The ArtWorks Foundation believes in empowering children to express, through creativity, their innermost feelings while facing chronic and life-threatening illnesses. ArtWorks’ goal is to encourage and provide access to artistic creation and performing arts to very sick children and their siblings to use as a vehicle for healing, communication, self-expression and personal development.
On January 21st, the Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology was presented with a custom designed mobile art cart by ArtWorks’ Executive Director, Daniela Mendelsohn and her team. The cart is fully loaded with art supplies, craft kits and activity books especially created by ArtWorks. Replenishing supplies will also be provided.
When a child is hospitalized or comes to the hospital for a treatment, supplies are given to him/her and accompanying siblings by the Department’s Child Life Specialist, not only to keep their minds occupied and off their illness but to provide them with a creative outlet for them to express their feelings.
The Foundation was established in 2002 by Daniela Mendelsohn, in memory of her cousin Naomi Cohain who died at the age of 15 from cancer. Naomi was extremely talented and creative in art and jewelry making and used her talents as a means of coping with her illness. ArtWorks now has programs in 25 hospitals in New York and New Jersey and holds two annual art exhibitions entitled “Express Yourself” that, besides visual art, include music, dance and creative writing. The next “Express Yourself” exhibit in which several of Brookdale’s pediatric patients artwork will be featured is to be held on March 13th at the Kimmel Student Center at NYU.
Thank you ArtWorks Foundation.
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