Students make art out of intimate wear
During the fall reading days, some students will spend their time with family, friends or a much neglected textbook. Others will spend time with a hot glue gun, feathers and the eye of a needle.
Maya Earls
Spectrum Editor
During the fall reading days, some students will spend their time with family, friends or a much neglected textbook. Others will spend time with a hot glue gun, feathers and the eye of a needle.
Armed with supplies from the local craft store, students are working to transform bras into art for the annual Art of Intimates fundraiser sponsored by Relay for Life at VCU. The event, held Oct. 24 will bring magicians, dancers and poets to the Commons Ballroom as handcrafted bras will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Known in other organizations as the “Bra ha ha,” the members of Relay for Life at VCU plan to auction more than 20 bras to help support the fight against breast cancer.
“Last year we raised $900,” said Deja Johnson, Director of Relay for Life at VCU. “Hopefully this year we raise more.”
For the fundraiser, the organizers buy the bras in a plain style and then give them to various designers. Members of the VCU Fashion department, Zeta Tau Alpha and local artists will design the bras this year. Members of Sigma Gamma Rho are also volunteering to help members of Relay for Life with the event. In the past, individual bra designs have sold for $100.
“(The design) was basically like an angelic bra,” Johnson said. “It had white feathers, white beads and it was really pretty.”
The student organizers reached out to various clubs at VCU to see if they were willing to perform at the fundraisers.
Anointed to Dance, Slam Nahuatl, the Magic and Juggling Club and Ramifications are scheduled to perform at this year’s Art of Intimates. Various student volunteers turn up in large numbers to fundraise for the event.
“Last year we had 42 teams, so that’s like 600 participants,” Johnson said.
Relay for Life at VCU hosts various fundraisers throughout the year to help promote cancer awareness and support the fight against the disease. Johnson said the organization raised about $23,000. Each April, the group hosts a large fundraiser to support the fight against all forms of cancer. Johnson said she hopes to raise $40,000 before she graduates from VCU.
Art of Intimates will be held Oct. 24 in the Commonwealth Ballroom at the University Student Commons from 7-10 p.m. All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society.
