The mural gracing the Kendra Scott building reminds the community to not forget about Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
By Anastasia Vastakis, Photos by Kendra Scott
Kendra Scott’s newest mural for Breast Cancer Awareness Month is the representation of solidarity that many of us didn’t know we needed. With 2020, it feels like we have experienced every curveball the universe could throw at us. But all of these disasters have served as a reminder. It reminds us just how important community is. That just because you can’t always see a problem, doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
The mural Scott had commissioned for Breast Cancer Awareness Month serves as a reminder of how dangerous breast cancer is. No one is a stranger to it, and as a community we can work toward curing it. In a collaboration, Scott and artist Marnie Vollenhals have worked together to “empower other thrivers and survivors in our community.”
Vollenhals herself is a survivor, and she used her journey as the basis for the mural. When asked about the process of sketching out the piece, she said, “My journey was two things. I felt like everyone going through cancer. You form teams with their family, friends, doctors, people you are getting chemo with. You get really close to everyone and everyone supports you. Also one of the things I loved was getting dressed up and going out with my family and just feeling normal. Or get dressed up, put on my earrings and my wig, or not my wig, and go out with my friends and get dinner. Things like that.
“I wanted people to know that even though you’re going through this, you can still have a life and feel confident. You don’t have to feel intimidated by what everyone thinks, especially if you’re not wearing a wig. Just to feel normal. I had a lot of friends and a lot of support. I had a diverse group of friends. And I wanted everyone to see that wall and feel like they were a part of it. So the diversity aspect was important.”
This idea of awareness, inclusivity and support is not a new message from Kendra Scott. They first began their mission to help fight breast cancer in 2016. Holley Rothell Kitchen, a dear friend of Scott’s, passed away after fighting against metastatic breast cancer. Since then, Scott has made it a goal to help find a cure. Thus far, the company has raised $600,000 for research and have put in around 12,000 research hours. But the support hasn’t stop there.
In true Kendra Scott fashion, every year they create a jewelry line that not only raises awareness, but also donates part of the proceeds to research. This year it is the Yellow for Pink line. “20% of proceeds from any purchase are going back to help research,” says Mindy Perry, a Kendra Scott Representative. “We don’t just stop there. With every purchase for our shop for good breast cancer jewelry, we will not only give a portion of the proceeds, but we will also gift a cancer patient undergoing treatment a piece of the jewelry.
I wanted people to know that even though you’re going through this, you can still have a life and feel confident.
-Marnie Vollenhals
“The jewelry will also have rose quartz. Rose quartz is known for having healing power. While pink is the color of October, the rose quartz actual stone and gems are very important to our design process. To be able to incorporate rose quartz and to gift women undergoing treatment today is really important. We are making sure that there is a personal handwritten note to all of those people that are gifted in hospitals today for breast cancer treatment. Now more than ever, hospitals are really making sure safety is a priority for all their patients and limit the amount of visitors a person can have. It can be lonely for anybody. Breast cancer doesn’t stop. So we want to make sure that these women know they aren’t alone on their journey. We are here to support them.”
Kendra Scott representative Mindy Perry couldn’t have said it better. “So many of us have lost family members or stood beside family members and friends on this journey who have fought against this devastating disease. But it’s hard to find someone this hasn’t touched. All of us have ways to make an impact and grow awareness. Also, shopping with intention matters. It’s what makes this life-saving research possible. We all have this opportunity to put good into the world through using our dollar in a meaningful way.”