Children Battling Chronic and Terminal Illnesses Are Recognized As Artists Instead Of Patients.

Feb. 24, 2011 - PRLog -- New York, NY – On March 13th ArtWorks, The Naomi Cohain Foundation, will present its 9th annual Express Yourself-New York event at the Helen and Martin Kimmel Center University Life at New York University. The event is sponsored by The Arnold P. Gold Foundation for Humanism in Medicine and ArtWorks.

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-NY 2011, over 118 artists and performers, ages 1-25, from 13 participating New York Healthcare Agencies will display their creative masterpieces.

This year’s artwork includes 127 amazing paintings, drawings, and sculptures including two painted tiles by 19 year-old Stephanie, who describes them as an expression of a new beginning after her kidney transplant. The show will also highlight over 15 performances featuring singing, dancing, readings, and instrumental compositions. In addition to artwork and performances by our inspiring participants, Express Yourself-NY 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-NY 2011 include:
•   Bellevue Hospital Center
•   Blythedale Children’s Hospital
•   Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center
•   The Children's Hospital at Montefiore
•   Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center
•   Incarnation Children's Center
•   Initiative for Women with Disabilities: Young Women's Program at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases
•   Komansky Center for Children’s Health at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center
•   Maimonides Infants and Children's Hospital of Brooklyn
•   The Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital
•   New Alternatives for Children
•   NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases
•   NYU Langone Medical Center
•   Raymond Naftali Ambulatory Center
•   Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York

To learn more about ArtWorks, please call 201-608-0146 or visit http://www.artworksfoundation.org.









ABOUT ARTWORKS, THE NAOMI COHAIN FOUNDATION:
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.

ABOUT THE ARNOLD P. GOLD FOUNDATION
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation 's mission is to perpetuate the tradition of the caring doctor by emphasizing the importance of the relationship between the practitioner and the patient. Our objective is to help physicians-in-training become doctors who combine the high tech skills of cutting edge medicine with the high touch skills of effective communication, empathy and compassion.

Inspiration
Our inspiration emanates from the leadership of Dr. Arnold P. Gold, role-model physician, mentor and the guiding force of our work. Arnold's vision places people and relationships at the center of every healthcare interaction. Toward that end, he believes that given proper instruction, a clear set of expectations, personalized mentoring and recognition and rewards, doctors in training will acquire the “habit of humanism” and thereby improve patient care and healthcare outcomes.

Students and faculty at 94% of American allopathic and osteopathic schools now participate in at least one Gold Foundation program.

The Foundation is a public, 501 [c] [3] not-for-profit organization, established in 1988 by Drs. Arnold and Sandra Gold, colleagues at the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York, and dedicated community leaders and philanthropists.

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ArtWorks provides children and young adults suffering from chronic and life-threatening illnesses, and their siblings, access to creative and performing arts programs.