CROWNS OF COURAGE PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVE BURGESS
Crowns of Courage Photographs by Dave Burgess Š2019 Dave Burgess, Ada Michigan 49301, all rights reserved. All photographs in this book Š2016-2017 Dave Burgess, Ada Michigan, 49301, all rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without express written consent of the publisher: Studio 616 Photographry 2024 28th Street SW Wyoming MI 49510 crownsofcourage.org
The Crowns of Courage Project began in the fall of 2016 when photographer Dave Burgess joined henna tattoo artists Amanda Gilbert and Steve Stone to celebrate women fighting cancer by giving them temporary henna tattoo crowns. Makeup artists Tara Warnes-Pennington and Jessica Renusson joined the creative team, and eventually twenty two courageous Michigan women were crowned as part of the project, which was displayed at the DeVos Place Convention Center as an entry in ArtPrize 9. Crowns of Courage challenges the traditional aesthetic of feminine beauty and explores a vision of empowerment where pain and shame are normally found. This exhibit was made in collaboration with dozens of West Michigan cancer patients who were experiencing radical cancer treatments. Chemotherapy in and of itself is grueling, and in a culture where women are often judged by superficial standards of beauty, hair loss can add emotional pain to the intense physical cost of treatment. The women of Crowns of Courage are living art. This project celebrates their baldness, their struggles and their pain, and draws attention to what is is normally a private struggle concealed beneath wigs and hats. The Crowns of Courage ArtPrize Project was selected as one of the top five finalists in the prestigious ArtPrize 9 public vote. In June 2018, the project was given a permanent home in the lobby of the Lemmen Holton Cancer Pavilion at the Spectrum Health Campus in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Michelle Mucha
Emily VanKeuren
Jessica Parm
Alexandria Yonkman
Lisa Permesang
Mindy Koert
Keni Jo Hudenko
Lizz Grams
Erin Rogers
Katie Edick
Robin Prell
Rachael Schwab
Tessa Prothero
Rukshana Ilahi
Melissa Van Klompenburg
Carol McLane
Donia Robertson
Tegan Rose
Becky Richard
Dulce Laredo
Brianna Bentley
Lisa Fredricks
Acknowledgements
When the first Crowns of Courage photo session took place in October 2016, I had no idea it would grow into the the deeply satisfying project it has become. As Crowns of Courage took shape, it consumed almost a full year of my life, and it couldn’t have happened without the help and support of many people. I would like to thank them here. First, the creative team: Amanda Gilbert and Steve Stone, who provided the temporary henna tattoos for all twenty two of our subjects. Each subject also received professional makeup and TLC from artists Jessica Renusson (herself a cancer survivor) and Tara Warnes-Pennington. We spent long hours together and the creativity we shared will always be a highlight of my artistic life. Behind the scenes, my assistant Rebecca Heibel provided sorely needed organization and structure. She was also my sounding board and wonderful liaison between the creative team and the crownees. Thank you. The folks at Corporate Color provided excellent advice on how to display the art, and they flawessly reproduced the final images in a manner where they will be enjoyed and preserved for generations. Speaking of our final entry, thank you to Eddie Tadlock and the folks at Devos Place Convention Center for giving us a prime
location in a venue where thousands of people were able to see our work and hear the stories. A few days before opening night, my friends Kim Sorrelle and Sonny Tohey graciously hosted our Crownees with an amazing private reception and limo transportation. Bravo. Several people at Spectrum Health were instrumental in giving the Crowns of Courage Project a permanent home in the Lemmen Holton Cancer Pavilion: VP Angie Ditmar and her assistant Diane Ivy made the necessary arrangements, and Dr. Michael Puff offered organization advice and helped sponsor the final installation. Last but not least, installer Brandon Alman was the magician who figured out a way to mount 24 large prints on a beautiful but irregular stone wall. Of course, my wife Carol and my children Julie, Andrea, and Jeff were steady supporters throughout. They provided encouragement, coaching, photo critique, and hugs. My daughter Julie was especially helpful in navigating some artistic issues that I never saw coming. And finally, I need to end by thanking the twenty two fierce women who shared their stories and showed me a new definition of courage and beauty. God bless each of you. Gratefully, db
About the Photographer
Dave Burgess is a photographer based in West Michigan, and his specialty is studio portraiture. His clients are business people, individuals, and families. He is proud to be mostly self-taught, and just recently turned to professional photography full time after retiring from a successful fundraising business. He has studied with world famous editorial photographer Joe McNally, acclaimed dance photographer Allen Birnbach and others. Crowns of Courage was his first ArtPrize entry.
In June 2018, the Crowns of Courage ArtPrize Project was permanently installed in the lobby of the Lemmen Holton Cancer Pavilion of the Spectrum Health Campus in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The artists are grateful to Spectrum Health for giving the display a home where it continues to be seen by men and women undergoing world renowned cancer treatment.