The project is a fundraiser for the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction

LACONIA—The Janice Beetle Books Challenge Team is inviting children in the Lakes Region to submit stories or artwork to be published in an anthology that will be sold to raise money for the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction.

Children from preschool through grade 12 can take part. Details are as follows:

What to submit: We are seeking typed short stories, poems, reflections, or other pieces of writing, such as an excerpt from a script or play. Also welcome are drawings, illustrations, or sketches by children. 

How to submit: 

• Pieces of writing should be sent as a Word document, and artwork as PNG or JPG files. 
• Attach the stories and artwork to an email sent to janice@beetlepress.com. 
• If you do not have access to email, handwritten stories or original artwork can be mailed to Janice Beetle at 108 Hickory Stick Lane, Laconia, NH 03246, or dropped off there as well. Please note that materials will not be returned. 
• Please indicate the name of your child, age, and city/town or residence, along with the school or organization your child attends.

Entry fee: There is a $5 submission fee per piece of writing or art and a cap of up to four submissions per child. Fees can be paid:

• Directly to the fundraiser on Give Gab at www.givegab.com/p2p/2022-challenge/janice-beetle.
• Mailed or dropped off at the above address. Cash or checks welcome. 

“We want access for all,” Beetle said. “If the fee or any of the guidelines present a hardship for a child or family, please email me at janice@beetlepress.com to discuss.”

All stories and artwork must be submitted by Wednesday, Aug. 31. 

All stories and art will be compiled in an anthology that will be sold for $25 to raise additional funds for the Children’s Auction. Books will be available by late fall (and they’d make a great Christmas present!)

For more information, email Janice@beetlepress.com. 

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Laura Bundesen’s mixed-media artwork of the human brain resonates with people who have neurological disorders as well as scientists, neurologists, psychologists, and others in healthcare

SPRINGFIELD—Laura Bundesen, an artist-entrepreneur of Huntington, will exhibit and sell her mixed-media brain artwork at a one-of-a-kind, neuro-themed pop-up shop at ReevX Labs in Springfield from Nov. 29 through Dec. 4. 

Bundesen is one of 10 entrepreneurs chosen for the inaugural experience at the community hub at 270 Bridge St., which is funded by Berkshire Bank and supported by Valley Venture Mentors. She is excited to have the opportunity to use the space for her solo display and sale.

Her neuro-art pop-up shop will be open Nov. 29 to Dec. 3 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Dec. 4 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Community members are invited.

Bundesen calls herself a “neuro-artist,” and said her work, which ranges from $14 enamel lapel pins to $3,600 embroidered paintings, especially resonates with people with neurological disorders, their loved ones, and with scientists, neurologists, psychologists, and others in healthcare. 

“They find it intricate, interesting, and inspiring,” she said, adding, “I’ve had a number of people who’ve had traumatic brain injuries, brain tumors, epilepsy, stroke, or multiple sclerosis (MS) buy my work because it inspires them and gives them hope.” 

At the heart of most of Bundesen’s work is painstaking hand embroidery. A canvas might feature a whimsical rendering of a brain, in handiwork at the center, with paint on a work’s periphery. Each piece is unique and colorful and offers what Bundesen calls “fantastical, imaginary brains.” 

Bundesen began embroidering in the ’70s as a teenager, and she has long been involved in art communities and served as the executive director of an art school in New Jersey in the early 2000s. 

In 2014, she was inspired in part by people in her family and friends living with dementia, brain tumors, or mental illness to create her first two brain pieces.

At the time, she was a sponsored research officer at Mount Holyoke College, helping faculty members submit grant proposals to fund their research; she worked closely with neuroscientists.

“They liked my work and encouraged me,” she said. 

“One of the neuroscientists told me I should exhibit at the Society for Neuroscience annual convention, and since then, I’ve really been concentrating only on brains,” she said, noting she was also particularly encouraged by a pediatric neurosurgeon who has bought eight original pieces over the years. “She keeps coming back. She is appreciative because she does handiwork herself, and she understands the hours and hours of labor that go into it.”

Since she began focusing on neuro-art, Bundesen has become fascinated by brain health, and she’s learned much, such as that nearly one in six people are living with a neurologic disorder. “What really fascinates me, besides how the brain works, is that we’re learning so much every day,” she said. “I have an innate curiosity born out of dealing with neurologic disorders in my own family and with people close to me.”

Bundesen’s work includes mixed media originals, prints, earrings, coloring books, and brain-shaped lapel pins. A large selection will be available at the pop-up shop for in-person shopping. Anyone interested in learning more about her wares can visit her website and shop at www.laurabundesen.com. 

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The Lyme Disease Resource Center is a peer-guided, supportive and safe place for those living with Lyme Disease, and their care partners, sharing strategies and resources for living well. Wine and Canvas hosts events that provide step-by-step art instruction to participants of all artistic abilities.

The event on June 25 is a fundraiser for the resource center; tickets are $45 per person and must be purchased in advance by calling 413-588-7388 or emailing info@lymedrc.org. Ticket cost is tax deductible.

The painting for the event is part of the Wine and Canvas Local Series and features the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls. No painting experience is required to take part and all materials are provided.

The Lyme Disease Resource Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in October 2013. It serves those with tick-borne illness and their care partners, connecting clients and the community to resources, free activities, support groups, complementary therapies and workshops on the issues surrounding tick-borne illness.

For more information on the resource center, visit www.lymedrc.org or contact Maria Malaguti at 413-588-7388or maria.malaguti@lymedrc.org.

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