Giant bra draws curious looks; artist hopes ArtPrize entry also raises breast cancer awareness Catherine Smith-Brzeczkiewicz of Mt. Morris stands in front of her ArtPrize entry titled "Embracing Strength and Grace," on Monday, September 16, 2013, in front of the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge on Jefferson Avenue SE. Smith-Brzeczkiewicz designed the 24 ft. wide by 11 ft. bra to raise awareness for breast cancer and as a tribute to her mom, who passed away in 2012. (Emily Zoladz | MLive.com)
Emily Zoladz | ezoladz@mlive.com
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Catherine Smith-Brzeczkiewicz drew a lot of stares and double-takes Monday, Sept. 15, as she installed her ArtPrize entry – a giant pink-and-white, polka-dot bra.
Smith-Brzeczkiewicz, a drapery maker from Mt. Morris, created the bra in honor of her mother’s battle with breast cancer. The 24-by-11-foot fabric sculpture is displayed on the north side of the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge, 129 Jefferson Ave. SE, in Grand Rapids.
“I’ve never done anything this huge before,” Smith-Brzeczkiewicz said. “It’s amazing. It has a whole lot of meaning for me.”
Her entry, titled Embracing with Strength & Grace, will remain on display throughout ArtPrize, which runs Sept. 18 to Oct. 6. The public is invited to a reception for the artist at Hope Lodge from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19.
Smith-Brzeczkiewicz, a native of Saginaw, has made custom window treatments for 35 years through her business, Catherine’s Custom Drapes, in Mt. Morris, near Flint. Her mother survived 34 years after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She died in February 2012 after the cancer spread to her brain.
“She was very patient and graceful and always had a positive outlook on life,” Smith Brzeczkiewicz said. “Cancer was not stopping her from living life to its fullest.”
Smith-Brzeczkiewicz also is a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed five years ago.
“The bra is a representation of what it means to make it through cancer,” she said. “It is big, shocking, overwhelming and its beauty represents the person facing it head on.”
She was encouraged to build the bra sculpture by her 34-year-old twin daughters, Casie and Kelly, who live in Grand Rapids. They are active in Bras Across the Grand, a cancer society event in October that raises awareness about breast cancer.
Although she had never made a giant fabric sculpture before, Smith-Brzeczkiewicz decided to give it a try. Like her daughters, she wants to raise awareness about breast cancer and generate funds for research.
“I’m so proud of my daughters and all the hard work they do,” she said.
The title of the piece is inspired by the way her mother faced her illness.
“She embraced cancer with strength, and she did it gracefully,” Smith-Brzeczkiewicz said.
After ArtPrize, the giant bra will be donated to the cancer society. It will be displayed at Bras Across the Grand on Oct. 19 at the Gillett Pedestrian Bridge near Ah-Nab-Awen Park in Grand Rapids.
On Oct. 26, it will be at Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Flint.
Sue Thoms covers health care for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email her at sthoms1@mlive.com or follow her on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.
