PARIS GIBSON SQUARE MUSEUM OF ART HOSTS MONTANA CONVERSATION “DO WE KNOW OUR FELLOW AMERICANS?” WITH AMBRIN MASOOD 

Part of the “Living the Dream” Lecture Series in conjunction with the exhibition Willem Volkersz: The View from Here, a 25-Year Retrospective 

Great Falls, Montana, November 8, 2024- Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art (The Square) will host Montana Conversation “Do We Know Our Fellow Americans?” with Dr. Ambrin Masood on Friday, November 22nd at 5:30pm at the museum. The presentation is free and open to the public. Funding for the Montana Conversations program is provided by Humanities Montana through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Montana’s Cultural Trust, and private donations. We are funded in part by coal severance taxes paid based upon coal mined in Montana and deposited in Montana’s cultural and aesthetic projects trust fund. 

Travel abroad and you might wonder, “Why is the whole world interested in America?” But ask a foreigner and they’d say, “Why isn’t America interested in the rest of the world?” When they hear that Dr. Masood is from Pakistan, strangers often offer sympathy or ask whether she lived close to Syria. Pakistan, even after more than six decades of its existence, remains an enigma to the world. Dr. Masood teaches her audience about the real Pakistan she knows: Pakistani cricket, the spicy food, the resilience of people, the sheer beauty of the country, and the warm and fabulous hospitality of Pakistanis. The United States is becoming increasingly diverse. By learning about various ethnic identities we can change negative ethnic group stereotypes, reduce intolerance, and enhance cooperation for the common good.

Dr. Ambrin Masood is an Assistant Professor for the Department of Rehabilitation and Human Services at Montana State University Billings with a License in Mental Health Counseling. Dr. Masood earned her Ph.D. in School Psychology from a CACREP accredited Counselor Education Program from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. She also earned an MS in Experimental Psychology for the University of South Alabama, in Mobile, Alabama. She has worked with mentally and physically disabled youth and adults for three years as their Behavior Counselor and Program Director, where she developed, implemented and supervised their behavior management plans (1998 – 2002). During this time, she also worked with children on autism spectrum, counseling their parents and consulting with their teachers. In Islamabad, Pakistan (1991 – 1995) she worked as a Crisis Counselor for Rape and Domestic Violence Victims, BEDARI a Non-profit-organization, Assistant Speech Therapist and Counselor for children with special needs and as a Counselor in the Oncology and pediatric wards for the terminal patients.

For more information, please contact Nicole Maria Evans, Interim Executive Director/Curator of Exhibitions & Collections at Nicole@the-square.org or call 406-727-8255.

Living the Dream Lecture Series

The Square presents a series of guest lectures and programs, organized by Nicole Maria Evans, Curator of Exhibitions and Collections, that correspond to the national ethos of "The American Dream". The discussions offer varied and expanded insights or critiques that relate in some way to what it means to be American/Montanan and experience that dream today. This series is presented in context with the exhibition Willem Volkersz: The View from Here. Living the Dream programs are meant to add deeper insight into Willem Volkersz’s art and storytelling, asking you to consider the following: What is the American Dream? Who Gets to Live it? What does it look like? How does it feel?

·         Ambrin Masood, PhD: “Do We Know Our Fellow Americans?” (Sponsored by Humanities Montana, Montana Conversations Program): Friday, November 22nd, 5:30pm

·         Chris La Tray - Montana’s Poet Laureate: Metis Storyteller (Sponsored by Humanities Montana, Montana Conversations Program): Thursday, January 9th, 5:30pm

·         Bridget Kevane, PhD: “Latino History in Montana” (Sponsored by Humanities Montana, Montana Conversations Program): Thursday, January 23rd, 5:30pm

Additional program dates & potential film screenings will be announced soon.