Blog

“The Battle We Didn’t Choose–My Wife’s Fight with Breast Cancer”

Photographer Angelo Merendino will discuss his internationally recognized photo-documentary, “The Battle We Didn’t Choose – My Wife’s Fight with Breast Cancer,” at 6pm Thursday, March 7 at Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center. The program is part of “The Art of Healing” exhibit and lecture series.

The program is free and open to the public, but reservations are requested. You can make reservations online or call 304-242-7700.

Merendino and his wife Jennifer were married in 2007. Five months later, Jennifer was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 36. Over the next four years she endured a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation and reconstructive surgery. Jennifer died in December 2011.

Committed to showing the human face of her ordeal, Jennifer invited her husband to photograph her throughout her treatment. His photo-documentary, “The Battle We Didn’t Choose – My Wife’s Fight With Breast Cancer,” has received worldwide recognition. Intimate, honest and moving, his photographs offer viewers a look inside the day-to-day life of a young couple facing breast cancer together.

For some, the photos depict loss and death. For others, including Merendino, they tell a story of life and love.

The New York Times and USA Today along with various online news outlets have featured Merendino’s work. He has exhibited his photographs in New York City, Washington D.C. and Rome, Italy.

“The Art of Healing” exhibit, on display at Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center, currently features Merendino’s work. You can see the exhibit now through April 19. The exhibit includes drawing, painting, photography, sculpture and written word from artists from throughout the United States and explores various ways art can be used in the healing process.

“The Art of Healing” Lecture Series

The accompanying lecture series provides resources and social support for those affected by cancer. Special guests include artists featured in “The Art of Healing” exhibit, oncology experts, social workers, art therapists and cancer patients and their families.

Programs take place at 6pm every Thursday during the exhibit at the Stifel Fine Arts Center. All programs are free and open to the public.

Other upcoming lectures include:

Thursday, March 14: “The Face of Cancer” Photo Presentation
Fine art photographer and cancer survivor Pete Wildey presents a powerful portrait series coupled with a positive narrative that will change the way you view cancer patients.

Thursday, March 21: Renee K. Nicholson
Creative writer Renee K. Nicholson will discuss her work with Narrative Medicine- a medical approach that utilizes patients’ individual life stories to improve treatment experiences. Nicholson will share her experience working with Wheeling native Lacie Wallace.

Thursday, March 28: Art Therapy Panel
A panel of art therapists will discuss the healing benefits of using art to cope with illness.

Thursday, April 4: Exploring Your Inner Landscape: Yoga & Sound Bath
Chelsey Keding and Lindsay Schooler will present a therapeutic session that combines soothing musical and energy medicine with movements and introspective visualization. All levels. All are welcome.

Thursday, April 11: The Bodice Project Artists
Get an in-depth look at “The Bodice Project” from the artists who created this uplifting and sensitive sculptural exhibit.

Thursday, April 18: Lacie Wallace Benefit Auction
Presented by the Independent Artist Group, this special auction will feature pieces done of Lacie Wallace during modeling sessions over a two-year period and throughout her battle with colon cancer. Proceeds will benefit the education funds of Lacie’s two daughters, Rozzalin and Zuzu.

For more information on “The Art of Healing” exhibit and lecture series, please call 304-242-7700 or visit www.OIonline.com.

MAPLE MADNESS!

Learn about syrup production & enjoy a pancake breakfast March 16

Something sweet is happening in Oglebay! Naturalists at Oglebay Institute’s Schrader Environmental Education Center have been working hard preparing for the upcoming harvest of maple syrup, which the public can enjoy during OI’s annual Maple Sugaring Day.

Maple Sugaring Day takes place from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Saturday, March 16 in the woods behind Camp Russel in Oglebay.

Watch maple syrup being made. Learn about the tapping process, the history of maple syrup production and how to identify maple trees. Taste fresh maple syrup, too, during a hot pancake breakfast at Camp Russel.Maple_Sugaring_14_6

This annual event attracts hundreds of guests each year and is one of the Schrader Center’s most popular programs. This year’s Maple Sugaring Day is sponsored by the Hess Family Foundation.

Take a Hike

Take a hike through the woods with OI naturalists. Stop at learning stations along the way. Learn how Native Americans discovered this “sweet water” and the methods they used to harvest it. Next, hear about colonial methods of sap tapping and try drilling holes with old-fashioned bits and braces. You’ll see how wooden taps, known as spiles, allow sap to flow from tree to bucket. Also, hear about current pipeline techniques. And watch how maple sap is boiled down into syrup, while socializing around a boiling sap evaporator.  Listen to live Bluegrass music, too.Maple_Sugaring_14_4

The program begins in the woods behind Camp Russel. Trail guides depart from the Camp Russel parking lot every half hour beginning at 9 a.m. The last group leaves at 12:30 p.m.

At the end of the tour, enjoy a delicious breakfast that includes pancakes, sausage, juice or coffee.

Make Reservations

Admission is $12. Members of Oglebay Institute receive a discount. Boots and appropriate outdoor clothing are recommended.

Advance registration is encouraged because the event typically sells out. Make reservations online or by calling 304-242-6855.

FUN FACTS ABOUT MAPLE SYRUP

•It takes 30-50 gallons of sap to make one gallon of pure maple syrup.

•One gallon of maple syrup weighs 11 pounds.

•World production of maple syrup totals 4 million gallons annually, primarily all made during the months of March and April.

•Usually a maple tree is at least 30 years old and 12 inches in diameter before it is tapped.

•Tapping does no permanent damage and only 10 percent of the sap is collected each year.

•Many maples have been tapped for 150 or more years.

•The maple season may last eight to 10 weeks, but sap flows heaviest for about 10-20 days in the early spring, depending on the temperature.

•Maple syrup is graded by color: the lighter syrup has a more delicate flavor and the darker syrup has a stronger flavor.

•Maple syrup is rich in minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and iron.