Guest Author - Peggie Sherry
Dave, a friend of mine, recently returned from New York and fired off an e-mail telling me that I had to make contact with an artist that he had met while visiting a friend backstage at Carnegie Hall. “You both are very dynamic women; I just know you will get along” he wrote. He included a website for me to check out, http://www.mamorial.org/. Looking at the site I was a little confused. The women that he wanted me to contact was Mary Ellen Scherl, an artist who is creating a gallery of breast castings of women who have been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Not being an artist I had to wonder, Why? Obviously she has in some way been touched by Breast Cancer, and wanted to make a statement about it’s toll on a women’s body. Well, I am game for anything, so I picked up the phone and gave her a call. Mary Ellen is a very outgoing and passionate artist whose mother and sister-in-law both have fought breast cancer. Mary Ellen explained "The sheer numbers of the breasts that will fill walls will reflect what feels like an epidemic – one in nine individuals world wide is diagnosed with breast cancer, 270,000 Americans, and over 1,000,000 cases each year. Those who have the courage to participate in , are sending a wake-up call to the rest of the world. We need to find a cure."
The process is interesting; she explained that you mix two compounds together that make a purple colored thick rubbery liquid, which is coated on the chest with a paint brush. Then a layer of plaster is molded on top of the mold. This is not a long process; it takes only about 20 minutes. Once the plaster is dry it is pulled off and the latex mold is gently pealed away. This mold will be filled with a tinted resin that matches the skin tone of the women being casted. The participant can then write on the plaster cast what she would like inscripted on the casting. Some proudly put their names, others put sayings and some dedications. Recently she came to Florida to attend the Faces of Courage Foundation’s African American Cancer Retreat to see if any of the women wanted to participate. When Mary Ellen arrived she wondered out loud “How many of these women do you think will want to participate?” Truthfully, I had no idea. Once Mary Ellen told her story and explained why she was at camp, she asked if any of the women wanted to participate. Then held her breath. Suddenly hands went into the air and shouts of “I want to do it?’ could be heard through out the dining hall. In the end over half of the participants at the retreat had their casting done. It was very moving to see how important it was to the women to show their battle scars. Fully clothed people can not possibly know what scars, both mental and physical Breast Cancer survivors carry. Now they can show the world. If you ever get a chance to visit the gallery look for my casting entitled ‘Cancer Sucks…no lie’.
" An artistic tribute to the courage and spirit of those living with breast cancer and the individuals and corporations who are dedicated to finding the cure. "
- Mary Ellen Scherl, Artist
