On October 22 2001, the art exhibition "One in Nine--A Personal Portrayal of Breast Cancer: How Art Can Educate" opened at Gallery Gora in downtown Montreal.  I, as the artist who presented this body of work, wanted to bring the breast cancer issue to the attention of the public. I wanted the visitors to the show to become aware of the problems that women who live with breast cancer face.  By focussing on my brush with breast cancer, this thesis explores how personal experience can become a conduit for creative art making. Furthermore the thesis examines my art show, and demonstrates how activist art, by being placed in the public arena, can educate its viewers.