to be a victim. But this issue crosses all social, economic, political, religious backgrounds. Focusing on prevention ... it’s a big concept. It requires major social and societal change.”

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in three women and one in four men are victims of physical violence by an intimate partner within their lifetime, and intimate partner violence accounts for about 15 percent of all violent crime. Additionally, 72 percent of all murder-suicide incidents involve an intimate partner and 94 percent of the victims of these murder-suicides are female.

Emmert said it’s statistics like these that make organizations such as the Flathead Valley’s Abbie Shelter so important.

“The most dangerous time [for victims] is when they are trying to leave the relationship,” Emmert said. “They need safe refuge, as well as counseling and advocacy going forward. Providing these types of services is invaluable.

“I really admire the work the shelter does.”

According to Abbie Shelter Executive Director Hilary Shaw, the feeling is mutual.

“Jane has a special place in the heart of the organization,” Shaw said. “She is so generous. It’s a perfect match of needs and talent.”

The Abbie Shelter and Violence-Free Crisis Line is a local nonprofit organization that has been providing domestic and sexual violence victim support services to the Flathead Valley since 1976.

Shaw said Emmert often donates artwork for fundraising projects and gifts.

This month, Emmert made an additional donation of a 6-foot diptych on two canvases — two large paintings to be displayed in the shelter’s main living room. The art’s framework was donated by the Walking Man Frame Shop and Gallery in Whitefish.

“Shelters need to be home-like,” Emmert said. “I chose to paint poppies for this project because poppies give me joy.

“The joyfulness of poppies blooming, I hope, encourages these women see their value. They can blossom and become the beautiful women God created them to be.”

Shaw said that having beautiful artwork at the shelter is essential to creating an effective, trauma-informed environment.

“It’s important for victims to be surrounded by a place that’s safe and lovely ... It’s one of the most crucial but also overlooked needs we have,” Shaw said. “[Emmert’s] skill is so relevant to what we need.”

Shaw added that the organization would be thrilled by other art donations and is always looking for volunteers to staff the hotline.

“The shelter always needs volunteers, always needs help fundraising,” Emmert said. “Everybody can do something.”

People who are interested in volunteering, donating or getting more information about the Abbie Shelter can visit www.abbieshelter.org or call the office at 406-752-4735.

For support services, call the crisis hotline at 406-752-7273.

Emmert said the most important thing for victims of domestic abuse to remember is that help is available.

“No one deserves to be hit, to be hurt, to be abused or belittled,” Emmert said. “Seek help. There is help out there. No matter where you are or what your situation is, there is some place or person that can offer help.”

Emmert said she believes if Amy had just reached out, her story may have ended differently. If she could tell Amy anything — if she could tell all victims suffering silently anything — it would be to reach out for support.

“I wish you had come to me for help,” Emmert said, when asked what she would say to Amy if she could. “I love you and I would’ve done everything I could to help.”

Ball was convicted in 2004 on charges of second-degree murder and abuse of a corpse and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

“I choose not to be bitter,” Emmert said. “Amy wouldn’t want us to be bitter or grieving. She’d want us to help others.

“If we as a community ... If we let people know they have a choice, we can make a difference one person at a time.”

Entertainment Editor Stefanie Thompson can be reached at 758-4439 or ThisWeek@dailyinterlake.com.