A polio victim, Arnulf Ercih
Stegmann grew up without the use of his arms yet built
a highly successful career in Germany by painting with a mouth-held
bruch. It was his belief that if painters with similar problems
formed a co-operative it would be possible for them to live by
their artistic efforts and enjoy a sense of work security that
until then had eluded them.
This aim was to be achieved by the marketing of their work in the form
of greetings cards, calendars, prints and illustrated books. The result
has been a unique worldwide art movement.
One of the main themes of Stegmann's credo was that the new international
Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists must never be regarded
as a charity because many of its members were in wheelchairs or
even hospitals beds. To him the key word was "partnership" - the
word "charity" was as abhorrent to him as the word "pity" -
and the Association has always proclaimed that it is not a charity
and does not qualify for charitable assistance.
From the beginning its members have had full control of the enterprise
that enables them to enjoy a secure livelihood despite severe handicap
and which has given them a purpose in life. Many have achieved international
recognition through work produced with brushes held by their teeth or
clenched between their toes.
M.F.P.A. is not a charity but a company entirely owned by seriously disabled
members of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists.
|
