12 Months of Awareness
BREAST OF CANADA CALENDAR 2003
By Marshall Ward
Echo Magazine
Issue # 10 Volume 6 | For the week of December 5 - 11, 2002
Sue Richards thinks it is time to take your breasts into your own hands. Combining a bountiful collection of artistic nude portraits taken by Melanie Gillis, educational information, and breast lore galore, the 2003 Breast of Canada calendar is sure to attract attention. With net proceeds from the calendar going to support the work of the Canadian Breast Cancer Network, Breast of Canada was designed to promote awareness of women's breast health.
Guelph-based independent publisher Sue Richards is responsible for Breast of Canada. Along with being the artistic director of Guelph's Hillside Festival off and on since 1988 and the creator of the community art project Art Jam, Sue Richards was recently asked to be the honorary chairwoman for the 2003 YWCA's Women of Distinction Awards. The 2002 calendars were Richards' first attempt at raising awareness about breast health using this method. She had originally planned to donate the proceeds to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation but the charity felt the project too controversial to attach their name to it. This year, net proceeds from the sale of each calendar will go to the Canadian Breast Cancer Network.
I recently asked Richards about the selection process for this year's calendar, which features the photographs of 26 amateur models who volunteered their breasts for the project.
"I often have people approach me when I'm in a public position," said Richards. "So if I'm selling calendars at the University Centre, for instance, or at a conference, I'll have women ask me how I get my models and if they can model for me. One of the things that I have to constantly consider though is the fact that I want a diverse display of women's breast sizes, shapes, and colours - as much as possible. It may seem a bit odd but I sometimes find myself thinking, 'Well, we already have 'you' for this calendar.' "Very small-breasted women seem to be a real challenge to find. They seem to be less inclined to want to have their photos taken. This also is the case with women over 50. They've got this idea that they're no longer suitable. I'll find myself saying, 'You know what, you are (suitable). Just try it and see how you feel about it.'"
Given that recent studies showing that physical activity at any age is the best way for women to reduce their risk of breast cancer, most of the photographs in the 2003 edition promote recreation and fitness. The portraits of Guelph fine art photographer Melanie Gillis are creative and powerful, as she treats her subjects respectfully and artistically. Showing the breasts of faceless and partially faceless women of diverse ages, races, and sizes, the sepia-toned photographs are both rich in quality and playfully tasteful. Although the models remain anonymous except for calendar credits, Richards commented on the association these women had with this year's theme of recreation and fitness.
"I wanted to be sure that all the photos represented the women," said Richards. "With the photo of the two women paddling, they were complete strangers but I knew them both to be avid canoeists. I absolutely love that photo. The smiles on their faces are totally joyous. With the other photos, the women in the bicycle shot are avid bicyclists, the woman holding the daffodil is an avid gardener, the woman dancing in February is a dancer, and the woman with the hockey skates is a goalie. I wanted to make sure I wasn't just plopping a woman on a page with a prop. I wanted them to be their real selves."
Juxtaposed with celebratory photographs of breastfeeding and pregnant bodies is a profoundly moving and poignant image of two daughters placing their hands over their mother's mastectomy scar. Perhaps the most engaging of all images in the calendar, this portrait of a breast cancer survivor was a brilliant choice for the month of October - Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In addition to detailed illustrations of how to conduct breast self-examinations, resources for further information on breast cancer prevention and causes, and tips and tidbits about breast health, there are tributes to historic female sports figures and fascinating mammary trivia.
New key dates to take note of in this year's calendar include July 13th - designated as Breast of Canada Day. Another added celebration is February 13th dubbed "Dead Bra Day," a day for women to toss out their limp and tired old bras.
"I don't care what people do with them," Richards laughed. "Maybe someone will want to turn the dead bras into an art installation." Proven to be an effective vehicle for breast cancer awareness and breast health, Breast of Canada calendars not only hang in thousands of homes and workplaces throughout North America, but in countries that include Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, Mexico, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. With such a vitally important message to promote, the tenacious Richards spoke of her vision for the 2004 calendar. Richards says that the theme for the 2004 Breast of Canada calendar will be creativity. Photographers from across Canada are invited to submit black-and-white portraits for the 2004 edition, provided the models are anonymous and their breasts are photographed in a creative manner.
"We're hoping to expand our call-for-entry throughout the whole country. Getting submissions from Newfoundland to the Northwest Territories would be fantastic. Then the calendar really would become the Breast of Canada instead of the 'Breast of Guelph and Mississauga.' It would also be amazing to use all that creative energy throughout the country and showcase all the great Canadian talent that's out there."
In speaking with Richards about next year's calendar, I asked her about the criteria with regards to imagery.
"I like the idea of celebrating Canadian women artists," said Richards. "Because the theme will be creativity, what I want to see - instead of a paddle or bicycle - is a sculpture or painting, or some kind of dramatic treatment. I want to convey the arts in some way, shape or form with these images. If someone thinks they have an excellent concept and they can facilitate the creation of that photo, then I strongly encourage them to send it to me.
"And further in my mind is the key to wellness - being creative and using your imagination. I think the more that any individual can use their imagination, the more well they'll be in general, which must contribute to breast health and overall health.
"There's just so much that can be done with this calendar in terms of promoting Canadian culture, women, health, wellness, body images, issues, and celebration. This thing really has no bounds."
Information on the calendar is available at www.breastofcanada.com, or
by contacting Sue Richards at (519)767-0142 or by emailing info@breastofcanada.com.