Bra exhibit supporting the cause of cancer awareness

Nancy Young was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002, during her annual mammogram.

The mass was “tiny, about the size of a pea or something smaller,” she says.

Because it was caught so early, Young, the former CEO of what is now the Family Alliance, had a lumpectomy and radiation, but no chemotherapy.

Still, “even though mine was small and I knew it was very, very manageable, the whole process is very scary.”

Early detection is something she and her fellow members of M.A.A.M. (Mammography Annual a Must), a local volunteer group founded by the Centra Foundation, are passionate about.

“The scary statistics show that there are just so many women over 40 who do not get an annual mammogram,” Young says.

M.A.A.M.’s mission is to raise awareness about the importance of annual mammograms, and right now they’re doing it in a rather cheeky way: “Bra-Vo,” an exhibit of decorated brassieres on display in Lynchburg College’s Daura Gallery.

Sixteen plain, white bras, size 36C, were given to local artists and quilters with just one instruction: “create some kind of artwork,” says LC biology professor Allison Jablonski, also a member of M.A.A.M.

The results make for one eye-catching exhibit, with lots of color, jewels, feathers and fringe.

“They just really took it and ran with it,” Jablonski says. “I’m so impressed. There are 16 different artists, and they came up with 16 very different designs.”

The bras also featured a lot of wordplay.

Barbara Cornett’s “To Be … Felt” is covered entirely in blue felt, with jewels hanging off of it, and Mike Keeling’s Brat (Brahat) is molded into a tribal-looking helmet with feathers coming out of it, while Erin Stover-Zumwalt’s “Candle La Bras” are just that: an all-black design with two candles attached to the cups.

Animals, particularly puppies, were also popular. Adele Castillo’s “d’em Puppies” features two dog’s faces, painted directly onto the bra, and Sally Schaffer’s “Darling Puppies” are felt creatures with floppy black ears and snouts that emerge from the bra itself.

Kelly Mattox, who owns Avenue Arts Studio Gallery, says her neon pink and orange design, called “Psychedelic Pink,” was inspired by the anniversary of Woodstock.

The bras were first put on display at M.A.A.M.’s annual luncheon, which attracted more than 300 people this year.

The luncheon is the group’s primary fundraiser; it uses the money to fund and organize free mammography screening days in the community. Since its inception in 2003, the organization has paid for 1,300 mammograms and 88 diagnostic follow-ups.

“Through our screenings, we’ve found women who have had early-stage breast cancer,” says Kathryn Pumphrey, executive vice president of the Centra Foundation.

(The next two are scheduled for Nov. 5 at the Free Clinic of Central Virginia, for Free Clinic patients only, and Dec. 7 at the Gretna Medical Center. For more information about the screenings, contact the Mammography Center at 434-947-7890 or the Centra Foundation at 434-200-4790.)

Artist Mattox says she was more than happy to lend a hand to such a good cause.

“It gave a sense of humor to something that’s so serious,” she says. “It brought a lighter note to an issue that has to be addressed.”