Women Build honors partners in rebuilding

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Women Build, an arm of Habitat for Humanity in Monmouth County, will honor partnerships that made a difference after superstorm Sandy.

These ties will be honored at the 2015 “From the Glamour to the Hammer” luncheon, set for 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. May 7 at Branches in West Long Branch.

Habitat for Humanity spokeswoman Jennifer Sneed said the luncheon was established in 2014 as a special event designed “to raise awareness as to the difference that women can make in helping to build homes, communities and hope.” Habitat for Humanity in Monmouth County President Nancy Doran said that after superstorm Sandy, the organization went from an all-volunteer staff to a grantfunded operation to meet the needs of the county.

“Over 90 families have been helped since Sandy. We have had a tremendous impact on homeowners in Monmouth County,” Doran said. She added that the organization is “still getting phone calls from people who need our help.”

The organization provided critical repairs to most homes and built five new ones since Sandy, Doran said. Doran, who has been with Habitat for Humanity since 2000, meets with all families and listens to their stories. She describes “helping people through difficult times” as an “awesome” experience.

The honorees are determined from a wide range of leading sponsors, volunteers and partners whose actions and financial support have contributed significantly to the efforts of Habitat for Humanity in rebuilding homes and communities, and restoring hope for low- and moderate-income homeowners in Monmouth County, according to Sneed.

Four honorees will be recognized in 2015.

JPMorgan Chase Co. will receive the Corporate Citizen Award in recognition of the financial support that the firm has provided to communities trying to rebuild since Sandy.

The Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund, chaired by first lady Mary Pat Christie, will receive the Partners in Disaster Recovery Award in recognition of its financial support of construction and staffing costs associated with the chapter’s Critical Home Repair program.

The Salvation Army of Red Bank will receive the Community Partner Award for providing volunteer service to Habitat for Humanity in Monmouth County.

Sheryl Powers will receive the individual From the Glamour to the Hammer Award for volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in Monmouth County since 1998.

An auction that highlights local designers will also take place at the luncheon, with proceeds benefiting Sandy recovery efforts and affordable housing in the service area of Habitat for Humanity of Monmouth County.

For the auction, four designers each chose a piece of furniture to be refurbished from ReStore, Freehold. With a budget of $150, Room in Our Hearts of Middletown; Paint Passion of Red Bank; Ridiculous Redhead Design of Middletown; and Nancyanne Miklos of Ocean Grove have set out to bring new life to each piece.

Katharine Koehler, executive director of Room in Our Hearts — an organization that redesigns one room in the homes of people affected by crisis — refinished a lingerie chest, giving it a French flair. She said that choosing a piece is based on “how it moves you.”

Paint Passion owner Patty Seaman said she is thrilled to participate in the event. Choosing a small dresser that she said had “nice bones but needed a little something,” Seaman added details to give it a European finish.

Ridiculous Redhead owner Kelly Reynolds became involved with this year’s Women Build through a networking group and is working on three pieces: a desk, rocking chair and dresser.

Nancyanne Miklos, an Ocean Grove interior designer, said Habitat for Humanity is “an amazing organization with what they accomplish through volunteerism.” She used her $150 budget on a coffee table and a couple of end tables.

“I know that all of the money and energy is put to a good cause,” Miklos said.

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Art exhibition showcases work of graduating seniors

After spending an entire semester on creating their projects, studio art and graphic design, seniors had their thesis work installed in the Oakland University Art Gallery.

The MMXV Senior Thesis Exhibition held its opening reception on Friday, April 17. The showcase features artwork created with a variety of mediums, including painting, drawing, mixed media and photography.

Katie Cagle, photography major, was one of the students with her work on display. Her set of six still life photographs was titled “Compartments That We Keep.”

As part of her project, Cagle reached out to find people who would be willing to talk to her about topics they keep hidden.  She then used everyday objects to create compositions that represented the topics in those conversations.

“This body of work is my visual interpretation of their stories,” Cagle said. “I was really concentrating on clean shots for minimal editing.”

Cagle’s photographs are all shot from a bird’s-eye view, looking down at the subjects. Some objects in her photographs include a set of cracked eggs, a bottle of Tums and dentist tools.

Cagle ended up with 16 interviews that ranged from face-to-face chats to e-mail to Facebook messenger. She offered anonymity and no judgement towards her participants. The topics of her interviews are very personal, and when asked if she could explain in depth the meaning behind the pictures, she said she couldn’t retell their story.

“The titles are there to assist the viewer in guiding them to a place of understanding,” she said. “It’s hard, because a lot of people want to know.”

Although Cagle had completed photographs for 15 of the 16 subjects, she said that the project wouldn’t be complete until she had around 25 subjects complete. She is still looking for subjects who are willing to participate.

The pornification quilt

Another student who had her art put in display was Sarah Blanchette, a journalism and photography double major. She created a quilt piece titled “Pornification Quilt.”  

The quilt is made up of original and found images in a photo montage with a traditional quilt square border showcasing donated lingerie.

Blanchette described her piece as “a beacon for some heterosexual monogamous women who experience self-inflicted pressures caused by mainstream pornography. “Pornification Quilt”explores the degradation of mental, physical, and sexual health.”

It took Blanchette three months to construct the quilt. She explained the process from start to finish.

“The first step was to decide which visual elements were most appropriate for the topic,” Blanchette said. “Choosing a single composition created out of a photo montage bordered by quilt squares allows the viewer to view the piece as a photograph.”

Once she had completed choosing which images she was going to include in the quilt, the next step was to begin sewing.

“I sectioned out the quilt border in order to figure out how many 9 inch by 9 inch squares would be needed,” Blanchette said. “After creating each square, I connected them in their border configuration and finished the base with black fabric. After sewing the front and back together, with cotton filling in the middle, I then applied binding around the edges and applied the cut out fabric prints of my images.”

Like Cagle, Blanchette relied on outside help with her piece. She had 10 people contribute by donating lingerie, modeling or helping with the construction of the quilt. Most of the quilt making was done on the weekends.

“It was important to have additional hands in order to enforce the community aspect seen throughout the history of quilting,” Blanchette explained.

Both Cagle and Blachette’s work rely on participation and help during both the creation process and also once the pieces are complete. To see their work, as well as the other seniors thesis projects, visit the Oakland University Art Gallery. The exhibit will be on display April 17 through May 17, 2015.

Those interested in participating in Cagle’s project can reach her at katherinecagle@gmail.com.

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