Art for Heart artwork

Art for Heart
Children's Artwork Display
School Reception Area, First Floor

CLOSED SEPTEMBER 26, 2004

The tragic events at the World Trade Center on February 26, 1993, and September 11, 2001, devastated the city, the nation, and, most especially, the families of the victims. Uniquely affected were the thousands of children who lost a parent.

Art for Heart, a therapeutic art project sponsored by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC), allows children, through art therapy sessions, to express their feelings of loss and grief, and their memories and hopes centered on their lost loved ones. Each child painted a one-foot-square canvas, which, sewn together in six framed displays, create a powerful memorial on display through Memorial Day in the School Reception Area at the Museum. The framed paintings will then travel to schools, art centers, and museums nationwide.

AMNH President Ellen Futter, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Ali Millard

LMDC President Kevin M. Rampe and board member Christy Ferer, School of the Arts of the 92nd Street Y Director Robert Gilson, and Ali Millard, 16-year-old creator of Art for Heart joined Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and American Museum of Natural History President Ellen V. Futter at the unveiling event held at the Rose Center for Earth and Space.

Ali Millard, Art for Heart founder

Ali Millard, a teenager whose stepfather was killed on 9/11, conceived of Art for Heart as a way to bring together the children who share this tragic bond. Nearly 200 participated in sessions that enabled them to confront their feelings safely and express themselves artistically. Through art, children who lost parents in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks express their memories, sorrows—and hopes.

To allow families to participate in Art for Heart sessions, the 92nd Street Y will provide arts enrichment/therapy for children in Art for Heart First Sundays at New York City's 92nd Street Y on the following Sundays: March 7, April 4, May 2, and June 6. Contact Holly Pericoli at 212-415-5749 for information or to RSVP for these events.

Made possible by/thanks to:
Lower Manhattan Development Corporation
Children who lost a relative on 9/11
92nd Street Y, New York, NY
Jewish Community Center Metro West, West Orange, NJ
Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center, East Hills, NY
Family and Children's Agency, Inc., Stamford, CT
Stamford Jewish Community Center, Stamford, CT

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