Until this morning I was only aware of one arts project that helps fund research, testing and treatment for breast cancer patients. The organization is called Keep A Breast. They are a national nonprofit that has become very well-known in the alternative and indie rock music worlds, the snowboarding community and among roller derby enthusiasts, among others. Members can be found at various events, including traveling throughout the summer with Vans Warped Tour handing out their “I <3 Boobies” bracelets. They also usually have at least one of their breast casts on display that people can pay for chances on. These casts are of women who represent a wide spectrum of females. Some of the more famous include Dita Von Teese, Pink and Miss Katy Perry — whose cast was then painted by Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes. Other castees include roller derby stars, snowboarders, and surfers. Besides Travis, another musician who has shown his painting skills on one of these casts was Sean Harris from The Matches. Painters and collage artists of equally high status as those of the castees have painted and/or decorated casts. A few are friends of a friend — Max Nuetra, Gregory Siff and Lydia Emily.

Then came the morning browse through Facebook where a dear friend, who is a breast cancer survivor, posted this link: http://www.artbra-newhaven.org/index.html  I was sure it was something to do with the “pink” movement and loved that the word “art” was included. Of course, I had to poke around and see what this group so close to home was all about. The first thing I learned was that they do fund-raise for local breast cancer patients and to do that, they also involve the local arts community.

Hey, we all walk past Vicky’s Secret and know that bras can be beautiful creations. Corsetry has been an intricate art, especially among women, for a very long time. However, “art bras” takes an average brassiere and give it a whole new personality. Embellishments, paint, and re-tailoring result in these very pretty, sometimes curious, sometimes crazy works of art. Yes, I would hang some of them on a wall or buy an antique dress form to display one. They’re fun!

Like Keep A Breast, Art Bra New Haven will sell these creations at auction.
Their event is October 6th. If you live in the New Haven area and are interested in attending, tickets are on sale now.

http://www.keep-a-breast.org/breast-cast-art/
http://www.artbra-newhaven.org

— Kathy Creighton | @Mama_Kath