Biting Back

A South Philly art gallery gets toothy for a good cause.


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Published: Aug 12, 2009

[ benefit ]

Andrew Thompson

SMILING PRETTY: Sara Schuenemann's dental surgery will cost her $10,000, which she doesn't have.

When dentists told Sara Schuenemann that surgery would cost her $10,000, she knew she couldn't raise the cash by herself. She needed the operation to implant into her mouth a pair of false lateral incisors — those are the ones between your canines and front teeth — because she was born without them. But rather than ask friends and family to lend her the dough, she organized an art show and silent auction. Dubbed "That Bites: An Oral Fundraiser," it will also benefit Give Back a Smile, a program that provides free dental care to victims of domestic abuse.

More than 40 artists chewed on Schuenemann's idea and provided teeth-themed, multimedia works that'll be auctioned off at the event. Among the pieces are Brenna K. Murphy's mixed media made from her own hair, and sets of crocheted dentures by Emily Ost. Pageant: Soloveev also furnished free gallery space, and Philadelphia Brewing Co. chipped in free beer. Members of Philly indie bands Oso, Orbit to Leslie and Grimace Federation will perform toothy songs under the moniker Captain Bicuspid and The Fluoride Treatment. And the tooth fairy — well, one of Schuenemann's friends in tooth-fairy garb — just might show up.

City Paper: How’d you find artists willing to complete and donate teeth-themed art?

Sara Schuenemann: Some of them are my friends, and some of them are people I solicited … and [there are] some unlikely people, like my business partner. He’s a realtor. He’s like, “I’m gonna make mugs and take a bite out of them.” And I was like, “I didn’t even know you did ceramics.” My other boss, he’s bedazzling a denim jacket, and it says “That Bites” on the back, and then there’s this quote from the Corinthians.

CP: How much are you hoping the event will raise?

SS: I really don’t have my heart set on anything. Once the process got started, I was so jazzed about talking to artists, getting the process going, organizing. I really found something in myself that was really driven about this kind of work.

CP: Why’d you decide that the event would also benefit Give Back a Smile?

SS: I hadn’t ever considered the idea of domestic abuse victims having to deal with dental problems, and I really valued that someone had thought of that. Plus, I didn’t want this to just be a fundraiser for me. If you give back somehow, I think the world will kick you back more in the long run.

CP: You’ve been wearing a false-teeth retainer since you were 15. Why undergo surgery now?

SS: It’s not entirely imminent, except that a couple years ago, I did a different fundraiser for a charity after the tsunami, for India. [Since then], I’ve had this dream/plan of going to India in January. I really wanted to have it done and out of the way before I went on that trip, because as much as I think I’ll come back and that I’ll be here, I’ve been kind of an adventurer. I can totally see myself [signing] on to [live] in India for the next two years.”

CP: Why raise the money? Is the surgery something dental insurance won’t cover?

SS: Well, I don’t have dental insurance ’cause I don’t have a real job. But it wouldn’t be covered as far as I know. All the dentists I’ve talked to have said by the time you’ve got dental insurance, it would only chip in a little bit … because it’s sort of like the ultimate pre-existing condition.

(chelsea.calhoun@citypaper.net)

THAT BITES: AN ORAL FUNDRAISER | Fri., Aug. 14, 6-9 p.m., free, Pageant: Soloveev, 607 Bainbridge St., 215-925-1535, pageantsoloveev.com