Portraits of Hope
Mission:
The Portraits of Hope program is aimed at brightening and enriching the lives of children and adults - many of whom may be coping with adversity, hardship, emotional or physical trauma, or serious illness - through their participation in creative, high-profile, one-of-a-kind projects.
Contact Information
Address: 149 W. 32nd St., New York, NY 10001
Telephone: (212) 216-9441
Website: http://portraitsofhope.org
General Email: poh@portraitsofhope.org
Location
General Information
Type: Arts, In School, Volunteer
Target audience: Students, Schools
Year founded: 1995
Nonprofit: Nonprofit
Tag words: art, creative therapy, garden in transit, painting, taxi flowers
Programs/Services
Garden in Transit
Description: Garden in Transit may be the most ambitious community collaboration and public art project in New York City history.
From September 2007 and until year's end, New York City is being visually transformed, as the NYC taxi - the ubiquitous yellow icon -becomes a mobile artistic canvas, or Garden in Transit.
As part of this art, education and creative therapy project, 23,000 children in schools and hospitals - in addition to many adult volunteers - have painted 80,000 flowers on 750,000 square feet of adhesive panels for a four month public art exhibition featured on taxis citywide.
90% of children participated through schools and hospitals across Greater New York City. Children in New Jersey, California, Ohio, Georgia, and Pennsylvania also participated in the project.
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Education
Description: Through their participation in Portraits of Hope, thousands of kids of all ages participate in educational sessions in which they learn about, discuss, and express themselves about important current affairs, community issues, individual and social responsibilities, goals and achievements, and -- the power of teamwork.
In school sessions, participating kids integrate their writing, oral and visual presentation skills to express themselves about those individual and societal issues most important to them. As a group, the students evaluate the importance of 14 contemporary issues inclusive of: the environment, education, senior care, national security, ethnic relations, healthcare, women's equality, medical research, foreign aid, poverty, and animal rights. The students then design small-scale projects representing those issues they would choose to advance. The larger art collaborations -- creating the public works themselves -- are group efforts intended, in part, to demonstrate what people cooperating together are able to accomplish.
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Hospital Sessions and Unique Painting Methods
Description: For children and adults in hospitals, Portrait of Hope projects serve as creative therapy. People of all ages and medical and physical conditions have the opportunity to participate with family members, visitors, medical staff, and hospital and project volunteers.
Portraits of Hope has provided children and adults facing cancer, burn trauma, spinal injuries, HIV/AIDS, head and brain injuries, and other serious conditions with innovative, fun, and therapeutic activities that let them enjoy themselves at a time when they are undergoing often difficult treatments in hospitals and healthcare centers.
Specialized Portraits of Hope brushes and painting methods are incorporated in the program's projects including telescope paint brushes for children and adults with IVs or in wheelchairs, shoe brushes for children and adults with injured upper limbs or who cannot manipulate a brush in their hands, and flavored mouth brushes for those who paint with their mouths. Bedside visits are made to make sure that anyone who may wish to participate is able to do so.
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