Charlie Cummings on fri 4 aug 06
To the many friends of Dick Lehman, An Appeal for Ceramic Donations -
Perhaps you have heard that potter Dick Lehman will be going in for
treatment soon. He is experiencing a recurrence of his lymphoma, and
in his own words here is what is happening:
"I was diagnosed as coming out of remission (follicular lymphoma) in
early April of this year. After medical consultations, it was
recommended that I have an autologous stem cell transplant
"Autologous" means that my own stem cells will be removed, cleaned
and frozen. Then I get high doses of chemotherapy that will kill my
bone marrow and immune system. Later my stem cells are returned to
me and then they populate the bone marrow to grow a new immune system.
The transplant (likely to take place in September or October) will
require 3-4 weeks in isolation at the University of Chicago. When
the stem cells start to repopulate the bone marrow, I will be sent
home. Likely I will be out of circulation for the following month, at least
Then there is likely a minimum of one additional month ... and a
maximum of one year's time that I will be away from the studio (for a
total of 3-13 months). It depends entirely on how my body responds
to this treatment.
Complicating things are the common precautions given to stem cell
transplant patients to avoid getting one's hands in the dirt
(gardening, etc) for at least 6 months after the
transplant. Troublesome, seeing that my stock in trade is having my
hands in the dirt.
The U. of Chicago folks have never treated a potter, so they/we will
be treading some new ground here ... hoping to find some ways to get
me back into the studio sooner, rather than later."
I have spoken to Dick several times recently, and he is concerned
about the continuity - indeed the survivability - of his workshop and
the effect on his staff during this period of uncertainty. Several of
us want to do something to help Dick besides standing on the
sidelines. In an effort to contribute to his cash flow, and to call
attention to his situation, we are organizing an exhibition of works
donated by friends and fans of Dick.
We are asking you to contribute something to an exhibition, "Extended
Hands: A Show of Support" as a benefit for Dick Lehman. The primary
purpose of the show that will reside in the "outer gallery" at Dick's
studio in Goshen, Indiana, is to raise money. Simultaneously, it will
exist on a website, in order to reach a wider audience. All selling
will be handled by the staff at Dick's Pottery. We ask that you
donate something toward the cause, and ship it at your own expense.
Since this grassroots effort isn't a non-profit entity, we cannot
offer any charity status for your taxes.
The secondary, and longer term purpose of the show is to beat the
bushes on Dick's behalf. What Dick also needs (but does not have the
time or energy to pursue) are some potters who can step up and
contact his studio as reliable suppliers for an indefinite period of
time. His staff, Mark and Helen, are looking to buy quantities of
work from potters to fill the shelves of the Lehman Pottery for
resale while Dick is in treatment. Potters interested in supplying
the Lehman Pottery should make direct contact by calling 574-534-1162
to discuss their work and terms. Or contact Helen directly at
574-862-4560, or by email at
hoffman601@verizon.net.
Charlie Cummings of the Charlie Cummings Gallery in Ft. Wayne,
Indiana, (www.claylink.com) has generously offered to act as the
central receiving location, and will photograph all donated works to
generate a website for the broadest exposure.
Dick has expressed that his customers primary buying range is in the
$25-$100 range, but perhaps with the website opportunity some more
expensive sales can be anticipated. Use your own judgment, or feel
free to contact me in making your decision about the donation.
In order to take advantage of Fall and Holiday sales opportunities,
and to keep things as simple as possible for Charlie, we have set up
a timeline for donating. Please ship your work to arrive at Charlie's
gallery no later than the end of September, 2006. Sooner would be
better. Charlie has asked that everyone fill out the same form (see
below) to simplify his web design effort.
Also, if you could take the time before you ship your donation to
email myself (Scott) and Charlie as to your desire to donate, so that
we can have an idea of the scope of the show before donations arrive.
This will help us gauge the effort before we are overwhelmed. Once
the website is up and running, we will share its address with you all
so you can view it and share it with your email lists as well. The
show and website will remain up through the holidays, and possibly
longer, depending on the magnitude of the response.
This will be a difficult time for Dick and his family. Our effort is
to lighten his load and provide some continuity, so that when he
recovers, he won't have a big hole to climb out of. The treatment is
going to be hard enough.
We thank you in advance for whatever you can do.
Scott Frankenberger, coordinator
Bill Hunt
Charlie Cummings
John Glick
Anthony Schaller
Marvin Bartel
Bruno Moser
Contact Information:
Scott Frankenberger
www.scottfrankenberger.com
2724 N 475 W
West Lafayette, IN 47906
765-583-4929
dscottf@insightbb.com
Charlie Cummings Gallery
www.claylink.com
4130 South Clinton Street
Ft. Wayne, IN 46806
260-458-9160
charlie@claylink.com
Helen Hoffman
574-862-4560 or 574-534-1162
hoffman601@verizon.net
This document will be available for distribution online at:
www.scottfrankenberger.com/DickLehmanBenefit.doc
and
www.scottfrankenberger.com/DickLehmanBenefit.pdf
PLEASE SHIP TO ARRIVE BY SEPTEMBER 30, but not before August 23rd.
Ship to:
Extended Hands Show of Support
Charlie Cummings Gallery
4130 S. Clinton St.
Ft. Wayne, IN 46806
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Artist Information (please clip this and include with donation):
Name:
Address:
Phone(s):
Email:
Website:
Donation Title:
Medium:
Techniques:
Dimensions: (please fill this out so
Charlie doesn't have to measure everything)
Suggested Pricing:
Any Comments:
Charlie Cummings Clay Studio & Gallery
4130 South Clinton Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46806
Charlie@claylink.com
260-458-9160
www.claylink.com
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