American Pain Foundation and The HealthCentral Network:
Call for
Artistic Submissions for Creativity and Pain Exhibit
Deadline for Entries is September 20, 2007
The American Pain Foundation (“APF”) and
project partner The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is accepting
entries for the 2007 APF Pain and Creativity Exhibit. This online exhibit will
showcase all contributing artists and their work, including visual arts,
inspirational videos, poetry, and quilt squares. Select submissions will be
chosen for special promotion by APF. The Pain and Creativity community will be
ongoing, but to be considered for special honor in the Exhibit, and at the
APF’s 10th Anniversary Celebration in October, submissions must be received by
September 20th. Entries can be submitted at www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/apf/
“HealthCentral.com is pleased to be working
with the American Pain Foundation to host the Pain and Creativity Exhibit—a
virtual space where anyone can share their painting, drawings, sculpture, and
video with other individuals dealing with pain,” said Bill Allman, General
Manager of HealthCentral. “Art can play a major role in expressing and working
through chronic pain, and we believe that the Pain and Creativity Exhibit
offers a flexible, supportive environment in which to do this.”
“Recognizing that we are all creative and
have the power to turn adversity into opportunity, we would like to expand our
Pain and Creativity network to connect artists and their expressions of pain
through an online exhibit of creative work,” said Will Rowe, Executive Director
of APF. “Our hope is that the submissions to the Pain and Creativity Exhibit
come in a variety of forms, including film, sculpture, words, painting and
quilt blocks, from people who have pain or from people who are affected by
pain.”
Entrants can contribute poetry, prose, a
digital photo of their artwork, or an inspirational video that tells the story
of how pain can affect one’s life. Along with their submission, entrants also
need to include a paragraph that describes how their piece of art represents
their pain experience.
A related project
sponsored by APF in conjunction with the Lagniappe Project of Baltimore is
calling for the submission of quilt blocks for the inclusion in a quilt which
will reflect the experience of pain. Quilts are a literal and figurative symbol
of comfort and the joining of patchwork is a symbol of unity and community.
Through the block design, construction, and joining to create a finished quilt,
we hope that the artist finds comfort and unity. The finished quilts will be
exhibited at the APF’s 10th Anniversary Celebration in October and will be used
for fundraising purposes through the Celebration Auction and/or through other
fundraising efforts. For more information on quilt square requirements, CLICK HERE.
The deadline
for all submissions is Thursday, September 20.
About The
HealthCentral Network
The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.healthcentral.com) is a new
and unique online offering, comprised of over 30 general health and highly
specific condition and wellness web properties, each committed to offering a
voice in everyday and personal language people can understand and connect with
at critical points in their lives. Each site provides timely, interactive,
in-depth and trusted medical information (from Harvard Health Publications
among others), and connections to leading experts and thousands of people who
share their related experiences and inspiration.
About the American Pain Foundation
Founded in 1997,
the American Pain Foundation is an independent nonprofit 501(c)3 organization
serving people with pain through information, advocacy, and support. Our
mission is to improve the quality of life of people with pain by raising public
awareness, providing practical information, promoting research, and advocating
to remove barriers and increase access to effective pain management. For more
information, visit www.painfoundation.org.
Not a single medication has ever been developed specifically for
Migraine and headache prevention. Not one, yet we have seven triptans (acute medications used to abort Migraine attacks).
September 10-16, 2007 is National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week (NICIAW). This is a special week dedicated to those of us who hate to hear, "But you look so good" when we're suffering in pain. Translation: "I can't believe you're really in that much pain because I can't see it." 
We're honored to announce that Chronic Pain Voices is a recipient of the HealthCentral Network's 2007 "Top Site" Award in the area of Chronic Pain. Many thanks to the people at HealthCentral who chose to recognize this blog.
What is it about people who are ill or in pain that makes unscrupulous people think we're fair game for their scams and schemes? Medication prices are out of control. Many of us, even with insurance, are spending a disproportionate amount of our income on meds, and many are looking for sources of less expensive meds. 
