gail spahr and tom corbin

"I was born in Chicago and moved to the Kansas City area when I was four years old.  Some of my earliest memories are always of drawing and coloring on whatever I could find. Most times my abstract art was not always appreciated probably because of the chosen surfaces. I always knew I wanted to be an artist."

Gail worked for Hallmark for twenty-seven years and is now retired, focusing on her own art. She has recently starting combining painting and collage in various assemblages. This is the first year she has taken part in the doll project.

Tom Corbin’s introduction and subsequent career in sculpture has been based more on serendipity than calculation. Born in Dayton, Ohio in 1954, Tom’s early fascination in art was inspired by his mother, an art teacher by trade. Despite studying painting and drawing at Miami University, Tom’s original career pursuit was Business as an advertising executive. Tom’s first brush with the third dimension came in a chance meeting with a bronze sculptor in 1982. Classes with this sculptor led to a deepened interest in bronze casting and thoughts of a career in art. In 1986, Tom left the secure confines of his advertising agency job for the unpredictability of life as a full time sculptor.

Tom landed his first major public commission in 1988. Additional commissions followed, along with the financial freedom for Tom to develop his own “speculative” sculpture. During this period, Tom was also experimenting with furniture design, an area that would soon play a major role in the growth of his studio operation.

Today, Tom’s work appears in 22 showrooms and galleries internationally. Individual collectors include Mr. and Mrs. Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, Danielle Steel and the late Frank Sinatra. Public installation sites include the United Nations, The Kauffman Foundation, the Firefighter’s Memorial, the Children’s Fountain, University of Oregon and Florida State University. In addition to important public and private collections, his work has found its way onto the sets of some major motion pictures, among them True Lies, A Perfect Murder, It’s Complicated and Transformers.

last installment of event photos

party pics

As I head into the final surgery for my reconstruction, I have had a great time looking at all the wonderful pictures Michael took at the CTT event. I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the incredible and talented volunteers who helped make the night a huge success. Besides an attendance that exceeded our expectations, we raised more money than we ever thought we would. Thanks to the pre-event patrons, everyone who came, who "got it" and who reached into their pockets to purchase artwork, jewelry, t-shirts or drop donations into the fishbowl, Change the Truth netted $40,000 on Thursday night!

the big event

Our first annual CTT friendraiser/fundraiser was a huge success! Thanks to all of you who attended and showed your support. It was an amazing evening - close to 450 people in attendance.

My good friend and fellow photographer Michael Spillers, donated his time, energy and talent to our cause and took some great photos. Here is the first installment of those.

Operation Breakthrough African dancers

CTT Board and event planning committee member, Susie Corbin

Director of Operation Breakthrough African Drummers, Bird Flemming

CTT Team One reunites for the evening

ctt event is tonight!

I woke up this morning to an article about the Friendraiser/Fundraiser in the Kansas City Star, as well as a good luck missive from Mama Rosemary. Other than the thunder that's rattling my windows and the occasional flash of lightning, this is a good way to start the day we've been planning for oh so many months!

"Dear Gloria,

Thanks for the hard work you do together with Change the Truth foundation and all friends of St. Mary Kevin Orphanage.
Indeed we appreciate your work and we wish you to succeed in the fundraising function you are yet to do.

May God bless all the work of your hands.

Kind Regards
Mama Rosemary Kavulu and staff"

documentary

Lynne Melcher and I have been friends for many years. We cooked up the idea to work together - she making a video, me making photographs - for a project for Operation Breakthrough a couple of years back. But she didn’t have a video camera, and the one I had to lend her didn’t work all that well, so the idea faded.

Then came Uganda. Once she decided to come along and make a video of my experiences there, there was, suddenly, no turning back. She took a couple of filmmaking workshops and became – at least in her own mind – an aspiring filmmaker.

She already had the eye from years of experience as a designer and artist. It was the technical stuff that overwhelmed her. This is from the blog Lynne wrote during the workshop she attended in Cambodia in July, 2007, just a few months before our departure for Uganda:

“For this segment we used Brenda's camera. She has made documentaries before, so she pulled out the big guns. I think her camera, with mic, lenses, etc, must have weighed at least 20 pounds. Now, I do work out with a trainer, and I do work on my biceps, but this was a workout unlike others.
To hold the camera steady, for many, many minutes, and to focus, walk, pan, etc...it was like doing tai chi, but with a frozen turkey in your hands. 
It was draining, fascinating, invigorating, and so much more. It was, in it's own way, kind of a rush. I can't wait to start all over again tomorrow.”

That’s how it’s been for Lynne and the camera ever since. She broke down and bought one of the “big guns” for herself. Was it just a few weeks before we were supposed to leave for Uganda? Oh, and then she got pneumonia, so she couldn’t really practice with it that much. At any rate, she carefully packed this thing (it affectionately came to be known as Lynne’s “baby”) and lugged it to an orphanage half a world away to tell the story about children who’d lost their parents to war and HIV/AIDS.

It was like watching a duck take to water. The camera soon became an extension of Lynne’s keen eye, her warm heart and her sharp intellect. You will see what I mean when you watch her movie.

Coming home from Uganda with 25 hours of tape would have sent most novices over the edge. With tenacity and determination, Lynne got to work even before the jet lag wore off. She hired a tutor, and she basically went underground for the next several months. Friends began to ask with some concern, “Where did Lynne Melcher go?”

She had a lot to learn, but that didn’t get in her way. At one point, after she’d already been working on the film for several weeks, someone asked her, “Who’s going to write the script?” And Lynne said, “The what?”

With each realization that she needed to know more, she simply dug in her heels and learned more.

So… where Lynne has been is in her studio… developing the skills do something she has longed to do for many years now – tell the stories of people from other lands, other cultures.

The children and staff at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage have no idea what a friend they have in Lynne Melcher. She has given her life over to them, to this project, for the past six months. On their behalf, and on behalf of Change the Truth, Lynne, I say “thank you.”

This is Lynne’s first major motion picture, you might say. I have seen it, and I’d give it five stars.

silent auction

There are gong to be 75 wonderful drawings and paintings by the children from St. Mary Kevin in the silent auction Thursday night. (CTT Friendraiser/Fundraiser: Screenland Theatre, 5 - 8 PM) There are also going to be these three pieces, two by the artists who taught the classes and were responsible for overseeing the creation of the kids’ work, and one by me.



ARTIST: Jane Voorhees
TITLE: "On My Way to Africa"
DATE: 2007
MEDIUM: Monotype
SIZE: 7" x 7" framed to 12" x 12"
VALUE: $450.00

"Working with the kids at St. Mary Kevin was very special to me. How often does one know of people who have nothing that are happy, that are so grateful for the smallest thing? I took many pictures as memories of this wonderful trip and have started to do the Ugandan pieces. I have decided they must be abstract, for how else can one capture such spirit."



ARTIST: Lonnie Powell
TITLE: "Uganda, Drawing Number One"
DATE: 2008
MEDIUM: Pencil
SIZE: 10" x 6.5" framed to 19" x 15"
VALUE: $950.00

"I was part of the illustrious group that traveled to St. Mary Kevin's Orphanage in Kajjansi, Uganda in December of 2007. I was one of two artists charged with giving a series of workshops to the students of the orphanage. The Uganda experience has changed my life and my art in ways that I have not yet fully processed. I can say that the students were more polite and respectful than any I have ever seen, and I may have left my heart in Kajjansi."



ARTIST: Gloria Baker Feinstein
TITLE: "Tire Rim, Kajjansi"
DATE: 2007
MEDIUM: Archival Pigment Print
SIZE: 8.5" x 12" framed to 18" x 22"
VALUE: $400.00

"The children I met in Uganda don't have much in terms of possessions. They have no toys, for the most part, and therefore have to come up with their own creations with which to pass the time and feed their imagination and energy. It is not uncommon to see kids rolling discarded tire rims with a stick as they run down the dirt roads. This little guy at the orphanage, like most impoverished, struggling and often ill Ugandan children, has a joyful spirit that is difficult for most of us Westerners to fathom."

american century = art gallery for the kids

Caleb Fey, curator of the Corporate Art Collection at American Century Investments, which is headquartered in Kansas City, has been extremely kind to Change the Truth! He personally picked up the children’s artwork after we finished framing it and then installed all 75 pieces in the lunch area (Market Place) at the corporate offices. The work will remain on display there until the silent auction, which will take place on June 12th at the Screenland Theatre. If you live in the area, please check it out!

Here is the press release from American Century:

"American Century Investments is proud to exhibit the artwork for the upcoming Change The Truth fund-raiser to benefit the St. Mary Kevin Orphanage in Uganda. Our company headquarters is located at 4500 Main Street on the Country Club Plaza. The exhibit is located in our public Market Place located on the ground floor between our two tower buildings and is on view from 8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday. Visitor parking is available on the surface lot and on level G1 of our parking garage. The garage entrance is located on the North end of our buildings, please park in a visitor spot and take one of the elevators to the lobby level."

jewelry

It is always so exciting when a letter or package arrives from Uganda. This morning I received a thick envelope chock full of beaded paper bracelets, earrings and necklaces made by the older children at the orphanage. You can purchase these at the "store" on the Change the Truth website or wait until our event on June 12th. They're so beautiful.

change the truth update

I recently received an email from Rosemary updating me on what our money has been doing to help change the truth for the children at the orphanage. I am asked, from time to time, how I can be sure the contributions that are made do indeed go where we think they’re going. The good news is: I have complete faith and trust in Rosemary, director of St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood, AND she is faithful about forwarding detailed receipts for each purchase or payment made with Change the Truth funds.

In response to my question about the money we have sent for food purchases and the continuation of therapy started by Ann and Melissa during our mission trip in December.

“There is now a visible difference in the children’s feeding and well being.”

As far as the children who are now attending secondary school because of our assistance:

“School fees have been paid in April for the next term for 16 pupils. Rosette, Emma Vincent and Edward are interested in vocational school instead of secondary school. We will explore this and get back to you.”

I asked about Douglas, the young man we met (and fell in love with!) in December who had expressed interest in attending nursing school. Since some very generous friends of Change the Truth have offered to pay his school fees, I wanted to make sure that Douglas was absolute in his desire to become a nurse. Rosemary agreed and instructed him to do his research.

“Douglas considered other options open to him like –Music/Dance/Drama Diploma; Teaching at Primary school level; further academic studies up to University, etc. He still prefers Nursing. Douglas researched at least six nursing training options (Hospital General ward duties; Psychiatric; Dental; Midwifery; Old People's Homes, etc). He prefers Surgical Nursing, as an assistant to doctors in the Operating Theatre.”

With regard to the sustainable projects we are helping support, Rosemary filled me in on the latest in that arena, as well.

“The projects are progressing well. Pigs – 9 adults, plus 25 new piglets. Brick making project – net profits have assisted with teachers' salaries. Beaded jewelry – net proceeds used to buy school uniforms for orphans.”

As we prepare for the Change the Truth friendraiser/fundraiser , we have made an appeal for patron support. Many of you have received such a letter. The event is free and open to the public; the money we raise will come in the form of sales from the silent auction, the “store” and donations from friends. If you would like more information about this, please email me.

As is evident from Rosemary’s correspondence, the assistance we are providing is doing some very good things. Thank you! Let’s keep up the good work.

framing party

Today the Change the Truth Friendraiser/Fundraiser committee was busy framing the artwork made by the children at St. Mary Kevin’s. It is amazing to see the artwork come to life in their white museum mats and beautiful frames. The children would be so proud to see their paintings and drawings presented this way!

There will be approximately sixty pieces available for purchase at the silent auction on June 12th. Don’t miss the chance to bid on these precious gems.

save the date

The Change the Truth Friendraiser/Fundraiser is over four months away, but I am now in the process of printing the “save the date” cards and will mail them next week. Can’t help it – I’m a Virgo… we Virgos are blessed (cursed?) with the need to be at the head of the class when it comes to organizational skills. (You should see my sock drawer.)

The event is scheduled to take place at the very cool Screenland Theatre in Kansas City on June 12th. We will have African food, dancing and drumming, as well as the showing of Lynne’s film about the orphanage and our trip there.


There will be shopping, too! We will be auctioning paintings and drawings made by the children during art class with Lonnie and Jane this past December. Some of the artwork will take the form of greeting cards, and they will be available for purchase, as well. African crafts will be strategically placed by our checkout stand for those of you who are known to give in to impulse shopping.

I may have one really big surprise about the evening to announce in the near future, so stay tuned!


Please be sure to send me your snail mail address if you are not currently on our mailing list. That way I can send you a spiffy save the date card, and later, an invitation to the real thing. Consider sending me the addresses of your friends, your aunts and uncles, your boss, your distant cousin and your next-door neighbor if you think they may have an interest in joining in on the fun.

Also, if you would like to help us plan and/or work at the event, let me know that. I guarantee we’ll have a good time!