Hirsch-Art Gala

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to Carolina Cares It. ScottyBlaisdell along with Hannah Tyler as always,
and once again we shine the spotlighton folks in North Carolina, specifically the
Triad doing good works. And we'vehad these folks in before, but a
new face has joined them and I'mexcited that they're back. Yeah, it's
the Hirsch Wellness Network and we'll startby introducing Louise Grape. Now you're the

(00:22):
founder. Hi, Scottie and Hannah, thanks for having us. Yes,
I am the founder and we're fifteenyears strong. No, no remind us
because I know we've had you onbefore, but maybe someone's hearing us for
the first time with this conversation.What is Hirsh Wellness Network. Hersh Wellness
is a cancer support community and weprovide healing arts activities free of charge for

(00:43):
anyone who's been touched by a cancerdiagnosis and healing arts or programs in the
arts in physical wellness, yoga,tai chi, painting, drawing, photography,
all kinds of activities to support theirwell being an after treatment and people
who care for them well. Louise, before we move forward, talking about

(01:04):
the big event that's coming up,let's talk a little bit about your story.
My story is kind of a saga, which I'll give you the abbreviated
version. But I was a childof a parent who was sick and who
passed away for breast cancer in theearly seventies, so I flashed forward in
my thirties. I was a cancersurvivor, so having that experience from a

(01:30):
young age with my mom being apainter and an artist who hung out with
all these groovy people back then doingfun things, and that really set the
tone for what I realized was hercommunity, her support community. And I
only realized that after my own diagnosis, and so being an artist myself and

(01:52):
a designer in the furniture world,I called upon people I knew to start
teaching class is in writing, painting, photography, handcrafts, and they all
came on board, and so,connecting with the hospitals in the area,
we reached out to patients and familiesand so over the years, you know,

(02:14):
we started with just a few classesa week, and now we've got
thirty between thirty and forty programs everymonth, some available online, some in
person. Now that hopefully fingers crossworkgetting past COVID, so we're serving a
large community and people not just inGreensboro now, but people all over the
country. And you guys have grownso much that you have this big fundraiser

(02:37):
coming up we want to talk about. It's called Art Lives Here. Maybe
we'll bring Clay in to tell usa little bit more about what's all going
to be happening in well throughout themonth of September. And this is Clay
Thornton by the way, And whatis your title? Well, my title
has changed most recently. I amthe executive director of Herschwell known a little
promotion over there that culminated July first. I was on the board for a

(03:00):
little over a year and and Ithink it's a good fit. Yeah,
well deserved as you take the reinsthere. And what is this huge event
that you'd like to advise folks tosure, yeah, let me give some
details first, the who, what, when? Where? Basically Hirsch Wellness
Network again a nonprofit helping heal cancerpatients through therapy of art and wellness classes.

(03:29):
As Louise mentioned, the name ofthe event is Art Lives Here.
It's a silent auction and it isour fifteenth year of doing this, so
it gets a little bigger, alittle better each year. And I think
the important detail is it's it isa silent auction. It's online, starts
September eighteenth at noon and runs throughSeptember thirtieth, culminating in an in person

(03:54):
gala. Okay, so that's that'sa bit of the big news this year.
I guess the last in person galawas twenty nineteen, and due to
the pandemic, it was taken allonline. So now this is the combination
of online uh and then again culminatingin the in person gala. It is

(04:15):
a ticketed gala in fifty dollars eachand contribute to our fundraiser, but it's
a limited supply. We have aboutthree hundred and fifty people will have there.
This will be at Revolution Mill,the historic mill here in Greensboro,
and that's also where our classes arelocated. And those folks at Revolution Mill
have been very gracious for us tohelp us. They have a large art

(04:38):
gallery there, the twelve fifty maingallery, and so the art will be
hanging and we'll be doing our finalbidding, but all of the bidding is
actually online. And you have quitethe lofty fundraising goal. This year.
How much do you guys want araise? Well, last year I think
it was just at or over seventythousand dollars. This year, we definitely

(05:00):
want to meet that and hope topass that with a goal of ninety thousand
dollars. But you know, we'llsee. I think we can we can
get very close to that, sowe're excited about it. What is the
website if someone wants to see theart when it does go online. Yeah,
certainly that is our primary website.It's Hirsch Wellness dot org. And
that's hi r sc h Wellness Networkdot org. Yeah, let me say

(05:26):
two that we will have over twohundred pieces of artwork for auction, so
there's a little bit of something foreveryone. Ceramics, there's metalwork, there's
fiber arts, and certainly a lotof two D paintings, photography and that
sort of thing. Boy, Iwish we had an artist with us that
we could talk to that could tellus more about their work. Oh wait,

(05:49):
there's one now, Andrena Coleman ishere, Andrena step on up there
if you could. And first ofall, welcome you're a new voice.
Yeah we haven't heard from yet.Yes, thank you. Well, how
are you connected to HERSCH. Howdid you get involved? Well, I
became a contributing artist about five yearsago, I think, and I've always

(06:11):
felt that giving was part of myart work. I also have a connection
with the mission of HERSCH, havingtwo siblings who passed unfortunately due to cancer,
so I had a connection and Ifelt the importance of art and wellness,
art and healing and being with thisgroup of people really helped me through

(06:34):
some trying times and dealing with thepassing of my siblings. I am a
fabric artist, mainly designing one ofa kind quilts, wall hangings, apparel,
dolls, and I also reoppostered furniturewith quilt designs. So each year

(06:55):
I try to bring some unique peaceto the the A and fortunately each year
they've sold. So now, isthis something you were already doing as a
profession Is this something that you wereselling on your own and then decided to
join up with their cause. Well, I've been quilting for probably about fifteen

(07:18):
years, you know, just onand off. But I had a real
job, you know. The starvingartist thing wasn't really working for me.
Initially. I come from a backgroundof a higher education and healthcare administration.
So I figured it was time forme to realize some dreams. Yeah,
and we became a full time quiltingOkay, you may not realize one of

(07:43):
us in the studio is also aquilter. Do you think it's me or
do you think it's Hannah. Ithink it's you know you're wrong. Actually,
my family is full of quilters.But Hannah actually does quilting yourself.
Can you tell amateur quilter over herenowhere near your skills? Why won't my
seams ever lie? They never dowell. One of the unique things about

(08:05):
my style is I create my owndesigns. So quilting can be relaxing if
you just go with the flow.So corners don't mean anything to me.
I'm yours mean nothing. Just callit art. You call it art.
You know that's the uniqueness of thepieces that you have created it. And

(08:26):
if you feel comfortable with it,then go with it flow. What do
you feel while you're quilting or creatinga doll or what is it that goes
through your mind? Well? Ithink of my past. My great grandmother
quiote it and if you know anythingabout quoting in the old days, they
had quilting frames, and as children, we would harness ourselves underneath the frame

(08:50):
and catch the needle and push itback up. Well, you know today
that would probably be seen as somethingelse, like child abuse, But but
we I think about those times andI and it also allows me to focus
on some of the happier things inlife because you're you're moved to a whole
different time and space. Yeah,and that's why I enjoy it. And

(09:13):
there's no pressure. Yeah, becauseshe doesn't worry about her corners lining up,
so there is no pressure. Whatkind of pieces are you going to
have on the art auction? Isit actual? Big quilts? Is a
more table runner type things. Itis a wall hanging call slipping into darkness,
and it is h African print Andthe majority of my quilts are done

(09:35):
with African fabric, authentic African fabric, and they are woven onto a black
background, so the pieces of fabricactually pop out when you look at it.
Wow, I have to see this. Excited to see it. Yes,
and this is just one of twohundred that are going to be featured.
This is Andrina Coleman. I can'twait to see your stuff getting where

(09:58):
We're Hirsch Wellness Network again today.Louise Grape is here, the founder,
Clay Thornton is here and I'm goingto bring Louise back in. So as
far as the art is concerned,is there a I don't know, is
there a piece that we're going togo down and we're going to be wowed
by that you're already excited about.We had art what we call art Intake

(10:20):
this past weekend and artists come tothe Hersh Center at Revolution Mail and bring
what they're donating a boy, it'slike Christmas. Yeah, there really are
some incredible things. I mean there'receramics, a couple of phases. We
also have a category called out ofthe Vault. So this is for collectors
or people that have original works thatmaybe they're downsizing or maybe we've had people

(10:46):
who got divorced and hated looking ata painting and wanted to get rid of
it and talk about turning a negativeinto a pad, talk about a negative
into positive. And so we've receivedsome really beautiful things and we have quite
the collection from out of the Vault, including gosh I think it's around eighteen
paintings by a woman who passed awaythat her family don't, so we actually

(11:09):
have a collection of one person's selfexpressive arts which are really beautiful. And
one of the things I feel makesart lives here so special is it's about
the artists. Because they don't payto come, they're a guest, they
get to bring someone with them.A lot of auctions. The artists have

(11:30):
to pay to attend, and sowe feel like the artists are so important
to the work that we do thatfull circle of healing arts because the artist
understands what it means to get inthe zone, to hit that place where
three or four hours has passed andyou don't even know it because you're so
involved in the creative process. SoClay and I've been tracking how many artists

(11:52):
are saying yes, and it's quitea few. And I think the community
who do buy tickets or sponsors whoget it gets as part of their sponsorship
package, they love to come tothis event because you meet the artists.
They're all there. Someone could bewearing a ball gown and or someone in
a suit, and then there's somebodyin a T shirt and jeans. This

(12:13):
is not a pretentious event. Itis all about the healing arts and supporting
our friends and family who've had cancer. So the money raised goes to our
programs and operations. Yeah, andI know last time we covered a lot
of those programs that we do.Encourage you to check out what Hirsh Wellness
Network is all about. If youor someone you know has cancer, or
as we were chatting just a fewminutes ago with Andrena, maybe it's a

(12:37):
family member. You just want toknow how to cope. Contact the folks
at Hirsh about that. Before wego, and we're running out of time,
I want to once again hit onthe event. It's called Art Lives
Here. Clay, could you onceagain turn us on to all the details.
How do we take part in this? Yeah, it does. All
go back to the website Scotty andthat's Hirsh Wellness Network or there you'll find

(13:01):
the tickets for the gael up there. You'll be able to register on September
eighteenth to be part of that clickBid Art auction. I will say too
that we do along with the twohundred artworks, we will also be offering
some experiences as we call them forauction that mainly having to do with wellness,
such as massage or meditation that sortof thing packages. Yes please yes,

(13:26):
yes, so good good stuff allaround, very good, Andrena Coleman,
Clay Thornton and of course the founderLouise Grape was so thankful for our
time, but once again with HurstWellness Network, and thank you for joining
us today on Carolina Cares