Benefit to help well-loved local artist with terminal cancer
PRESS RELEASE
March 21, 2009
CONTACTS
Spirit of Hope MCC Church at 816-931-0750 or http://www.spiritofhopemcckc.org, Aquarius Books at 816-931-6303 or http://www.aquariusbooks.com,
Marge Fleming at 816-753-3948 (please refrain from calling after 8 PM. as Marge needs her rest).
BENEFIT TO HELP WELL-LOVED LOCAL ARTIST
This Saturday, the Spirit of Hope MCC Church will conduct "Marge Madness: A Celebration of Life." The event is to help Marge Fleming, a well-loved local artist/teacher who was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer. Fleming does not have medical insurance, and it is hoped that the benefit will raise enough from donations to give her some relief from that burden.
The event will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 5 PM to 9 PM in the Spirit of Hope MCC Church, 3801 Wyandotte, Kansas City, MO 64111. Anyone who likes art or has/had cancer or knows someone who has, is encouraged to attend. Fleming has always enjoyed a party, and her motto is: "the more the merrier." There will be food, dancing, and drumming, as well as a silent auction and raffle. In addition, a prize will be awarded for the wildest, craziest hat. Guests are asked to bring a potluck item to share, or a love offering to help with food costs. Items to be donated for the silent auction can be dropped off at Aquarius Books, 3936 Broadway, Kansas City, Missouri, 64111.
Marge Fleming is a nationally-known clay sculpture/mosaic artist who has conducted Claytherapy, as well as pottery classes. She makes fun hand carved beads, wearable art, novelties, and unique pottery. Her eccentric, colorful work has been displayed throughout Kansas City. She has had individual exhibits at The Corner Restaurant and All Souls Unitarian Church. Her work has also been featured in group exhibits by Cultures Without Borders, the Kansas City Artist's Coalition, and the Kansas City Clay Guild. She has won several awards for her art.
Most of her shown artworks are her own personal issues and perspectives that she expresses through Art Therapy using the clay medium and poetry. The more bizarre the art piece, the more psychological benefit, known as artistic sublimation. This is where the artist channels energy--positive, negative, or sexual, into a more sociably acceptable form. Once Fleming's students see her "stuff" it's no holds barred in their own art.
Claytherapy is a word that Fleming coined to emphasize the cathartic process. Most of Fleming's art comes from her dreams. Under each piece, she offers a short poetic complement to her works, hinting at "interpretation," but easily inspiring the viewer's own. Sometimes the poems come first and sometimes the artwork comes first. Often the poetry and art support each other and do not necessarily make sense separately, although not always. The healing is in the process - it can be in the artwork, in the poetry, or in both.
Each work is a result of painstaking hours of arduous labor. "It takes a while to refine, carve and glaze each project. Firing takes hours, and so does glazing with three layers of each color," Fleming said.
But for her, it's a labor of love, healing and what she likes to call, "artistic sublimation." Through her passion, she has "channeled energy into a positive form."
After the death of her husband in August of 1989, Fleming searched for a way to express her grief. "I didn't think three-dimensionally until after his death," which is when she began clay sculpture. "It was therapeutic for me."
Tragedy in her life prompted Fleming to go back to school to get a master's in community counseling with a specialty in art therapy at ESU. A lifetime student, Fleming graduated in 1984 from MU with a Master's of Adult Education in Practical Art and later went on to offer classes, presentations, and therapy sessions. Her students include those in Communiversity and the Westport-Roanoke Community Center. She especially enjoys teaching a class that explores self-expression through clay sculpture. Her mantra is a true expression of her hardships and happiness: "it's the process, not the product," she stresses to her students and viewers.
For more information about the event, Marge's art, or her health condition, visit www.creativeclaytherapy.com.
PRESS CONTACTS
Spirit of Hope MCC Church at 816-931-0750 or http://www.spiritofhopemcckc.org, Aquarius Books at 816-931-6303 or http://www.aquariusbooks.com,
Marge Fleming at 816-753-3948 (please refrain from calling after 8 PM. as Marge needs her rest).
Submitted by Lynn Marie Norris on March 24, 2009 - 11:39am.