‘Women Helping Women’ Art Donations Adorn Walls of Newly Opened UAMS Breast Center
| The first piece that went up for sale one late afternoon in early April couldn’t have been more aptly named.
“Hope Blooms,” shows a bouquet of colorful flowers, appearing to burst forth from a blue glass jar. Artist Morgan Coven Herndon’s 48 x 48-inch acrylic and latex on gallery-wrapped canvas was $850 plus tax.
It sold swiftly.
Debbie and former state Sen. Shane Broadway bought it a few minutes after its posting on Facebook. The painting would never grace their home, though. Instead, it was already destined to hang in the lobby of the new UAMS Breast Center in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, where patients, their family members, employees and others will all get to enjoy it.
“I had two other buyers who wanted that first piece,” said Natalie Rockefeller, one of the organizers of the Women Helping Women Art Project. “It started the project off with a bang, that’s for sure.”
“Our vision was to provide comfort to our patients and to the Breast Center team through artwork,” said Gwendolyn Bryant-Smith, M.D., director of the Breast Center. “The artists have created soothing pieces that will add to the serene environment of our new Breast Center.
Gwendolyn Bryant-Smith, M.D., director of the Breast Center at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and Natalie Rockefeller, who serves on the institute’s board of directors, prepare to see “Hope Blooms” by local artist Morgan Coven Herndon hung as one of the first three of several works are displayed in the center.
Most pieces listed afterward sold within five days.
“The first week was so wild, I could hardly keep up with who wanted to buy what pieces,” said Rockefeller, who serves on the board of directors for the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Foundation. “It was amazing, and that’s when the team knew the Women Helping Women Art Project was going to be very special.”
The idea for the project came about during a conversation between Rockefeller and Gwendolyn Bryant-Smith, M.D., director of the Breast Center, when Bryant-Smith mentioned she wanted to put some great art on the new facility’s walls.
“A few days later I had my annual mammogram at UAMS, and Dr. Bryant-Smith took me on a tour of the brand-new center that was slated to open in less than a month,” said Rockefeller. “As we walked through the beautiful new space, we talked about the idea of partnering with Arkansas female artists to provide beautiful art for the Breast Center.”
Bryant-Smith, associate professor of the department of radiology in the UAMS College of Medicine, told Rockefeller she loved the idea of women helping women, and the idea and the name for the project was born.
“Lipstick” by Morgan Coven Herndon
“Our vision was to provide comfort to our patients and to the Breast Center team through artwork,” Bryant-Smith said. “The artists have created soothing pieces that will add to the serene environment of our new Breast Center. The art gallery experience that we are creating will help our patients escape from the anxiety that can often arise from undergoing breast imaging exams, procedures and awaiting results.”
“This artwork coupled with our same-day results will make the mammography experience a good one for our patients,” Bryant-Smith added. “The Breast Center will be unique in this approach to patient care, and I am so thankful to Natalie, our artists and our donors.”
So far, more than 50 pieces, mostly florals and abstracts, have been posted and sold on Instagram/Facebook. The artists set their prices, usually from their price guides based on size. To date, the 11 participating artists have sold more than $52,000 worth of artwork with 100% of that money going to the artists. Most of the artwork is acrylic paintings on gallery-wrapped canvas, but there are also some watercolor paintings and a selection of photographs.
“The Pond” by Linda Harding
The Pond, a photograph by Linda Harding
Eleven participating women artists created the artwork specifically for the Breast Center. They are Lauren Kidd Anderson, Arden Boyce, Catherine Wood Burton, Emily Cobb, Linda Harding, Morgan Herndon, Stephanie Ann Hutchinson, Vicki Kovaleski, Amanda Sutherlin Owens, Tracee Mathews and Kathryn Sixbey.
A committee, made up of Bryant-Smith and several of her colleagues, selected the artists after looking through their Instagram pages or websites and choosing pieces they would like to see on the walls of the Breast Center. Rockefeller then contacted the artists and discussed the parameters of the project.
“What would be soothing to a patient and make her smile? What would also be impactful to our doctors and staff? They are in that space every day, and it’s not always an easy job,” Rockefeller said.
“The Coronation” by Vicki Kovaleski
“The Coronation” by Vicki Kovaleski
“Nearly all of the artists are cancer survivors or have spent time with a loved one undergoing cancer treatment,” Rockefeller said. “Vicki Kovaleski, a breast cancer survivor who leads cancer support groups, provided valuable insight regarding what a patient wants to look at while undergoing a mammogram or biopsy.”
Kovaleski received a diagnosis of breast cancer 20 years ago and went through six years of treatment. She leads several support groups for women who have different types of cancer and also reaches out through her artwork.
“I know what it’s like to have to go to the hospital or doctor’s office two or three times a week,” said Kovaleski, who is now cancer free. “The artwork gives them something else to focus on. I know firsthand that it’s an immense relief for them to be able to focus on something else for a little while.”
“Oak Lane”
She created two works in watercolors for the new center and both sold before they were listed on social media. “Find the Rabbit” features a garden with a rabbit hidden within the artwork while “The Coronation” depicts three women trying on hats.
“That was a real experience I had and through the art, I’m trying to express the kindness and dignity I felt,” Kovaleski said. The goal with my art is to get them through treatment and trigger some hope.”
She added that participating in the Women Helping Women Art Project has also been a “blessing” to her.
Buyers pay the artists directly for the art they purchase, and the artist delivers it to a local framing shop. Once installed, a small plaque accompanying the art includes the names of the piece, the artist, the buyer and to whom they have chosen to dedicate it.
“One piece was dedicated in honor of the entire staff at the Breast Center,” said Rockefeller. “Another one is dedicated to a dad, so it’s not all women. The buyers can dedicate their paintings to friends, loved ones or doctors.”
“Water Lilies” by Arden Boyce Art-Our Journey
The committee left the placement of most works for Rockefeller to decide except for three pieces, two from Herndon and one from Boyce, which the committee chose for the main lobby.
“We are overjoyed with what our artists have put together for the space, and that generous donors have embraced the importance of the project,” Rockefeller said.