KAWS, Eddie Martinez and other Big Artists Donate Art Works for Rare Childhood Disease Cure

Art Dealer Bridget Finn will hold a charity auction to research her daughter's illness, STXBP1 Disorders.

In November 2021, art dealer Bridget Finn learned that her daughter, Florence, who will turn two on July 11, was diagnosed with a rare disease, STXBP1 Disorders. Finn was at a loss of what to do. However, she had faith that the art community would help her through these turbulent times.

Flourish: Art for the Future"

On February 28, in celebration of Rare Disease Day, Finn announced "Flourish: Art for the Future," a charity auction in September that will raise money to fund research to cure a rare disease called STXBP1 Disorders.

Finn, a partner at Reyes Finn gallery in Detroit, told Artnet News that her whole life revolved around contemporary art and their relationships in the field. She said that she saw for herself how the "art world comes together to generate funds for really amazing causes." She said if people get motivated, it could result in a cure for an unusual disease.

The event has been led by artists Sam Moyer and Eddie Martinez. It will include the works of several artists, KAWS, Jonas Wood, Jules de Balincourt, Hilary Pecis, Sayre Gomez, and Rashid Johnson.

Finn said that she got unwavering support from everyone when she opened the exhibit.

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STXBP1 Disorders

Finn first noticed that her baby was not in good condition when she was nine months old and could not sit on her own. The doctors said that she had a "catastrophic neurodevelopmental disorder," which meant she would have lifelong physical and intellectual disabilities.

STXBP1 encephalopathy is a condition characterized by abnormal brain function and intellectual disability. Signs and symptoms usually begin at infancy but can start later in childhood. For some people with STXBP1, the patient experiences seizures that persist. 

Finn said it is a failed protein in the brain. The protein transmits information and tells the rest of the body how to work. "Half of Florence's body does not work," she said.

Her baby has around eight therapies per week, and she works her butt off.

The disease was discovered in 2008. It does not have a proper name yet but is only identified by the gene where the mutation is found. The disease affects one in 30,000 people, and it has no known treatment yet.

As she researched her daughter's illness, she got in touch with STXBP1 Disorders Foundation, a non-profit organization led by the parents of children who carry the STXBP1 mutation. So far, the foundation has a repurposed trial now. When she asked the foundation how far can $10 million go, the foundation told her that it could "accelerate treatment to the point of finding the cure."

Finn hopes to enlist 50 artists for the auction in September eventually and raise millions of dollars supporting the STXBP1 Disorders Foundation.

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