The root of the MFPA goes back to 1956, when Erich Stegmann, a polio-stricken mouth painter, gathered a small group of disabled artists from eight European countries. Their ultimate goal was to make their living through their artistic efforts and to obtain a sense of work security that before then had eluded them.
Coupling his creative abilities with business acumen, Stegmann established the MFPA as a co-operative organisation that reproduces its artists work mainly in the form of cards, calendars and books.
One of the main themes of Stegmann’s credo was that the MFPA must never be regarded as a charity simply because its members are disabled. To Stegmann, the word “charity” was as abhorrent as the word “pity.”
The Association maintains that it is not a charity and does not qualify for charitable assistance.
To this day, the MFPA’s motto worldwide remains “Self Help – Not Charity.”
Anyone who has lost the use of his/her hands and paints by holding the brush in his/her mouth or with his/her feet, regardless of race, creed or colour can join MFPA.
The Association has three qualifying levels: Student Member; Associate Member and Full Member. The majority of artists are typically admitted as student members. Students are provided with a grant to pay for tuition, art materials, etc.
To maintain consistently high standards, students’ works are periodically reviewed by a panel of assessors until they achieve a standard which enables them to be accepted as full members.
The panel of assessors includes the serving MFPA President or his/her appointed delegate and two eminent and recognized able-bodied artists.
When approved, the managing board can admit the new member/student, subject to ratification by the members at a delegates’ convention.
The Association is constantly seeking promising new talents among the disables. Perhaps, the disabled can first take up painting as a form of therapy, and if artistic talent has been developed then MFPA is here to help.
The artists are sole benefactors of the Association’s financial objectives. Student members receive a scholarship to help improve their standard of painting by providing funds for materials, tuition, etc.
This provides them with the means to become an associate or full member of the Association. As the student improves, the scholarship is increased. When the student has reached a standard judged to be the equivalent to that of non-disabled professionals, associate or full membership is granted.
Full membership means that they will receive a monthly income for life regardless of whether increasing disability makes it impossible for them to continue providing artworks that the Association can market.
This arrangement removes a great fear from the disabled artist – the possibility of losing one’s ability to paint through deteriorating health.
Membership enables the artist to concentrate on painting, secure in the knowledge that business matters are being handled according to their wishes by experienced professionals.
Members also benefit from interaction with each other. Members and students have the opportunity to meet at the Association’s conferences, exhibitions and other events, where they are able to gather, interact and learn from each other.
The Association is run as a “democratic co-operative.” All the member artists have a voice in how it is run and it is owned by all of them. The management procedures are governed by the statutes, which require that a delegates’ convention be held at least once every three years.
Delegates are chosen to represent Association members, who vote through postal ballot based on their region. The Association divides the world into four regions, each region appoints at least one delegate for every five members.
The delegate’s convention is ultimately responsible for control of all the Association’s activities. The delegates also pass necessary resolutions, amend statutes and approve annual accounts and budgets. With the exception of their legal consultant, all members of the delegate’s convention are disabled artists.
The delegates appoint a managing board, comprised of member artists with a maximum of seven people. The managing board appoints able-bodied professionals to run the publishing houses, which manage the direct mail operations of the organization.
The president of the managing board is also the president of the Association and must be a mouth or foot painting artist who has won recognition as an artist and achieved success in international exhibitions.
We value our customers’ privacy; we do not sell, rent or trade our mailing list with anybody. All information we collect are kept strictly secured. We use this information for the purpose of identifying your orders and payments only.
MFPA organises yearly programmes to mail and sell greetings cards just before Christmas, Chinese New Year and Hari Raya to members of the public. A wide range of other goods are offered for sale all year-round including books, prints and jigsaw puzzles, etc.
For more information on the goods we carry please take a look at our Products pages from the menu above or contact our friendly staff at our office
Our phone no. +603 216 188 60 (9am – 5pm). It is always made clear that recipients are under no obligation to purchase — or even to return — the cards.