Amy Westerhuis learned about Chair-A-Tee after a Facebook friend shared the event announcement written by Lowell’s First Look. A resident of Rockford, cancer has touched her life personally and she wanted to bring attention to childhood cancer.
Stop by the Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce to see Amy’s chair.
A Tribute to Children
Westerhuis lost her niece, who was 11, to cancer three and a half years ago. She doesn’t consider herself an artist but loves to craft and search for ideas on Pinterest. Prior to painting her chair she watched YouTube videos as a way to teach herself how to paint flowers. “Before this, I have never painted a flower in my life.” she explains. But she was still eager to represent her niece and childhood cancer with her design.
Many aspects of the chair Westerhuis created pay tribute to her niece. “The gold ribbon is for childhood cancer. I painted the pansies because those are my niece’s and [my] favorite flower.” Additionally, the quote used on the seat back of the chair means something to Westerhuis but she wanted it to be relevant to others as well.
Finally, Westerhuis wants to be sure to acknowledge those she came in contact with during the time her niece fought cancer. Doctors, nurses, child life specialists, and countless others associated with Helen Devos Children’s Hospital were a helpful and positive part of her experience.
Amy Westerhuis’ work of art can be seen and bid upon at the Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce until August 18. All of the chairs will be on display at LowellArts from August 22 until August 26. Final bids are due by 3pm on August 26.
Leave a Reply