FAIRHOPE — The Eastern Shore Art Center is inviting cancer survivors, and those who know someone who has faced the dreaded disease, to drop by Saturday, Sept. 8, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., to create a little magic.

Super Survivor Saturday is being held in advance of the center’s Face All Cancer, Emerge with Strength (F.A.C.E.S.) exhibit, which will be held the last part of next month (beginning Oct. 8), according to Nancy Raia.

The exhibit is a follow-up to last year’s B.R.A. show, honoring all who battled breast cancer. Raia said it will be held in the Woolley Gallery, but added, “Nothing would thrill me more if we had to use additional space.” The gallery will first hold the Lily Oncology on Canvas show, which will then spend a week at Thomas Medical Center in Daphne.

“In preparation for the F.A.C.E.S. show, anyone who is a survivor of any form of cancer is invited Saturday,” Raia said. “Several artists will be standing by to help them create their own face. They will be painting, working in clay and being photographed. They can come for 10 minutes or stay for two hours.”

Raia said the exhibit will include faces and words, a sentence or a paragraph. Of particular importance, she added, are the words that got them through their cancer diagnosis and treatment. Friends and family members may express the emotions they felt as they watched their loved one battle illness.

During the B.R.A. show, gallery visitors spent time looking at the faces and reading the words, Raia said. She pointed out those who create them learn something from both processes.

“They sometimes discover it was a deeper feeling than they realized,” she said. “There are some tears. When they are finished, their whole face changes because they’ve let out their emotions.”

Raia said a former newspaper illustrator who moved to the Eastern Shore from St. Louis, Mo. has been taking part in F.A.C.E.S. sessions. At first she captured her own image, but she now paints others.

Another woman sent photos of a drawing of herself she had done in Italy.

Word about the effort is spreading, thanks to word of mouth and the Internet. Raia said, “Some people aren’t even sure where they heard about it. But, it brings all these people together.”

The B.R.A. and F.A.C.E.S. shows were inspired by Susan Harrell, a teacher and cancer survivor. Raia said, “I was so close to it with Susan at the (Baldwin County) Alternative School. Her students were worried about her and wanted to create art to brighten her day. The student artwork did brighten her day.”

Harrell won a spot at the Lance Armstrong Summit last October, and came back with a resolve to show the many people who have been through the battle. She is using art as her method to get the message across.

Raia said the show honors those united in the cause to help find a cure, those who have been through the battle, or are currently undergoing it. Each face will reflect the emotions, the strength to get through it, the courage and the depth of the journey. This is also an event to help support the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Raia said grants are funding Super Survivor Saturday, as well as weekly sessions open to the public each Wednesday, from 4-6 p.m.

If you are unable to participate Saturday, but would like to take part in the F.A.C.E.S. show, send in an image of the survivor (no larger than 8 by 10 inches). Images can be photographs (copies are fine), or a copy of a piece of art that portrays the survivor’s face. Survivors can be of any age and any geographic area. Even a grandchild’s crayon drawing of the survivor can work.

Raia asks that you send no framed pieces. Items mailed in will not be returned, as ESAC is expecting a large volume, and they hope to place the show on tour after it wraps next month.

All Images must be marked with the following information: Name of survivor, what they survived and the words that got them through it.

Mail them to: F.A.C.E.S. Show/Eastern Shore Art Center, 401 Oak Ave., Fairhope AL, 36532.

Participating in the show includes permission to photograph the images on display for media purposes to further the cause.

For more information, call Nancy Raia at (251) 928-2228, or e-mail her at nancy@easternshoreartcenter.com.