Judith Hill
Emily West and Julia Sullivan
When San Diego native Shaney Jo Darden founded the Keep A Breast Foundation and created the first KAB Breast Cast in 2000, she never imagined that the art exhibitions would take place in cities around the world for the next 20 consecutive years.
Now, during Breast Cancer Awareness month, the Keep A Breast Foundation exhibition has landed in Nashville; where the artist-decorated breast casts of 87 notable Nashville women will be exhibited and sold via virtual auction to raise funds and promote breast cancer education, support, and advocacy.
Darden was inspired to start the organization at 27 after a friend was diagnosed with breast cancer. The first KAB Breast Cast exhibition began as a way to raise funds and support for that friend, but quickly grew into an unwavering mission to raise awareness and to encourage prevention and early detection of breast cancer among young people.
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Shaney Jo Darden
“The reason we talk to young people is because at that time in my life no one was talking to me about this,” Darden explains. “So, when one of our peers was diagnosed it was obviously shocking. The original feeling was just kind of to talk to my peers like, ‘Hey this is happening to our friend, it could also happen to us. Let’s talk about it; let’s educate ourselves.’”
This year, Nashville has been chosen as the 20th international city to host KAB’s breast cast exhibition. As the foundation’s second largest exhibition in its history, KAB’s Nashville Breast Cast collection features the casts of 87 remarkable Music City women, including local breast cancer survivors, artists, musicians, activists, politicians, small business owners, and influencers. Some of the castees include musicians Mickey Guyton and Margo Price; chef Julia Sullivan; activist Fiona Prine; model Karen Elson; and former mayor Megan Barry, to name a few.
“The diversity of the women who are involved is really special and the city of Nashville, the spirit of this community, there is something special about the bonds of women in your city,” says Darden. “Women in Nashville really seem to have a bond to lift each other up, and that’s what this exhibition is all about—uplifting not only the women that are involved but the entire community.”
Darden makes every cast herself, and each participant is then paired with an artist who volunteers to decorate their cast. A mix of local, national, and international artists paint each cast to reflect their own artistic style, while being inspired by the women behind each mold. Ranging from contemporary art, to fine art, graphic art, street art, and everything in between, each represents the beauty of every unique body, while serving as a conduit for conversation surrounding the complex and imperative topic of breast cancer.
The exhibition will be open to the public October 2 through 31, at 1600 Riverside Drive in East Nashville with free admission daily from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. There will also be an online auction of the breast casts October 6 through 28 on charitybuzz.com/keepabreast, and a virtual live-stream event on October 9.
“I want people to walk into this exhibition, and just feel love and feel proud to have something like this in their community... this is unique, this is special, this is a moment in time,” says Darden. “It’s my favorite thing in the world to make a cast, to be honored and trusted by people to be a part of this. It’s a really special feeling."