Curatorial Statement

The most powerful men and women in history were born into this world just as fragile as you were. We all sleep and wake and move through our lives recording the physical memoirs of our experience upon the flesh of our bodies. These are seldom comfortable stories and long after the physical trauma of each wound heals we often struggle deeply from our memories of the events and how they have transformed us inside and out. The strength it takes to brave the physical wound is a different courage than the strength required to brave the aftermath. The individuals represented by the various artists in this exhibition set an example for all of us who have struggled with adversity and are inspiring models for those of us who have needed to find the courage within ourselves to overcome life’s greatest challenges. As survivors, the subjects represented in these works collectively represent the hope and perseverance we all seek to discover in our own lives. On the surface, this show is an attempt to address our most traumatic scars, whether skin deep or under the hood and explore how dramatically the heart and body respond to every type of emotional and physical pressure. In a more fundamental way this show is a testament to both our vulnerability and our great power to overcome life’s most difficult challenges.

Exhibition Description

This is an exhibition of contemporary paintings, prints and photographs of subjects who have survived severe traumatic experiences. The traumatic experiences explored in this exhibition range from car accidents to cancer and acid attacks. Other subjects include survivors of house fires, onset rare skin conditions and amputation. These are all non-contagious inflictions that permanently affect the visible appearance and social perception of the victims. For some, agreeing to sit as subjects for these incredible works of art has been the first step towards a reintegration back into a public life. The artists selected for this exhibition have all experienced a life defining moment of their own, when the compulsion to make work about these difficult subjects transformed their own lives and set their creative process off in new directions. The purpose of this exhibition is to instigate conversation. facilitate access to information and celebrate the spirit of these courageous survivors.

Jason Patrick Voegele - Curator

Republic Worldwide 214 St. James Place #4 Brooklyn, NY 11238

Phone: 917. 478. 7513 Jason@republicworldwide.com

Doug Auld - Artist

Website: http://dougauld.com

Burn survivors in America

Biography of Doug Auld

"A thing is beautiful when it is strong in it's kind." --Robert Henri, 1926

Doug Auld (www.dougauld.com) paints portraits of burn survivors. His State of Grace series was initially inspired by what he describes as a momentary encounter with an adolescent burn survivor some 30 years ago. "

In 2004, I began painting large-scale portraits of young burn survivors, done with the cooperation of Kathy Conlon and Roy Bond at the Burn Center at the St Barnabas Medical Center in New Jersey.”

Doug refers to his art as “exploring beauty’s boundaries,” saying “(My models) areremarkable people who have overcome extreme adversity and display traits such as courage, inner strength, compassion and kindness.”

Doug’s art invites viewers to confront what makes us human and how these traits can alter people’s perception of who they find to be beautiful. He says, “I believe that art and the power of the image can be a catalyst for our personal evolution and the shaping of our society. In order to grow, we first have to confront the truth. This is the purpose of my work.”

Images

“Shayla” oil on linen 50” x 40” 2006

Shayla was five years old when her brother accidentally dropped a cigarette lighter on her bed setting her on fire. With the majority of her body burned , Shayla lost her fingers and her ability to have children. Shayla is an amazing young girl. She is top of her class in many activities including academics, arts and crafts, cheerleading and even manages to play the piano. She is an honor student, class president, and aspires to be a hair stylist when she finishes school.

“Alvaro” oil on linen 50” x 40” 2006

Alvaro was one of fifty students injured in the tragic dormitory fire at Seton Hall University in NJ in January of 2000. Ruled an act of arson, the fire also took the lives of three classmates. When brought into the burn center, Doctors gave Alvaro little chance of survival upon seeing his severely burned body in the burn center moments after the fire. Alvaro was temporarily put into a morphine induced coma and then endured a painful recovery process over the following years. As a result of his experience Alvaro changed his life ambition from computer science to physical therapy where he can help others recover from their burn and trauma injuries.

“Rebecca & Louise” (Diptych) oil on linen 40” x 100” 2006

Rebecca and Louise are sisters who were both severely burned in a second story house fire. The fire took the lives of their aunt, grandfather, and three sisters. This life changing event has changed Rebecca and Louise lives forever. Rebecca and Louise now seek to understand the true meaning of thier lives, saying they are "blessed to know that God is utilizing our burns to enhance our lives with meaningful lessons". They would like to help others and inspire all people to understand their true greatness. Rebecca is studying Pre-law and History at Lincoln University PA, and will complete her degree in 2008. Louise is currently completing her doctorate in psychology at Capella University. Both Rebecca and Louise love to laugh and inspire many with their unique beauty.

“Nelson” oil on linen 50” x 40” 2007

Nelson, his brother, and his parents were asleep when the fire started in their second story apartment. After trying to wake her husband who was a heavy sleeper, Nelson's mom, in a panic, jumped from the window so she could then encourage the boys to jump and break their fall. Nelsons mom, both legs broken, caught Nelsons brother. Before Nelson could jump, the room exploded and blew him through the window. Nelson sustained severe burn injuries to the majority of his back from the heat of the explosion. His father did not survive the fire.

Izabella Demavlys

Website: www.izabellademavlys.com

Acid attack survivors in Pakistan

“Memona & Kanwal” 20” x 24” digital c-print. Both girls attacked on their way to school.

Biography of Izabella Demavlys

“I strongly believe that beauty is impossible to define solely by appearance. To illustrate deeper definition of female beauty, I photograph women whose pictorial beauty radiates from their accomplishment, character and personal struggles."

Izabella was born in Sweden to Brazilian and Croatian parents. She currently lives and works in both New York City and Los Angeles. Here are her own words about her work…“I studied photography at both the Royal Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Australia and Parsons School of Design here in New York City. For many years I focused on fashion photography, but in the fall of 2009 I decided to travel to Pakistan to pursue documentary work about women who had suffered brutal acid attacks. After years of struggling to find a voice within my work, I now realized that my passion as a photographer was to focus on women in struggling societies. In this field I found my work to be engaging and potentially inspiring and able to make an impact. I called the series “Without A Face”. The images alone cannot change the world; they can bring attention to an issue and possibly initiate action. It is a form of activism- a catalyst for change- but the real change is in the hands of the viewers and the affected regions. I worked with an NGO which helps burned women with reconstructive surgery, rehabilitation and therapy. There are currently over 400 women waiting for reconstructive surgery after acid attacks in Lahore, Pakistan. My aim with this project is to follow these women through a couple of years while they not only rebuild their face through surgery but also build the courage, hope, acceptance and self-esteem to continue living a meaningful life with a disfigured face”

Pakistan is in the process of passing an act which is long overdue and which has the potential to limit the number of acid attacks in Pakistan by regulating the sale of acid and ensuring that attackers are punished for their crimes. The Acid Crime Prevention Bill was introduced in 2009 as a result of an acid attack case which was the first of its kind to be taken to the supreme court of Pakistan. The case involved an acid attack on a 13 year old girl by a man who was enraged after her parents refused to allow him to marry her. Visit www.acidsurvivorspakistan.org for more information.”

Images

"Saria", 20” x 24” digital c-print

The first acid burn victim I met in Pakistan was Saira. I didn’t know where to look at first. At first I was ashamed of just wanting to stare at her, because it was like nothing I’ve ever seen before in real life, but after being accustomed to her scarred face, I embraced her courage. Watching her body language in communication with translators, I felt the radiation of her inner beauty. An interviewer asked me recently, challenging my idea of these women being an inspiration to me and trying to convey that to others, “But don’t you think they see themselves as victims? I would be furiously bitter and angry.” Of course they see themselves as victims and I’m not trying to take that away from them. But what I also want to emphasize is; how are these women dealing with life today? Are they still ashamed? And are they still bitter? Would you be bitter for the rest of your life, or would you at some point come to terms with it, determined to move forward and focus on the present and future? In a world where beauty is mostly seen as something we carry upon our faces, how would you come to terms with living with a severely scarred face for the rest of your life?"

"Raffat, Lahore", 20” x 24” digital c-print

17 years old, 13 operations. Attacked in 2008 by her cousin who wanted to marry her. The attack happened while she was sleeping, nine days before her wedding to someone else.

"Kanwal, Karachi", 24” x 24”, digital c-print

The attacker is usually a family member; an abusive husband, relatives seeking revenge or the cause could be a refused marriage proposal. In other cases, attackers are no more than strangers on the street. Most of the attacks are done on women and if they are not killed, they are scarred mentally and physically for life. Kanwal is 25 years old and has had12 operations. She was attacked two years ago by a stranger knocking at her door.

Ted Meyer

Website: http://www.tedmeyer.com

prints of people who are scared by life changing events (cancer, accidents & amputations) from the series Scar Art

“Lost Finger Due to Band Saw Accident”, 7”x 7” Gouache, Color Pencil

Biography of Ted Meyer

“Children show scars like medals. Lovers use them as secrets to reveal. A scar is what happens when the world is made flesh.”

-Leonard Cohen

One of the primary roles of a visual artist is to help us re-see the world in different ways, and by doing so, question our own beliefs and definitions of the world we inhabit. Ted Meyer accomplishes this with the startlingly beautiful scar prints that he has created. These are singular images that capture a multitude of meanings simultaneously. When reading the titles of his pieces and interpreting the linear lexicon of injury or illness and subsequent scarring, we are immediately hit with a reflexively visceral reaction to the pain and trauma that spreads across the paper. At the same time, these are works that radiate an intriguing energy, and draw the viewer in. We may think of scars as unpleasant, something to be glanced at from a distance, avoiding close inspection. These images succeed in compelling people to do the opposite: viewers are drawn in closer, wanting to observe the qualities of line, discover the minute clues into “what happened” and understand how these eloquent lines relate to the human body. In spending time exploring the visual terrain of each scar print taking in the colors, line qualities and energy of each image the viewer has little choice but to imagine a corresponding story, linking the imprint to a real person and a real event. Almost reflexively, empathy is born, and along with it the unflinching realization that we are all vulnerable, and that this scar could just as easily be ours. Ultimately the scar prints that Ted Meyer has created for this collection speak to life, adaptation and healing. The prints suffuse painful images with an honest yet beautiful artistic sensibility. They meander across the page, glowing with color and organic line. Like life, they can be all at once lovely, sad, frightening, angry, strong and brave. They are symbols of humanity. Symbols of living life the best we can, no matter what challenges come our way.

In Ted’s words… “Scars mark a turning point in peoples’ lives; sometimes for good but often otherwise. Each scar comes with a story. Why is it there? Would the person have died without surgery? How did the “scarring event” affect them emotionally? Scars can mark entering into or out of a disability. Going from cancer to health, limited mobility to full movement. Scars freeze a moment in time, a car accident or gun shot wound. These mono-prints, taken directly off the skin of my model/subjects are portraits of the events that changed their lives. I accentuate the details of the scar with gouache and color pencil. My hope is to turn these lasting monuments, often thought of as unsightly, into things of beauty.”

“ Liver Transplant Scar” 2005, 14” x 18” ink, gouache, graphite and color pencil

“My abdominal scar is a badge of honor. The symbolism represents life and cutting-edge medical technology but most of all a struggle for all HIV/HEP C co-infected people everywhere. My life changed on January 5, 2003. I was the first person to receive a healthy solid organ liver transplant within the University of California study. Prior to that date, it was nearly impossible to receive an organ transplant for HIV+ individuals in the US. The UC San Francisco study, headed by a forward thinking transplant team, fought for the ability to use healthy livers for HIV infected individuals. With the advent of new immunosuppressant drugs now prolonging life, having HIV no longer signals a death sentence. Their fight culminated with me, and my scar is proof that I am a healthy living human being.”

“Back Scar T-12, L-1 Complete” Ink, gouache, graphite and color pencil 19” x 8” 2001

“Every so often a life can be changed by meeting one person. For me that person unexpectedly arrived at one of my art openings in 1999. It was a very Los Angeles kind of affair. I was in a lightweight conversation with celebrity guests, Henry (The Fonz) Winkler and Candice Bergen, when she rolled into the gallery a beautiful woman whose grace only enhanced by her wheelchair. She wore a stunning black dress with a low back. I couldn’t help but notice the long scar that decorated her back. Over time we had many conversation about our situations. She had fallen from a tree onto her back while a counselor at a summer camp. Still, she performed with a noted dance company and has had many roles on television and on stage.”

“Three Operations Resulting from Complications of a Car Crash” Ink, gouache, graphite, color pencil 11” x 5” 2006

"I don’t remember the accident ...a good thing, as I don’t need a vivid recollection of a bus sliding towards my side of the car, folding the driver’s seat and me, as the driver in half. I woke up once in the ambulance, with famous-in-Houston medical/TV personality Dr. Red Duke leaning over me. ‘You’re a very lucky young lady,’ he said through his handlebar mustache in his heavy, Texas drawl. Then I passed out. I woke up in the hospital not able to sit up. The center of my body was bandaged completely, and I was woozy from heavy pain medication. The next thing I remember vividly is my mother lecturing the doctor. ‘You put this huge scar on my daughter!’ ‘I’m sorry, ma’am,’ he responded, sulking, ‘I was just trying to save her life.’

Apparently I’d died at some point in this journey, either in the ambulance, on the way over or upon arrival. They’d done emergency surgery to fix all of my internal injuries. My first scar was beautiful, a thin line tracing down my belly and around my belly button. About six months later, as is common for large incision surgeries, air had been trapped inside my abdomen, and fostered infection.

Jennifer McRorie

Website: www.artslant.com/ny/artists/show/152530-jennifer-mcrorie?tab=ART+WORKS

Scar Paintings

“Marie II”, Oil on Canvas 47” x 47”, 2009

Jennifer McRorie Biography

My work considers the self as a mediated subject, one that is impacted by experience and time, vulnerable to chance, both biologically pre-given and socially constructed; an entity whose subjectivity and borders are continually being redefined. Driving the creation of these works are questions I have asked myself, “Are we what we remember? Are we simply victims or products of our past? How much authorship do we have over the course of events in our lives?” The exhibition Transfigured is a means of entertaining these questions and initiating a dialogue about the self as an interface or mediation between contingency and agency, suggesting that through our each individual way of processing experience, our personal narratives and sense of identity are continually evolving and negotiated. Seeing the skin as the most eloquent signifier for individual bodies and identities, I have been exploring its symbolic, philosophical, psychological, and cultural aspects, through depicting the marking of the skin through scarring. The skin is more than just a body’s surface layer; it is a screen, a filter, and a medium of passage and exchange where life experience is reflected, absorbed and processed. As a sensory organ, the skin openly reveals and displays psychological states and emotions. It is that on top of which things occur, develop or are disclosed. My work focuses on these disclosures.

Marks on the body are a folding of time and memory into the skin, bookmarks of experience that allow the past and the present to converge. A scar is a form of text, time’s writing on flesh and evidence of life experience that is inscribed into the body. Through being marked, the skin records a personal chronology, an index of personal and socialized histories, with each unique, distinguishing mark contributing to a sense of identity. Our markings set us apart, illustrating our individuality, especially in the case using markings to identify an unknown individual. Scarring on the body represents the meeting of body and world, private and public, personal and social spheres. It reflects or externalizes personal experience to the outside world. Scarred skin becomes a model of the self based on trauma; it represents a wound suffered, endured and overcome. Though the trauma is survived, the mark of the wound may fade but is not forgotten – it is permanent. A scar is evidence that something real has taken place, either through an incidental event or with intention, and therefore, is an articulation of contingency and agency on the body. Signifiers of time, memory and marks of individual identity, scars also represent our physical vulnerability and mortality. While an ever-present reminder of our own fragility and impermanence, a scar also represents the resiliency and restorative healing that we and our bodies are capable of. Scars are stories of survival. Marked by experience and time, we, like our bodies, cope, adjust, transform and endure.

“Zhong”, oil on canvas, 47” x 47” 2009

The paintings in the Transfigured exhibition present individual scars of people I have known, representing a fragment of their personal histories. The compositions of the works present tightly-cropped details of the individuals’ skin, where the edges of the body are evident, but the actual location of the scar on the body remains ambiguous. The cropping of the imagery abstracts the subject matter, pushing it forward in the picture plane, making it confront the viewer, while its ambiguity decontextualizes the scar from the individual body it is found on. Although the scar alludes to narrative, acting as a signifier that something has indeed taken place, the specific context of the happening is unknown. These markings, though attached to real bodies, are universal. Indexes of time and narratives, these images serve as signifiers of the markings and stories we all collect, carry and display or disclose. Viewers are invited to draw their own associations and to relate the imagery to their own experiences of pain, trauma and aging.

“Murray”, Oil on Canvas, 47” x 47” 2009

While the scars due to incidental events – accidents, falls and collisions – and non-elective surgery represent the element of chance in human experiences and may suggest that we, humans, are the sport of chance, the inclusion of images of agency, in the form of self-cutting, is a means of introducing self-determinism or self-will into the dialogue. Like other contemporary examples of agency on the body (such as body-piercing, tattooing and modern primitive scarification), cutting is an individual’s attempt to erase and rewrite what is written on her skin and to take ownership over her own representation. The images also represent emotional and psychological suffering, adding to the dialogue that although these wounds aren’t always evident, the reality of experienced physical and emotional suffering, embodied in the scar image, gives shape to the character of each individual bearer.

“Cate I”, Oil on Canvas, 47” x 47” 2009

“…and wounds are created and shown, and the world is inscribed in the body displaying its own collapse.”

Sarah May Scott

Website: http://boingboing.net/2009/07/09/an-interview-with-sa.html

Self -portraits of Spinal Cord Injury & Surgery

Sarah Scott Biography

Those hours that I was alone in that hospital will stay with me till the day I die. Hours tick by and no one tells me what is wrong, they just file in and out doing whatever they have to do and I lie there with tears in my eyes and terror in my mind. I can no longer feel below my sternum, and I need someone to hold my hands so I can feel reassured I'm still there, that the rest of my body isn't still back on that cornfield with my legs still trying to finish the race. The morphine hasn't taken away the phantom feeling and it terrorizes me and threatens to make me insane every second. But people do arrive, and the next day I have my first spinal fusion surgery where they seek to stabilize all the shattered bone with titanium rods. My biggest relief when I wake up is the phantom feeling is gone, but now the pain is even worse. The pain after is like none I've ever known and I find myself woefully lacking in proper pain management until I'm taken four hours by ambulance to the rehab center back in Philly.

The longest moments in your life will eventually becomes seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months, and suddenly you realize in all the carnage you're still alive. Under the surface you may feel like you're drowning, but no one really notices after awhile, it's just white noise. That's how my life went for the next nine months, until I find out I have to have a revision surgery because I've developed the deformity the original surgery was supposed to prevent.
I was devastated by the news but it happened and two years later I'm handling the possibility of another spinal surgery with relative ease because I'm used to lemons by now, lots and lots of lemons and not a whole lot of lemonade. I have great days, I have terrible days. I keep trying to move on in some fashion and I keep getting slapped back because the world isn't meant for me anymore. But somehow I manage to still be ok, to smile, to laugh, and even to love. There are vestiges of the old me, but anymore it's just glimpses here and there.
The new me is paralyzed from the bottom of my sternum down, 100% reliant on a wheelchair for mobility. I'm no longer a size four with marilyn curves etched on taut muscles. I no longer wear heels, and I've had to give away most of my clothes from my old life. Some I'm still holding onto, but slowly and surely they continue to be discarded as I keep loosening my grip on the past.
That's the story behind scar which I wasn't quite ready to post when I took the picture. The picture to me said it all, the broken scarred body that still manages to look beautiful, but I realize it probably means something very different to most. But that's how I see the photo, the scar, and me, broken but still beautiful in unexpected ways.

Images

I am a disabled photographer, and much of my work is self-portraiture. I became disabled, paraplegic, in 2005 while racing my bicycle. Something, whether it was the mild traumatic head injury, or the PTSD aftereffects of going through such a catastrophic injury, changed the way my brain functions and I suddenly found a well of creative urges that were all but dormant prior to the injury. Suddenly, photography and writing became a crucial outlet for me, an overwhelming passion as well as an effective form of therapy.

I've had six surgeries since I was first injured, two on my back. The first was to insert titanium scaffolding to hold up my shattered back; the second was nine months later, when it became clear the instrumentation was failing to do it’s job of keeping me in alignment. The revision surgery was an enormous effort by everyone involved and the recovery traumatized me emotionally.

Early on after the injury, I developed a phobia of being touched anywhere near the scar/instrumentation. No more pats on the back for me, no shoulder massages, I could barely stand to run a bar of soap across my shoulders. I grew my hair long and refused to so much as look at the scar for the first few years. I certainly never, ever, looked at the x-rays even though I had them all to carry to my various doctors.

About a year after the injury I started keeping a blog and taking pictures, documenting my life as I went about trying to recover and rebuild my life. I found it hugely therapeutic to document and publicize the things that bothered or shamed me, all the things that came with living in a partially paralyzed body and being a refugee of sorts in my own life. Writing and photographing my story freed me in so many ways.By 2009 I started thinking of my story less from a perspective of victim, to one of a survivor. That mindset stopped me from being ashamed by my scars, and motivated me to explore my back scars photographically. 2009, four years after becoming a paraplegic, I saw my scars in full for the very first time. Some find these pictures difficult or impossible to look at, but to me, they are beautiful. I can look at my scars and feel proud of all I’ve survived. I am reminded of becoming a better, happier, more fulfilled person than I ever was before. I look at my scars and know no matter what happens, no matter how difficult and heartbreaking life can be, it goes on and I’m happy to be a part of it. There is no shame in survival, only beauty in the end result.

Aksel Stasny

Website: http://www.akselstasny.com

Acute Dermatographic Uriticaria

“Fleisch V” 20” x 26” Digital C-Print 2008

Biography of Aksel Stasny

Aksel Stasny grew up in Austria surrounded by the art of the country and his father, well known photographer Horst Stasny.

Aksel worked for production companies and photographers throughout Vienna before studying Film and Theatre Science at the University of Vienna. Upon graduating The New York Film Academy, Aksel he became personal student of Director Vojtech Jasny and began working with Bayard Studios in Brooklyn as a Director and Director of Photography.

This body of work was produced in Austria with an artistic collaborator who suffered from Acute Dermatographic Urticaria or severe/abnormal sensitivity and welting of the skin. In this project the subject has been ordered to draw a map of the internal organs of the body, on his body with a screw driver. The resulting scars lasted for almost a week and burned as if there were a chemical reaction occurring on the skin.

Images

“Fleisch II” 20” x 26” Digital C-Print

The symptoms are thought to be caused by mast cells in the surface of the skin releasing histamines without the presence of antigens, due to the presence of a weak membrane surrounding the mast cells. The histamines released cause the skin to swell in the affected areas. This weak membrane easily and rapidly breaks down under physical pressure causing an allergic-like reaction, generally a red weal(welt) to appear on the skin. It can often be confused with an allergic reaction to the object causing a scratch, when in fact it is the act of being scratched that causes a weal to appear. These welts are a subset of urticaria (hives) that appear within minutes, accompanied by a sensation of burning, and itchiness. The first outbreak of urticaria can lead to others on body parts not directly stimulated, scraped or scratched. In a normal case the swelling will reduce itself with no treatment within 15–30 minutes, but in extreme cases, itchy red welts may last anywhere from a few hours to days. It has been reported that artist with dermatographism tend to experiment with their skin as a medium.

“Fleisch IV” 20” x 26” Digital C-Print

Symptoms can be induced by stress, tight or abrasive clothing, watches, glasses, energetic kissing, heat, cold, or anything that causes stress to the skin or the patient. In many cases it is merely a minor annoyance, but in some rare cases symptoms are severe enough to impact a patient's life. The underlying cause of dermographism is not known, and can last for many years without relief. 95% of chronic cases are never solved. Sometimes the condition goes away, sometimes it stays forever. It is not a life threatening disease and is not contagious.

“Fleisch I” 20 “ x 26” Digital C-Print

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs have long been used to treat urticaria in the Asian world. Results of clinical trials of both acupuncture and Chinese herbs are numerous and suggest a potential remedy for acute urticaria but these are far from conclusive and possibly a result of the placebo effect, as they did not provide a control group.

Sharone Vendriger

Website: www.ventatsoapbox.com/sharone-vendriger.html

Acid attack survivors

Page From News Coloring Book II

(acid attack victim in Pakistan after multiple surgeries) 24” x 20”, ink on newsprint

Biography of Sharone Vendriger

Sharone Vendriger is an Israeli artist based in New York. Her work engages with issues of justice and the effects of class power relations on life. Drawing content from progressive news sources and transforming those stories into material, her goal is to create an engaging experience that would trigger a platform for discussion of difficult issues. Mediums vary according to the needs of each work, include; video, projection, newspaper, drawing, sound, animation, ashes, motor oil and more. Her works have shown in galleries in Israel and the United States. Sharone holds a BA in Film and a BA in Fine Art from Hunter College, has an extensive background in film & TV production. She is currently a 2011 MFA candidate in Combined Media at Hunter College.

The Coloring Station is an invitation to sit together with the artist Sharone Vendriger and reflect on some of the pressing issues found in and out of today's headlines. The meditative process of coloring opens up a casual space for conversation regarding the origin of the image, generating further thoughts and questions. The images evoke a story without text. Vendriger researched difficult topics such as human trafficking, acid burn victims, torture, financial systems, architecture, environment, and from her research has hand drawn images in the style of a coloring book. The work is presented at a table dressed with crayons and a selection of images are offered to participants and passers bye to color. The round table format seeds community and creates a space where conversation and reflection can grow.

Page From News Coloring Book

(acid attack victim in a hospital bed, Pakistan) 20” x 24” , ink on newsprint

Stephanie Nielson

Website: www.nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/

Plane Crash Survivor

Family Portrait, Provo, Utah

"Returning from a near-fatal airplane crash, burned 80% of my body, and will have surgeries for the rest of my life. Probably. But I am alive."

Untitled; Husband and Wife 2008

Stephanie Nielson Biography

On August 16, 2008, a small plane carrying a young married couple and their flight instructor crashed in the Arizona desert. Doug Kinneard, the instructor, was killed in the crash; Stephanie and Christian Nielson survived, both severely burned. Prior to the crash, Stephanie's weblog, the NieNie Dialogues, "had attracted a small but ardent following, thanks to its upbeat dispatches about marriage, home décor, entertaining and the art of raising four children ages 6 and younger."

After the crash, with burns on over 80% of her body, she spent two months in a medically induced coma. One month later, she was released from the hospital and one month after that, she began blogging again. Stephanie's posts since then have chronicled her gradual recovery, her re-integration into her family, her love and gratitude for her husband, and, finally, on the one-year anniversary of the plane crash, herself.

In her own words:

“Its true.
I am alive.
I look different.
I walk slow...and type slower.
But its good to be back!!
How can I thank you all?! I don't think I can...letters, e-mails, stories, toys for the kids, clothes artwork, dolls, love, donations and all your prayers!!
I will thank you all soon enough, but for now, (excuse me, i need to take my 6000th pill for the day) for now, here are my hands. They are tightly wrapped in what we burn patients call "Juzos" and they hurt.
Boy do I have some good stories for you....(raised toilets, special lookin' underwear, commodes galore and stuff like that. At the end of the day Mr. Nielson in his blue juzozs takes me by the hand for bed...like I said, not so different than before the crash(which we endearingly call "BC" and after the crash as "AC"."

Patricia Izzo

Website: www.veteranstoday.com/2010/04/24/veterans-they-deserve-no-less/

Male Breast Cancer

Patricia Izzo Biography

Patricia Izzo received her BS in Art Education fromNorthern Michigan University with an honorary assistantship in her Masters of Arts Program. She has received numerous awards regionally and nationally. Twice awarded the prestigious Gold Medal in the annual State of Michigan Photographic Competition and she was honored as a finalist in the Michigan Governors Award for "Arts in the Community". Patricia's fine art photography has been featured in publications, such as American Photo Magazine, Wayne State Alumni Magazine, Home Décor, Woman's Day, Strut Magazine, and The Florida and Southern Review. Patricia’s images can be seen in the 2010 Harold and Kumar III movie. She has had extensive exhibits throughout the Detroit Metropolitan area, the East Coast, and Traverse City Museums. Her first fine art photography book "FRAGILE AWAKENINGS" was published in 2008. Patricia is a member of the Detroit Focus Portfolio, National Woman's Caucus for the Arts, Feminist Arts Project and the Reckless Prophets. She served on the board for the Downriver Council of the Arts, and Scarab Club. She taught painting to at-risk children at The Opportunity Center/Guidance Center. Izzo is the artist in residence at Rivers Edge Gallery in Wyandotte.

Media and Press

http://www.thegalleryofthearts.com/PatriciaIzzo.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIk09Dpyerk

"My name is Jim Fontella and I am a breast cancer survivor. There is a long history of breast cancer in my family. My oldest sister is a survivor, too—she had breast cancer about 25 years ago. My youngest sister had a large mass discovered on her left breast a week ago and she is scheduled for a biopsy. This is my history with breast cancer from start to finish. I’m a 62-year-old bricklayer and tile setter. I was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, but in 1981 I moved to Dallas, where construction was booming, to start my own business. In 1998, I moved back to Michigan to be close to my family and many of my lifelong friends. I had planned to work for someone for a short time until I got settled, and then to start up on my own again. At first, everything went as planned. I found work immediately with a union company, with full benefits. Since I hadn’t had medical benefits during my 18 years in Texas, I decided to have a physical. About a week before the appointment I found a lump under my right armpit, which I brought to the doctor’s attention. He recommended I get a surgeon’s opinion. The surgeon told me that there could be several reasons for the lump and suggested we wait a few weeks to see what it did. It might just disappear on its own. But about a week later I found another lump, this one behind my right nipple. The surgeon saw me the same day and immediately scheduled a biopsy of the lump on my breast. He told me that it would take several days for the results to come back and that he would call me when they did. He called me himself a couple days later to tell me I had breast cancer."