September 26, 2005 Source: Mount Allison University: http://www.mta.ca/news/index.cgi?id=818 "Sharing Art, Spreading Hope" — Sept. 30 SACKVILLE, NB — Mount Allison and Sackville-based artists are donating their work and time for a good cause. In collaboration with the Student Health Centre, local artists, including many Mount A students, will be holding a silent auction, "Sharing Art, Spreading Hope," in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Atlantic Chapter. "Sharing Art, Spreading Hope" will take place in the Owens Art Gallery (Colville Gallery) on Friday, September 30, beginning at 7 p.m. Artists have donated personal works to be auctioned off in a silent auction. Some works have been completed specifically for this event. Mount Allison Nurse/Educator Cindy Crossman says, "Every year, too many people receive the devastating news that they have been diagnosed with breast cancer. The emotional rollercoaster they go through is overwhelming. As the cancer progresses, there are many challenging stages of emotion. In depicting health through an expression of art, we can only begin to imagine the many emotions associated with a breast cancer diagnosis. I'm pleased to see the collaboration shown by students, faculty, and staff in organizing this fund raiser for such a worthy cause." The fund raiser will include the silent auction, door prizes, and live entertainment. Dr. Lorna Butler, PhD, RN is the keynote speaker. Her talk is entitled, "Representing Art in the form of Medicine." Dr. Lorna Butler is a professor at Dalhousie University in the School of Nursing and cross appointed to the Faculty of Medicine. She is also a clinical scientist in the Division of Nursing at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre and affiliate scientist in the Department of Urology. Dr. Butler's research interests are in behavioural and quality-of-life research, with a particular interest in cancer recurrence and sexuality as a component of quality of life in chronic disease. She is a Maurice Legault Fellow of the Canadian Cancer Society and Co-Principal Investigator for Cancer Research and Education (CaRE) for Nova Scotia. In 2003 she became part of two training centres funded from CIHR: the first a National Psychosocial Oncology Training Centre between McGill University, University of Manitoba, University of British Columbia, and Dalhousie University and the second provincial multi-disciplinary training centre at Dalhousie. Collectively these two centres brought $3.6 million to the training of our future researchers and care providers in cancer. Pam Bowman, member of the award-winning Southeast New Brunswick Breast Cancer Survivor Dragon Boat Team, will also give a personal account of living with and surviving breast cancer that evening. The event is an initiative sponsored by the Mount Allison Student Health Centre and supported by the Mount Allison Fine Arts department and the Owens Art Gallery. It is the hope of organizers that "Sharing Art, Spreading Hope" will become an annual event in Sackville. —30— For more information please contact Cindy Crossman, Student Health Centre, Mount Allison University, tel: 364-2163 (health@mta.ca). | 