Children Battling Illness Recognized As Artists Instead Of Patients

ArtWorks event is coming up on Sunday!

WHAT: ArtWorks Express Yourself New Jersey 2011

WHEN: Sunday, November 13, 2011 1:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. Performances begin at 3 p.m.

WHERE: The Montclair Art Museum, 3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07042

TICKETS: Free

On Sunday, November 13, ArtWorks, The Naomi Cohain Foundation, will present its 9th annual Express Yourself-New Jersey event at the Montclair Art Museum sponsored by The Morty and Gloria Wolosoff Foundation and The Connors Group.

Express Yourself is a creative and performing art exhibition that provides children and young adults suffering from chronic and life-threatening illnesses, and their siblings, with the open and loving forum to express themselves through the arts. In a safe environment, filled with families, friends, healthcare specialists and ArtWorks supporters, these children sing, dance, recite poetry, play instruments and stand proudly by their works of art.

Participants spend months preparing for the Express Yourself event which provides them with a much needed creative outlet and gives them something to look forward to and work towards, taking the focus away from the pain and sorrow of the illness. At Express Yourself-NJ 2011, over 116 artists and performers, ages 1-21, from 11 participating New Jersey Healthcare Agencies will display their creative masterpieces.

This year’s artwork will include 126 amazing paintings, drawings, and sculptures including a drawing by 13 year-old Lacey called “The Premonition” which she drew the night before she suffered an A.V.M on the left side of her brain. The face in her drawing has two distinct sides. The show will also highlight over 20 performances featuring singing, dancing, readings, and instrumental compositions. This year, ArtWorks is pleased to welcome a new group performance by The Matheny Muses from Matheny Medical and Educational Center. In addition to artwork and performances by  our inspiring participants, Express Yourself-NJ 2011 will also include art activities and refreshments for all attendees as well as gift bags and certificates of participation for all children and young adults who participate in the event.

Participating agencies in Express Yourself-NJ 2011 include:

•           The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

•           Goryeb Children’s Hospital at Morristown Memorial Hospital

•           Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center

•           Matheny Medical and Educational Center

•           Meaningful Movements

•           PSE&G Children’s Specialized Hospital

•           Saint Barnabas Medical Center

•           The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter's University Hospital

•           St. Joseph's Children's Hospital

•           UMDNJ-The University Hospital

•           The Valerie Fund Children's Center at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.

Founded in 2002, ArtWorks provides children and young adults suffering from chronic and life-threatening illnesses, and their siblings, access to creative and performing arts programs that encourage the use of the creative process as a vehicle for healing, communication, self-expression and personal development. ArtWorks seeks to empower, validate, and honor these children by offering them the hands-on experience and materials with which to create, as well as the opportunity to publicly share their artistic accomplishments.