Virginia A. Spiegel

Remember my humbling experience with making an art bra?  That bra and seven others were on display at the Relay for Life cancer fundraiser for which my sister is chair this past weekend.  Viewers could vote for their favorite art bra.  All the bras used the theme of  ”Celebrating Women.”  The winner was made by an eleven year-old girl and collected over $200 in donations for the ACS.

This bra was entered by Team Visor captained by Emily Ziemer.  It was created by Noelle Maki Rollins, a very talented artist.  The bras weren’t for sale, but Noelle agreed to part with her artwork for a donation to the ACS.  The title of the artwork is We’re All Pink and features portraits of Sheryl Crow and Carly Simon.  I couldn’t resist this artwork after reading the artist’s statement:

Cheryl Crow and Carly Simon are both breast cancer survivors.  Like the music they create to touch the souls of those listening, we all share an ability to touch others.  Some of our greatest gifts are being able to connect, to share and gain strength from each other.  With one another we have the ability to create a pure, tangible, contagious energy.  We all hold a common bond; we’re all connected.  Just like the symbloci ribbon we all stand behind; inside we’re all heart and all pink.

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Niece Jenny, me, Chairperson and Sister Nancy, Mom  (Sharing our energy to stay up 30 hours and raise funds to beat cancer)

The Relay was a huge success with your generous donations to the Tote Tuesday fundraiser for my Fiberart For A Cause adding significantly to the success.  Thank you for your wonderful support.  My family “Relays” in honor of my Dad, Bob Spiegel, a sixteen-year survivor of colon cancer.

Love Blooms When Hearts Gather by Fannie Narte

Artful Home ’s Hearts For Anna opens online this Wednesday, August 12, and continues through August  16.

All funds raised will go to Anna Millea an artist who is fighting breast cancer – again. Anna has been denied insurance, having been deemed uninsurable due to her “pre-existing condition.”

Annette Rogers

Gerrie Congdon

Shoulder Bag by Laura Osbun

Faith, Strength, and Love by Barbara Strobel Lardon

More about my donated artwork here; all the donated artwork to date is here.

Artwork by Anna Millea

I received the following from Lisa Bayles, CEO of The Guild/Artful Home.  It’s easy for us to help (and way too easy for any of us to be in the same situation).  So please take a moment and read through the Call.  It’s for miniature artwork, so there is plenty of time to donate artwork before the August 7 deadline.  And, of course, you have another opportunity to participate during the Reverse Auction on August 12 -16.

Cancer. No Insurance. Can this really be happening to one of our artists?
Anna Millea, a longtime Guild and Artful Home artist, is fighting breast cancer – again. The disease has returned aggressively and is now in her bones, requiring an extreme sixteen rounds of chemotherapy. She has no insurance, having been deemed uninsurable due to her “pre-existing condition.”

When we at The Guild/Artful Home learned of this we knew we needed to do something to try to help her through this situation. What we have come up with is an event we are calling “Hearts for Anna“, to which we hope you will contribute and donate a little bit of your time and talent.

Artful Home will hold a 5-day online event, “Hearts for Anna“, August 12-16, 2009 in which miniature artworks, no larger than 5″ x 7″, will be sold. The items will be sold first-come, first serve, with all items selling for $100 on Day 1, $75 on Days 2 – 4, and $50 on Day 5. All money will go to a fund that goes directly to Anna Millea to help pay for her medical bills.

Requirements for donated artwork: (Deadline: August 7)

1. Participation is open to all artists, both Artful Home members and non-members. The point is to get great participation, and thus give a greater hand to Anna.
2. The artwork can be in any medium, no larger than 5″ x 7″. Artists in all media are encouraged to participate and donate works.
3. The artwork should be one of a kind, though each artist participating can submit more than one piece.
4. All work should fall within the theme of “Hearts for Anna”, however the artist chooses to interpret this.
5. Download and fill out the submission form here.
6. Submission form and photograph must be submitted by August 7.  [See the submission form for further details.]
   
   Getting out the Word:

Artful Home will be soliciting donated work from artists around the US and Canada.

1. We are hoping you can help spread the word to other artists as well as potential purchasers by posting the information on any forums, blogs, Facebook pages, Tweets in which you participate. Call and email your friends. Write a letter. However you choose to spread the word will be helpful.
2. Artful Home will then be promoting the actual August event through press releases, Tweets, blogs, emails – the full court press. Again, we will ask you to pass along this information to any individuals or groups, artists and buyers, that you know who you can help support the event.
3. The more people who come to the site and purchase these miniatures, the more money is raised for Anna.

Detail from Window Into the Home 2 by Natalya Aikens

Well, here we are already at the last day of the very last Invitational Reverse Auction of Fabulous Fiberart. We have today yet to go and have already raised $4650 for the American Cancer Society with only four pieces of fiber art.  The word amazing comes to mind!

The minimum donation drops by 1/2 today at 10 a.m. CST. and the Reverse Auction closes at 5 p.m. CST today.

Glorious, personal, and one-of-a-kind fiber art is available today from:

Natalya Aikens (Her donated art, detail shown above, was on the cover of Quilting Arts 2009 Calendar.  A copy of that calendar will be included thanks to its donation by Pokey Bolton of Quilting Arts.)
 

Detail from Noshi Ribbons by Gerrie Congdon

Gerrie Congdon (If you love vintage Japanese textiles, check out her beautiful artwork.) 

Detail of Red Door, Feng Shui 2 by Carol Larson

Carol Larson (Donated in honor of her father, a colon cancer survivor, her artwork is a comment on the “starter castles” popping up everywhere.)

Detail of Pomegranate Cross by Susie Monday

Susie Monday (Mounted to a canvas, big and bold art made entirely of fabrics created by the artist.) 
 

Cricket in the Thorn Tree by Leandra Spangler

Leandra Spangler (Noted vessel maker and paper artist has created a unique mixed-media piece with removable book.)

Detail of Sir Winter McDormant by Roxane Stoner

Roxane Stoner (Intricate and brooding; Roxane’s artwork reflects her Alaska setting in subtle and marvelous ways).
 

Of course, 100% is donated directly to the American Cancer Society with an immediate electronic receipt to the donor.

Thank you for your support of Fiberart For A Cause, fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

Pomegranate Cross (detail) by Susie Monday

Beginning today at 10 a.m. CST, you can add a great piece of fiberart to your collection and contribute to the fight against cancer.  All the details about The Invitational Reverse Auction of Fabulous Fiberart are here.

Our generous artists this year are: Natalya Aikens, Gerrie Congdon, Marjorie DeQuincy, Rayna Gillman, Carol Larson, Linda Teddlie Minton, Susie Monday, Judy Coates Perez, Leandra Spangler, and Roxanne Stoner.  

Whose Woods? (Detail) by Rayna Gillman

How does the Reverse Auction work?  Choose an artwork at the minimum donation for that day.  The current minimum will always be highlighted in red.  E-mail me at Virginia(at)VirginiaSpiegel.com and I will let you know if the artwork is still available.  You will then proceed to the Fiberart For A Cause donation page and make a donation to the American Cancer Society.  You will receive an immediate electronic receipt from the ACS.  
Wait too long and your favorite artwork might be gone!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.  

Some have questioned whether this is a good time to be offering high-end fiber art in a fundraiser.  My thoughts are that we are successful because we are giving it a try! And don’t forget that we still have Collage Mania coming up on May 5 -7.

Thank you for your support of Fiberart For A Cause, fundraising for the American Cancer Society.  We have already donated over $165,000.