Tulsa artist Judi Grove making unique contribution to breast cancer fight
Judi Grove poses with casts of women’s chests Jan. 16 during a roller derby match in Oklahoma City between the Tornado Alley Roller Girls and Northwest Arkansas’ Backwoods Betties. (Photo by Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman)
My colleague Carrie Coppernoll recently spoke to Tulsa artist Judi Grove about her unique efforts in the battle against breast cancer. Read Carrie’s terrific story by clicking here.
Through her nonprofit Breast Impressions, Grove travels the country making plaster casts of women’s breasts to raise money and awareness for breast cancer.
Breast cancer runs in the Tulsan’s family. Before having a tumor – which turned out to be benign – removed in December 2006, she decided to make an impression of her breasts. She used a plaster cast kit designed for pregnant women to preserve their baby bellies; her husband made a cast of her breasts three days before her surgery.
An artist friend of Grove’s turned the plaster cast into a work of art by decorating it with stained glass.
She talked with her husband about making more of such works of art and selling them. She could give breast cancer patients cast sets for free to remember their own breasts. And she could give the leftover money to breast cancer causes.
The local roller derby team, the Green Country Roller Girls, soon contacted her to have casts made of their breasts. The team auctioned the adorned casts at a charity event, and since, roller derby squads nationwide have asked her to do similar projects.
For the past 2½ years, she has attended roller derby charity bouts across the country. Grove does the casts for the club. Then, local artists decorate the casts, and the club sells them. Profits support local breast cancer groups. Last month, she partnered with Oklahoma City’s Tornado Alley Rollergirls for their second annual Busting Out Breast Cancer Awareness Bout.
Along the way, Grove has earned the roller derby pseudonym Mamie O’Gram.
Grove has teamed up with Sen. Judy McIntyre, D-Tulsa, to host the second annual Breast Cancer Awareness Day from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m April 26 at the state Capitol.
My mother-in-law is friends with Grove and had the artist cast her breast a few years ago. The plaster “bust” was turned into a work of art by Oklahoma City artist Gayle Curry for a charity auction. The final piece was absolutely beautiful and an incredibly effective message about the beauty of a woman’s body and importance of breast cancer research.
For more information on Grove’s efforts, go to www.breastimpressions.com.
-BAM
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Thank you SO much for sharing about our mission in your blog! I absolutely LOVE your mother in law Ione! We’ve been friends FOREVER! I truly appreciate your helping us get the word out about the upcoming Breast Cancer Awareness Day at the State Capitol! We are hoping to have around 500 survivors from around the state with us on April 26th!
You and Carrie have done a great job in helping to raise awareness in our wonderful state!