Increasing Breast Cancer Awareness With Art

Started by Shaney Jo Darden and Mona Mukherjea-Gehrig in 2000, The Keep A Breast Foundation is dedicated to ending breast cancer by increasing awareness among young people. The non-profit organization takes an unconventional path in spreading its message, doing so through art events, educational programs, and fundraisers.

Darden and Gehrig's first campaign was a series of art exhibits that showcased unique plaster forms of the female torso that had been customized by artists. These forms were then auctioned off to raise funds for breast cancer programs around the world, an undertaking that Keep A Breast continues to carry out more than a decade later.

Since its inception, Keep A Breast has held fundraising events for other charities such as The Lavender Trust (UK), the National Breast Cancer Foundation (Australia), and Young Survival Coalition (US). Over the years, Keep A Breast's efforts have received much support from artists, celebrities, and athletes, including Dita Von Teese, Katy Perry, and Sarah Hughen.