Altruism & Artistry

So remember those charms I created some time ago for a project called Ties That Bind that combined handmade charms and altered men's neckties which were then fashioned into a large art doll to be raffled off to raise money for Ovarian Cancer Research and Support Services? Well in the August issue of Art Doll Quarterly, they have a really nice article about the project. I just managed to get my hands on a copy yesterday- finally! And guess what? I can just see my two charms peeking out in the top photo on page 30! That was a lovely surprise!

In addition to the article in the magazine, organizer Aileen Roberts has put together a book with beautiful photos and content about the project, which you can both preview and order in either softcover or hardcover here. As with the raffle, ALL PROCEEDS will be going to Ovarian Cancer Research and Support Services. I have yet to receive my copy, but from what I've heard from others, it's had rave reviews! For more information about the project, please visit the Ties that Bind Blog.

While we're on the topic of artists making a difference, I got a very nice email from Jeanette Janson on Wednesday. When I went over to check out her blog, I saw that the most recent post was a call for artists to make altered bras for a breast cancer fundraiser that's being held in late September called Creative Cups for Cancer.

Having just finished my final round of chemo, (though not for cancer) I can certainly relate to how brutal treatment like that can be and I thought I would try my hand at altering a bra. Why not? I have to get it done fairly quickly, as I have to send it to the US and that can take up to 14 days in the mail so I popped up to the local thrift and found a teeny 32AA, brand new for a whopping $5 and I am going to start on it this evening.

If you would like to participate, just go on over to Jeanette's blog and leave a comment with a way for her to get in touch with you. I am sure she would appreciate it and I know that the women who the funds will ultimately benefit certainly will. You just never know when or if your body will betray you in some way-just look at me. If you'd ever told me I'd be diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at 37 and battling like I have, I never would have believed you.

I can tell you first hand, knowing that my friends have my back and have been there no matter what I need, day and night, through thick and thin, has kept me going through the worst of it. And that's the beauty of the artistic community too-I see this kind of altruism happening all the time. It's so beautiful-someone puts a call out for projects such as these and each and every time, artists rise to the the occasion and answer those calls, sending love and comfort to those that are hurting. Art heals and transcends grief and pain. It speaks a language that every heart understands and is balm for the soul. When I see artist coming together like this, it makes me very, very proud of our community.

One of the most powerful things I ever read was this:

"Be kind, for you never know what someone else is going through."

Truer words were never spoken.

Making Change in the World

Charm for TTB-"Love Lifted Me"

I wanted to share with you that a project I participated in, Ties that Bind, which is a fundraiser for ovarian cancer, has reached another mile stone. The doll, which was being made from a series of altered ties and handmade charms is now complete. If you click the link on my sidebar, you can read the latest post about the project. You may also click here to view the photo album of the doll in all her glory.

Charm for TTB-"In Honour of Gilda Radner"

What is most incredible about this piece is that this doll stands almost as tall as a person! When I was working on my charms for the project, I was thinking it was only about 12 inches tall. I don't have a clue where I got that idea. It's impressive that doll artist Jan Brown was able to create such a cohesive piece, given the scale of the project and the wealth of materials involved.

The doll is on its way to be photographed for publishing and then it will be raffled off. 100% of the profit goes to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, in support of their mission to help ovarian cancer patients and their loved ones. Be sure to keep an eye on the Ties that Bind blog if you wish to buy tickets for the raffle. I am sure they will be announcing it before too long.

In other news, I suppose I should say a word or two about the fact that if you attempt to visit my website, it is no longer. Yes, it's true. After much thought, I decided that in simplifying my life, that was one thing I could let go of.

My feeling is that while I had lots of visitors to my website, my blog is by far easier to keep updated. To contact me (other than by commenting here on my blog) you will find my email addy with my Blogger profile. I am not 100% impressed with the blogger profile template, so I am working on figuring out a way to alter it to suit me. (Meaning my profile would contain important info, not just trivial things like what kind of music and movies I like.)

I am hosting all my art photos on my Flickr, which you can access via my sidebar. One of my Flickr albums contains all the books and Zines I have been published in, so if you are looking for that info, that's where you will find it.

It's a work in progress, but I think it will make it much easier to keep on top of things. My philosophy is that if a thing is worth doing, then it's worth doing well and I think in this case, less is more. It was time for a change and I am embracing that opportunity.

Charms for Charity

So about a week ago I mentioned that there was this project to raise money for ovarian cancer, Project Ties That Bind. The idea is that it's a collaborative doll, created around a wire dress form. The skirt will be made from neckties and the charms will be attached to the torso and then there will be a head and arms and all that good stuff.

I made two charms. The first is called "Love Lifted Me". I had the best time pounding the wire on my bench block and twisting and manipulating it. I love how folky it came out.

The second charm is "Angel of Courage". It's sort of a loose ode to Gilda Radner, who gift of laughter to the world was cut short by this disease. The hair is kind of Roseanne Roseannadanna-ish. I always loved Gilda. She was sweet and funny.

To see more charms for the project, please visit the Project Ties That Bind blog.

I've been busy making art this week for the collaborative I'm hosting, but I can't share my pages yet. It's going to be a great book and I am really excited about it.

The summer seems to be whipping by so quickly and I have really enjoyed having time off this year. Sometimes you need to shake things up and do something different. I had no idea we would have a puppy before the summer was over and I have to say, that has been one of the best thing about this summer! Another great thing is that the Artfest class list is up! It's that time of year again! YAY!

I hope you are enjoying the dog days of summer!

Art For the Cure Auctions

Photo by Jeanette Janson

So the Cups for Cancer fundraiser is in full swing and this afternoon I got an email from Jeanette saying that my bra had been on TV in South Carolina! Apparently the curator of the gallery took it with her to share on the local news! I wonder if they mentioned it had come all the way from Canada?

Jeanette also sent me this photo of my bra hanging in the show, which was really nice of her, seeing as it would be a bit of a commute for me to attend. *laughs* I did notice that something was amiss though....

The "hope" embellishment has gone astray. I emailed Jeanette and she said she's going to see if she can find it, as it was on the bra when it arrived at her house. Ah well...these things happen! Hopefully she'll be able to find it and glue it back on. Apparently my super duper strength glue has failed me.

On a positive note however, she also informed me that my bra already has bids on it! YAY! That makes me really happy-the whole point of all this is to raise funds for breast cancer support services, so I was hoping it would do well. It's reassuring to know it's off to a good start!

Remember these charms I made for the Ties that Bind ovarian cancer project?

The doll made the cover of Stanislaus magazine, was featured in Art Doll Quarterly (the current issue, on stands now) and also made guest appearances on a couple of TV shows! How's that for exposure? It was finally raffled off and the project managed to raise a whopping $5442!! Isn't that just amazing?

But wait! There's more news!

Remember these charms I made a couple years ago, along with a button bracelet for A Charming Exchange?

Well those charms became parts of these pieces:

And were published it this book:

and now, at long last, many of these lovely pieces of jewellery from the book will be going up for auction on Ebay with the proceeds to go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, benefiting breast cancer research.

If you'd like to have the opportunity to bid or to learn more about this fundraiser, please visit the Charming Exchange blog for more information and links to the auction which goes live today!

You know, I've always believed that art saves lives and I think it's really an honour to be able to use our gifts to help someone else, even if we never see the ways in which that help manifests. I think of it as tithing to the universe. It's been my sincere pleasure to have played a small part in these projects and I hope that if you can, you will go and bid.

Get Your Tickets!

Some time ago I posted* about making charms for the Ties That Bind art doll project to raise funds for ovarian cancer research. The doll was assembled from many, many handmade charms and altered men's ties created by almost 100 artists and was completed in March, 2009.

The exciting news is that raffle tickets are now available by clicking on the photo link above. I've also posted the link on my sidebar in case you'd like to purchase tickets at a later date, but don't wait too long!! The draw will take place on September 30th, 2009.

Tickets are 1 for $5 or 6 for $20 with 100% of the proceeds going to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

*To read my previous posts about the project, click here.