The Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists

In 1957, the painter Erich Stegmann, a polio survivor who grew up without the use of his arms, founded a self-help association with a small group of disabled artists from eight European countries. Their aim was to earn a living by selling their work as greetings cards, calendars, prints and illustrated books, and Stegmann rejected the idea of charity in favour of partnership, which is why our motto remains "Self Help – Not Charity." From its inaugural meeting in Liechtenstein, the association has grown to around 750 members in over 70 countries. MFPA has operated in America since 1961, and its publishing house moved from Buffalo, New York, to Atlanta in July 2000. Administrative costs are tightly controlled at roughly eight percent of annual income, with a small able-bodied staff handling marketing, distribution and matters requiring specialist support. 

MFPA exists to market and promote its members' work as a commercial cause the public can support, to establish publishing houses, to support disabled art students, and to help artists achieve self-respect, creative fulfilment and financial security. Anyone who paints with their mouth or feet because they have lost, or were born without, the use of their hands can join at one of three levels: Student, Associated or Full Member. Promotion to a higher level depends on assessment by a panel made up of the MFPA president or a board delegate and two eminent non-disabled artists. Students receive a scholarship for materials and tuition that increases as they improve, while full and associate members receive a monthly income for life, even if worsening disability stops them from producing work. 

MFPA is run as a democratic co-operative, owned by all its member artists, with statutes requiring a delegates' convention at least every three years and the world divided into four electoral regions. The convention controls all of MFPA's activities, including passing resolutions, amending statutes and approving accounts and budgets, and it appoints a managing board of up to seven artists plus a legal consultant. The board's president also serves as MFPA's president and must be a mouth or foot painting artist with international recognition.