KidsCare Blooms at Project Learn School

By Fae Lobron

Painting the flowers for KidsCare.

Imagine walking into a museum and seeing artwork  made by children alongside artwork made by professional artists. This is what happens every fall for the KidsCare exhibit at Woodmere Art Museum.   

    KidsCare is a collaboration between Woodmere Art Museum, WXPN’s Kids Corner, St. Christopher’s Hospital For Children, and about 20 Philadelphia area schools. Project Learn School (PLS)  has been participating in KidsCare since it began, and PLS has only missed one year in twenty years. Public and private schools in the Philadelphia area participate in KidsCare, other schools have one or two art classes to make the art. PLS is different because PLS is the only school where everybody in the school participates in making art. PLS has mixed up ages working together so younger students can spend time with the older students.

     Every year there is a theme that the art projects are designed around.This years theme is based on an artist named, Peter Paone.The thing that Joan Fox, PLS art teacher, found most interesting about his art was his flowers. So flowers are now the theme for PLS. Each student made two ceramic flowers; one to keep for themselves and the other to give away. The flowers are then painted and glued to wire to create flower gardens.

    The art projects that were made are given to St Christopher’s Hospital For Children. The gifts are given to the sick kids during the winter holidays. The hope is to give them something exciting and cheerful for their room and to make sure they know someone is thinking about them.

Mixed-up Group partners working together making the presents for the kids at St. Christopher's.

   Joan says, “Art can be healing and a powerful way to make people’s lives brighter.”, Joan also thinks it is good for the PLS students to make art and give it away, and to be generous to others. PLS originally found out about KidsCare because a former PLS parent, Meri Adleman, happened to be part of the program and she asked if PLS would participate. A PLS student, Nadja says that she,  “can only imagine the smile on the children’s faces as they get their art presents.”

Please look at the December 5 edition of the Chestnut Hill Local where Fae's article was published.