Art Exhibition
Curatorial Statement
This year’s biennial exhibition weaves together a diversity of experiences
that reflect the farreaching
impact of breast cancer. Each voice underscores the importance of advancing
our
understanding of this disease—from its causes and prevention to effective
and accessible treatments.
Works range from the political to the personal, from the celebration of
life to the processing
of profound loss. Some of the participants are seasoned, award-winning
artists while others
have newly discovered the transformative power of art, employing it as
a vehicle for healing and
growth. Each unique perspective embodies extraordinary vision and courage.
These individuals
represent a much larger chorus of voices, and by bringing them to the forefront
of the symposium,
we bring into focus the reason behind our commitment to finding better
ways to prevent,
treat, and cure breast cancer.
—Catherine Saiki
Artist Biographies
African-American Breast Cancer Task Group
The African-American Breast Cancer Task Group responded to an urgent need
to reach African
American women with early detection, screening, survivorship and community
resource information.
The calendar project, “Celebrate! Reflections Beyond Surviving,” is
a breast cancer
education project designed to encourage and inspire African American women
to perform
monthly breast self-exams, to have annual clinical breast exams or mammograms,
and to access
community services. The calendar features African American breast cancer
survivors who
are role models, leading active, productive, and healthy lives because
of early detection and
access to community resources. Ardella Carter is one such inspiration,
at 100 years of age, she
continues to be proactive about her health care. After undergoing a mastectomy
of her right
breast at the age of 57, Mrs. Carter recognized there was a problem with
her left side 19 years
ago. “I knew there was something wrong—at my age, you know,
I knew something was wrong.
But it didn’t have a lump, so they did an x-ray. X-ray didn’t
show it either but still I insisted on
[having a mastectomy]. So they removed it and it was cancer.” The
calendar also pays tribute to
extraordinary women who have lost their lives to the disease. Such women
have included Faith
Fancher, a leader whose courageous fight for life extended beyond herself
to include women
who continue to benefit from her steadfast commitment to raising awareness,
tireless advocacy,
and fundraising efforts benefiting low-income women with breast cancer.
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Stefanie J. Atkinson
Stefanie Atkinson is a professional photographer with a
background in motion graphic design and art direction
for television and film. She is the recipient of an Emmy
Award and numerous Broadcast Design Association
awards. These photographs were selected from a series
entitled Bravery, a project that Stefanie embarked on to
document the experiences of young women diagnosed
with breast cancer. Her work conveys the strength of
her subjects as they wrestle with the uncertainties of
living with the disease. Young women living with the
ambiguity of breast cancer face a host of daunting
challenges: from deciding whether or not to become a
parent or talking about their illness with young children,
to coping with dramatic physical changes that may cut
to the core of their sexuality and self-image, including
mastectomy, early menopause and baldness. Common
threads run through their stories: threads of bravery,
hope, strength, faith, and determination.
Prayer, Stefanie J. Atkinson
 |
Heart and Hand, Frankie Hansbearry |
CBCRP (donated by various artists)
The Art of Healing
Unique pieces of wearable Breast Art are on display,
and worn by survivors attending the symposium. The
artwork, worn over places of trauma, represents a symbol of courage and
life. By creating and wearing these works of art, new doors of self-expression
are opened and affirmation is given to the artist. Frankie
Hansbearry, a participating artist this year, created Heart
and Hand. The work of art was created in the shape of
a hand, painstakingly adorned with intricate beadwork,
to express self-nurturing and vulnerability. Hansbearry
mused that while the sculpture was an exercise in
patience (it is meticulously covered with a design using
brilliant, indigo-blue beads) it was a piece that evolved
on its own.
 |
| Mask, Jane Bresnick Photo courtesy of Lynnly Labovitz |
Jane Bresnick
In 2004, Jane Bresnick was diagnosed with stage I, invasive
breast cancer at the age of 40. She underwent a
lumpectomy, eight rounds of dose-dense chemotherapy
and radiation. In the summer of 2005 she learned her cancer had returned
and that, in addition
to chemotherapy, she would undergo 42 sessions of radiation.
Teacher Warrior is a film about taking that terrifying experience and turning
it into a heroic one.
The double life of teaching kindergarteners in the classroom, followed
by afternoons spent on
the radiation table for eight and a half weeks was a difficult and surreal
experience for Jane.
The first step in preparing for her radiation was the creation of a face-fitted
mask. The purpose
of the mask was to secure her
head to the radiation table, limiting
any movement, while undergoing
the 42 treatments. “While I could
barely see anything from under the
mask, I was desperate to be seen.
I brought the support of friends
with me to my appointments, calling
it a “party”, brought in my own
music and made myself as active
a participant as I could. My friends
photographed and videotaped
me so that I could eventually see
myself. I made this film to show
how I conquered my fear, and empowered
myself through this very
difficult treatment. It is a story, one
of many, of my survival. When I watch it, and when others watch it, I know
that it’s true. I hope
it inspires strength, compassion, and understanding in those who witness
this intimate experience.”
Allegra Davis Burke
These pieces were inspired by the loss of friend to breast cancer. Allegra’s
work explores
the fallacy of many revolving “truths” we are taught about
a disease we ultimately, and sadly,
have little understanding of. In Skirting The Issues, Allegra tackles a
number of roots linked to
breast cancer—lack of adequate health care for socio-economically
disadvantaged individuals
and the glut of fast food that afflicts our nation. She beckons people
to step closer in order
to read the small script stitched into the skirt, all with the intention
of asking individuals to take
a closer look. With How Many Are Enough? she questions how many more women
must lose
their breasts and lives before we have better means of detection and more
effective treatments.
Allegra works with reclaimed materials and hopes to artistically speak
for those whose voices
often go unheard.
Claudia Damon
“I have named my watercolor The Journey. My daughter Amy, mother
of two beautiful little
girls, was thrown a real curve on her life’s path. With a very loving
husband and lots of support
surrounding her, I have always felt she was still facing a journey by herself.
She is the one who
faced the treatments. She never once complained about anything—she
just focused on getting
through the treatments and trying to make things as normal as possible
for her family. She
made others feel comfortable by answering any questions about her cancer
and the treatments.
Will things really ever be back to normal? What must she be thinking when
there is news of another
celebrity’s cancer returning? With Amy, it’s just showing that
happy smile and loving every
day. Every time I look at my watercolor it truly reminds me of the journey
that she has faced
head-on—not looking back but just focusing on life after the treatments.”
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| Plant Seeds of Music, Grow Feet That Dance, Five Years Cured, Ilene Danse |
Ilene Danse
These three works of art
were selected from a larger series of sculptures
commemorating the journey of Ilene
Danse from a diagnosis of breast
cancer to the present. “These three
works concern Taxol’s unwanted
effects on the feet: the frustration of
onychomycosis of the toenails, the
never ending battle to cure this resistant
condition and the joy of healing
from it. Taxol-induced disease of the
toenails was described by one erudite
oncologist as ‘that crud.’ Taxol,
(My Very Worst Case of Athlete’s
Foot) represents the heartbreak of
trying to live with ‘cruddy toenails.’
Plant Seeds of Music, Grow Feet that Dance reflects the positive attitude,
attentive hygiene,
and therapeutic regimens that cured it. Free Bird, at last, after five
years my heart is light and I
can wear sandals in public.”
Amelia Davis
Amelia Davis is a professional photographer based in San Francisco. Her
work has been
featured in magazines, textbooks, and numerous solo and group exhibitions.
The First Look is
a bold collection of portraits of, and essays by, women living postoperatively
with breast cancer.
It has won two awards since it was published in 2000. Davis embarked upon
the project in
honor of her mother’s journey through breast cancer treatment. The
photographs, capturing the
resilience of the human spirit, empower women facing surgery with a direct
and honest look at
life after diagnosis.
Sylvia Colette Gehres
Sylvia Colette Gehres started her first life-drawing class two years before
breast cancer diagnosis.
Despite undergoing a series of treatments—a lumpectomy followed shortly
by a mastectomy,
then chemotherapy and radiation—she remained committed to creating
her art. It was
during support meetings at The Wellness Community that she realized art
was her true passion.
She is grateful that these years have provided her with the needed time
to create these works
of art. She acknowledges that, in a strange way, cancer was the catalyst
for the gift of art in her
life. Gehres has since exhibited nationally, as well as
internationally, participating in shows as far reaching as Hong Kong.
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| Portrait of Deb Mosley, Half Dome, Jason Doiy |
Jason Doiy
Jason Doiy is currently the photo editor for The Recorder—
his photos have been published in the San
Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco Bay Guardian,
Associated Press, Forbes, and Business Week among
others. Jason initially met Deb Mosley, the co-founder
of Bay Area Young Survivors, when he was on assignment
for The Recorder that was chronicling Deb’s first
fundraiser: a triathlon she trained for and completed
that raised $42,000 for Bay Area breast cancer organizations.
He was subsequently invited to join BAYS on
their second fundraising event, a 17 mile hike up and
down Half Dome. “I am amazed at the tenacity of Deb
Mosley as she continues to climb, as though the cancer
has no effect. I am gasping for air and I look up to find
her waiting for me, urging me to climb on. When I finally
reach the top of Half Dome, Deb is all smiles. She can’t
stop talking about what to tackle next… It is my hope
that these photos can somehow capture her determination,
not only to challenge herself but to raise money for
breast cancer research.”
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| Cancer Made Me A Shallower Person: A Memoir in Comics, Miriam Engelberg |
Miriam Engelberg
Miriam Engelberg was 43 when she
was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Like anyone faced with a life-altering
personal trauma, she sought out
a coping mechanism. While fellow
patients championed the benefits of
support groups and hypnotherapy,
Engelberg found her greatest comfort
in drawing, her lifelong passion.
These cartoons are excerpts pulled
from her highly acclaimed, irreverently
humorous book, Cancer Made
Me A Shallower Person: A Memoir
in Comics. Miriam passed away on
October 17th, 2006, due to complications
from breast cancer. Her
artwork has generously been loaned
to this exhibition by her husband,
Jim Gormley, and their son Aaron.
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| Richmond Oil Refinery, Peter Essick (interior portrait of Quint courtesy of Amelia Davis) |
Peter Essick
For the past 20 years, Peter Essick
has worked as a freelance photojournalist.
His primary client is the
National Geographic magazine. He
has produced more than 30 stories for the magazine on numerous topics—including
the impact
of everyday environmental toxins on the body. This particular photo was
taken at Chevron’s
Richmond Oil Refinery, one of the largest oil refineries in the United
States. The refinery spans
2,900 acres, has over 5,000 miles of pipeline, and is dotted with tanks
that can hold up to 15
million barrels of gasoline, crude oil, jet and diesel fuel as well as
other chemicals produced by
the refinery. All three women in this photo, Marleen Quint, Wanna Wright,
and Etta Lundy, live in
Richmond and have been diagnosed with breast cancer. They are working together
to force the
oil refinery to reduce “flaring” of excess gases. Essick’s
award-winning photographs have been
included in numerous exhibitions around the world and in April 2005, Outdoor
Photographer
magazine did a feature story about
his efforts to photograph the effects
of global warming. These photos
were also seen on The Oprah
Show, This Morning with George
Stephanopolis, and in the movie,
An Inconvenient Truth.
Jeanne Giles Hackney
The Circle Project was created to bring awareness to issues particular
to young women diagnosed
with breast cancer. To that end, Jeanne’s project brings the viewer’s
attention to all of
the people in a young breast cancer patient’s life—the constellation
of those around her who are
deeply affected by the diagnosis. Among the many issues confronting young
women with this
diagnosis is the possibility of infertility that can accompany treatment
options—alternately, she
may be facing this diagnosis with young children to consider. Jeanne underwent
surgery, chemotherapy,
and radiation treatments for breast cancer at the age of 37. “How
many lives does
a breast cancer diagnosis touch? It touches the circle of all the people
a woman loves. Look
around this circle. Do you see yourself?”
Lynnly Labovitz
“My interests as a photographer began at age eight and have spanned
everything from editorial
and documentary to fine art, portraiture, and landscape. It has been my
vocation and
avocation—in short, a compulsion and yearning to connect with the
world around me. In recent
months my world has become seemingly very small; defined by my battle with
metastasized
breast cancer. The usual freedom to haul gear and work on an assortment
of projects has been
frequently curtailed by hospital stays, medications, and bouts of sleeplessness.
But within that
seemingly small world there is still my camera. Contemplating my own fragility
and mortality
has moved me to reach out for my camera and try again to see and connect
with the world
around me—looking for small miracles in an unfurled sunflower or
a vibrant piece of fruit—looking
for signs of life in myself often in the darkness of night. My foray into
digital storytelling grew
in response to living with the unpredictability of metastatic disease—realizing
that rather than
knowing what happens next, I often just get to show up and see what happens.
The expected is
often unexpected and what may seem predictable is often unpredictable.”
Michelle Mansour
Michelle Mansour’s work is an investigation of the interior world
of the body. Fluctuating between
the miniscule and the grandiose, she looks for wonder in the unknown, the
invisible, and
the uncontrollable. Her interest in this body of work stems in part from
her mother’s diagnosis
with cancer, and is further informed by growing up in a family of science
and health care practitioners.
The repetitive process of painting and manipulating physical materials
allows her to
feel somewhat empowered over life situations that are ultimately beyond
her control. While the
subject matter suggests the seemingly inevitable possibility of illness
and disease, the paintings
serve as meditations on the exquisite and delicate balance of the natural
world.
Julie Moll
Julie Moll was diagnosed with breast cancer at age the age of 40. At the
time of her diagnosis,
Julie was serving as the Deputy City Attorney for the City and County of
San Francisco. Her
sons were two, four and seven years old. “At first, I was preoccupied
with how to talk with them
about what was happening—about my surgery and chemotherapy, and especially
about losing
my hair. I wanted to keep their lives as normal and joyful as possible,
and I didn’t want them to
be afraid of or embarrassed by the changes in my appearance. In the end,
it was the three of
them that kept my life normal and full of humor. They adapted quickly to
all the changes in our
lives, and they amazed me with their sweet affection for my bald head.”
Deborah Mosley
Deb Mosley was first diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2000, at the
age of 31. In 2003,
when she was 35, she learned that her cancer had returned and had spread
to her liver and
bones. In response to the lack of support for young women diagnosed with
breast cancer, Deb
co-founded Bay Area Young Survivors (BAYS) with her friend, Angela Padilla.
BAYS is a support and action group for young women living with breast cancer.
Since 2004, Deb has created
fundraisers around her participation in a triathlon in 2004, BAYS’ trek
to the top of Half Dome in
2005 and BAYS’ descent to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in 2006.
By doing so, she and the
women of BAYS have raised over $130,000 for Bay Area breast cancer organizations.
In this video, Deb speaks candidly about her experience trekking to the top of Half Dome with six other BAYS women in 2005. They hiked more than 18 miles in just over 12 hours—up and down almost 5,000 feet of elevation in a single day. In making what they called, “The Climb of Our Lives,” Deb says, “I am driven to take my body beyond certain physical limits that people may be tempted to apply to me because of my diagnosis. By doing so, I hope to challenge the way we think—I hope to challenge the way I am tempted to think—about what it means to live with metastatic disease. Equally important is the fact that every time I endure, I come face to face with the depth of my ability to persevere and I am reminded of my body’s incredible resilience.”
Art Myers
In addition to being a fine art photographer, Art Myers is a physician
specializing in preventative
medicine and public health. Although largely self-taught in photography,
he has studied in
workshops with Annie Liebovitz, Arnold Newman, Larry Fink, Sally Mann,
and Joyce Tenneson,
among others. An award winning and nationally exhibiting artist, Myers
draws inspiration from
the loss of his sister to breast cancer as well as from his wife’s
subsequent diagnosis with the
disease. This series addresses the resilience of a woman’s beauty,
strength, and femaleness in
all of its complexity, even after the transforming experience of breast
cancer.
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| Eskimo Legend, Josie Rodriguez |
Josie Rodriguez
Josie holds tightly to her heart the
intrinsic healing power involved in
the creation of art. Nancy’s Altar
was made after the loss of a close
friend to breast cancer. It is a memorial
that reflects her love for her,
incorporating the flowers that Nancy
loved, the Milagros and prayer
card from her memorial. Josie, who
believes that art in many forms can
heal the spirit, created an encaustic
assemblage Eskimo Legend with
the words “Perhaps they are not
stars in the sky, but rather openings
where loved ones shine down to let
us know they are happy” written on
the side of the box and floating on
top of the paper embedded in the box. Names of loved ones are printed inside
a tiny book on
the side of the golden box—in their memory. Spheres of Influence
was made from styrofoam
balls, printed strips of mulberry paper dipped in and surrounded with wax.
Josie wanted to
remember and honor those people in her life, those who had died and those
still living who had
greatly influenced her—poets, friends, political and world leaders,
family, educators. Every time
a name was adhered to the sphere, “it was like a silent prayer or
meditation” Josie said.
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| Implorante VII, Joanne Beaule Ruggles |
Joanne Beaule Ruggles
Joanne Ruggles was diagnosed
with breast cancer on February 27,
2004. Having lost her sister at the
age of 35 to the disease, she was
consumed with fear. Throughout her
chemotherapy treatments and surgeries,
she painted, finding emotional
relief and a physical respite in the
act of painting. She tackled questions
surrounding her diagnosis:“Why did this terrible event happen
to me? How could I survive it? What
kind of creator would let this occur?”
Cognizant that finding the answers
was not her goal, Joanne allowed
herself to examine the issues in all
of their complexity—to feel them
intensely. In a series ultimately titled
The Stone of Hope, her works move
from expressions of rage to resignation;
they explore death and express
hope for life; they question why and
they accept the incomprehensible with faith. Ultimately, they provided
her the opportunity to
document her breast cancer journey and to tell her story.
Barry Toranto and Verna Wefald
Verna was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer when she was 36 weeks
pregnant. She
gave birth to a healthy baby girl earlier than planned, by C-section, on
January 19, 2006. Two
weeks later she began four months of chemotherapy—followed by a double
mastectomy and
radiation. Verna hired Barry Toranto, a local photographer, to document
her experience. Keenly
aware that she would never see her breasts again, she wanted to memorialize
her body before
undergoing the surgery. It took her nearly six months before she could
look at the photos. “It
was sad, but I was also grateful that I had a record of who I used to be.
At that point, I realized
that the person I was looking at was gone and that I needed to honor and
accept the person I
have become. So, I called Barry and asked him to come back. He came back
in January, very
close to the anniversary of my diagnosis. When I first met Barry, I was
bald, had breasts and
was a mother of a 5 month old baby. When he came back I had hair, no breasts,
and my baby
was a toddler. I would never have done photos like these if I hadn’t
been diagnosed with breast
cancer. Having these memories and honoring my new self has helped me heal.”
Jillian Wefald
Jillian was almost 16 and staying with her then 41-year old aunt, Verna
Wefald (and her family)
last summer while she took a class at the San Francisco Institute of Art.
Her aunt was undergoing
treatment for Stage III breast cancer. This painting was created in response
to having witnessed
her aunt undergoing treatments that included chemotherapy as well as a
double mastectomy.
The brutal reality of the treatments is juxtaposed with symbols of hope. “You
hold out
hope because the expression of the woman is one of peace, rather than anguish—you
sense
that she is at peace and will prevail. I certainly hope that my aunt Verna
will see the beauty and
hope through my art. Of course I love Verna more than words can say. My
only hope is for the
best recovery possible for her and for her to have a peaceful happy life.”
Kathrine Worel
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Kathrine Worel lived and studied in England,
Spain, and Italy
before attending the San Francisco Art Institute and settling in Oakland,
CA. Worel’s practice
as an artist and curator is deeply influenced by her desire to discover
and/or create connections—
visual, linguistic, or metaphorical within formal artistic and social structures.
She consciously
uses beauty and pleasure as decoys to lure viewers into deeper waters where
they
are confronted with issues of mortality, dislocation, and longing. She
has created sculptures,
site specific sound installations, social interventions, and video installations
here and in Europe.
Touch/Icon is intended to embody the tensions between types of touch. In
the video, flesh is
manipulated and massaged, when the flesh is discovered to be a breast the
immediate association
is auto-erotic stimulation. This paradigm shifts however when the action
slowly reveals
itself to be a breast self-examination—shifting the implication of
touch from seeking pleasure to
seeking danger—turning one’s body into an “other” or
object, something over which the self no
longer has knowledge or control.
