 October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I will be sharing part of my art collection live and in public! If you are in the neighborhood, visit the White Rabbit Bakery (21386 Hwy 99E, Aurora OR 97002. www.whiterabbitbakery.com) October 5-31 and check it out! Breast cancer awareness really does need to graduate from pink ribbon marketing. Don't get me wrong: Pink ribbon campaigns have been an important part of getting people to talk about breast cancer, self exams, mammograms and the like. Significant amounts of money have been raised for research and programs, which is awesome, and from which I have undoubtedly benefited. And I'll be the first to admit that burly football players look adorable in hot pink socks. What is missing is a genuine awareness of what it is we are actually festooning with pink ribbons: A devastating disease that can only be addressed via high stakes treatments. Breast cancer awareness is also about recognizing that one every eight women in your community... yes, one in eight... will receive a diagnosis of breast cancer in her lifetime. We're talking about people like your mother, sister, daughter, aunt, niece, best friend, neighbor, therapist, hair stylist, accountant, co-worker. You. And if you're a gent, don't think you're immune. Breast cancer rates among men are also on the rise. The venue for this art show, the White Rabbit Bakery, is a special place. Specializing in delicious gluten free treats, owners Emily and Oscar care about the quality of their goods, sourcing high quality, non-gmo ingredients. They are also exceptionally nice people, who have been unfailingly kind and supportive to me personally. Whether they recognized it or not, they were part of the community that got me through some pretty rough patches (amazing what a gluten free, vegan cupcake can do when judiciously applied to a really bad day). They are also part of the community who shares my vision of locally expanding true awareness of the issues associated with breast cancer -- amongst friends and neighbors. So come and visit! I of course can't be there all of the time, but I plan on doing some lurking. Introduce yourself! We'll chat!
0 Comments
|
AuthorI wear a lot of hats in life, encompassing a variety of roles and relationships. I am becoming more comfortable with the whole "cancer survivor" hat, even finding silver linings in unexpected places --- like adding artist to my self identity. "Blogger" hadn't really appealed to me until I began getting requests to talk about what lies behind my art. So I'm going to give it a try. If you have gotten to this page, you have probably noticed from my paintings that I am quite frank about my experiences. Some of the images are stark and difficult to look at. To me, beautiful is not the same as pretty. "Beautiful" encompasses complexity that can include pain, tragedy, and darkness. Therefore there can be a strange beauty present in stark emotional and experiential truth. I am a seeker of beauty within pain, and of the beauty that grows out of pain. If you are too, we'll get along just fine. Archives
December 2017
Categories |
RSS Feed