Art vs Grief: The Animal Medical Center Begins New Partnership with the Margo Feiden Galleries Ltd.

New York, NY —The Animal Medical Center (The AMC) has partnered with the Margo Feiden Galleries Ltd.—the exclusive representative of the late Al Hirschfeld (1903-2003) and his art since 1969. From now until the end of the year (May 18-December 31, 2009), Hirschfeld’s art will be the basis of a unique fundraiser: Each new purchaser of a Hirschfeld limited-edition hand-signed Lithograph from the Gallery, in person or from its website (www.alhirschfeld.com), may designate The AMC Counseling Programs to be the recipient of one-third of the purchase price. The buyer then has the option of making out the check or credit card payment for 1/3 of the total price directly to The Animal Medical Center, a 501(c) (3) publicly supported non-profit organization.

The Animal Medical Center has long recognized the special relationship between people and pets. Counseling services are available to help clients deal with difficulties that arise while they are managing a sick pet.

“We are delighted to be partnering with the Margo Feiden Galleries Ltd. to raise funds needed so that our Counseling Department can continue to provide necessary services to people throughout the New York Metropolitan area,” said Dr. Susan Phillips Cohen, DSW, Director of Counseling at The AMC since 1982. “Our own experiences, as well as numerous research studies, have shown us that the human-animal bond improves people’s overall physical and emotional health.”

Margo Feiden also praised the new partnership: “We are honored to join with one of the oldest and best-known animal care facilities in the United States. The research conducted at The AMC yields results that are published globally and therefore benefits veterinarians and animals around the world. There are so many ways that animals enhance our lives. It is very gratifying that Hirschfeld’s art will provide the basis of this fundraiser.”

When Margo Feiden was asked why she was so strongly committed to The Animal Medical Center, she explained: “I have been a client of The AMC since the 1960’s when, as a teenager, I brought my dog Heinz (c. 1956-1970, so named for her “57 varieties”) into the hospital for the medical treatment that our local veterinarian could not provide. Ever since that time, I’ve looked to The AMC to render the best in veterinary care.”

Ms. Feiden continued: “In 2005, The Animal Medical Center was one of only a handful of veterinary hospitals in the world to offer the dialysis that my ailing cat needed. I wasn’t surprised that The AMC was there for me while my pet was sick—but when ultimately I lost Pasha (c. 1991-2003) to cancer, what really surprised me was the range of services offered to me then. I’ve seen first-hand that the loss of a pet is nowhere better understood than at The Animal Medical Center, where grieving pet owners will find the help to see them through the trauma of a beloved pet’s illness or loss.

Dr. Cohen oversees the individual counseling, which is especially supportive when pet owners have to make tough decisions. In 1983, Dr. Cohen created the Pet Loss Support Group, the first of its kind in the country: “I have seen shattered owners begin to recover from their loss, often feeling better after their first session.” Dr. Cohen adds, “Sometimes The AMC’s counseling services are the only venue in which a grieving owner can express his or her deepest feelings of loss. People who lose human family members will find support within the general community, but the loss of a beloved pet is not always understood for the painful life event it is.”

Dr. Cohen also emphasized that people seeking these services need not be clients of The AMC; The Animal Medical Center offers all of its Human-Animal Bond programs to the general public free of charge.”

The Human-Animal Bond programs also include Pet Outreach, which brings loving animals into nursing homes, hospitals, schools, and other institutions in the New York area.

Margo Feiden had one more thought to add: “Because we get to pick our pets, we can choose them for the qualities we would want in a best friend. No wonder that is so often exactly what they become.”

ABOUT THE ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER

The Animal Medical Center was founded in 1910 and is New York City’s largest facility for veterinary care, research, and education. With nearly 90 veterinarians practicing in 17 different specialties, The AMC is uniquely qualified to handle nearly 40,000 patient-visits each year. The AMC is the only independent nonprofit animal hospital in the United States, and serves the tri-state area with routine, specialty, and emergency care for companion animals 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. A variety of free or subsidized community funds are available to those in need including the Frank V. D. Lloyd Fund for Guide Dogs, Seniors’ Animal Veterinary Effort and Patient Assistance Fund. For more information please visit www.amcny.org.

ABOUT AL HIRSCHFELD

Al Hirschfeld (1903-2003) is the acknowledged creator of contemporary line drawing, inspiring a new generation of artists to follow in his footsteps. Hirschfeld has enchanted generations of The New York Times’ readers, therein capturing the actors, and the characters they played. Many of Hirschfeld's famous subjects personally credit him with solidifying their careers. As Carol Channing relates, “Al Hirschfeld’s pen plucked me out of the chorus—and because of that happy event, I was given my first speaking role!” And, as Katharine Hepburn famously proclaimed, “I knew I had arrived as an actress when Hirschfeld did my portrait for the first time. It meant more to me than winning the Oscar.”

Both Carol Channing and Katharine Hepburn were featured in the Oscar-nominated Hirschfeld documentary, The Line King (1996). Ms. Feiden also appeared in that film, and served as consultant to the film’s producer/director Susan Dreyfoos.

Hirschfeld himself was honored with two Tony Awards: The first in 1975; the second in 1984.

Al Hirschfeld’s work is in the permanent collections of The Smithsonian Institute, The National Portrait Gallery, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Museum of the City of New York, The Lincoln Center Library, The Brooklyn Museum, The Fogg Museum of Harvard University, St. Louis Art Museum, Cleveland Museum of Art, and many other museums said institutions in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Since 1969, Al Hirschfeld has been represented exclusively by the Margo Feiden Galleries Ltd., where eight decades of his drawings, etchings, and lithographs are proudly on exhibition, and available to collectors. www.alhirschfeld.com

ABOUT MARGO FEIDEN

Margo Feiden, owner of the Gallery that bears her name, has been Al Hirschfeld’s exclusive gallerist and agent for the last forty years. You will also find her listed in editions of the Guinness Book of World Records for producing and directing Peter Pan on Broadway at the age of 16. She followed this with her original play, Out, Brief Candle!

Margo Feiden’s The Calorie Factor (Simon & Schuster) is an award-winning nutrition encyclopedia. It is a serious guide for both those people who monitor their weight, and those people with diabetes. Ms. Feiden still regularly receives letters of thanks for her work; her reference book is still fresh 22 years after its publication.

In 1991 Ms. Feiden was inducted into the United Nations World Business Council, whose roll was limited to 100 business leaders worldwide.
Ms. Feiden has been the subject of countless print-and television features. This devoted pet owner continues to be a vivacious force in the American art community. (What has she done in her spare time? Attend Mensa meetings, race camels, and fly airplanes!) www.alhirschfeld.com