Franklin Lakes Students Paint for a Cause

Franklin Lakes Art Teacher Ellen Reinkraut teaches more than painting to her 30-plus students.  Each week the children enter her studio, curious about what it is she has to share, and leave bubbling with excitement about how they, as artists can make a difference in the world.  Not only have they learned new skills, but their enthusiasm and talent has been accepted around the world!

Nate Borst, Alexi Breslow, Erica Conway, Grace DeBoer, Matthew Fallon, Sarah Gabriel, Sarmara Landau, Sophia Juok, Sarah Rosen, Ashley Oram, Amy Zage and Kayla Zyr will be receiving awards on April 17 at the Gabarron Foundation in New York City for their Art Work, which is now hanging at the Queen Sofia Museum of Art (Museo National Centro de Arte Reina Sophia) in Madrid, Spain.

Earlier in the year fellow artist, Julie Saypoff approached Ellen with a challenge for her student—to create Art for an international competition commissioned by Queen Sophia of Spain.  The challenge, a theme that changes annually, was to design images incorporating words to help young children stricken with cancer to have hope and fight.

Ellen’s kids went right to work brainstorming.

“I told the children that the theme was to defeat cancer. They took it very seriously and interpreted the assignment almost literally,” said Reinkraut.  “The students talked about to kicking the cancer out,  beating it up, intimidating the disease into remission.” 

What followed was a flurry of activity. Paintbrushes flying across sheets of white paper. Images cut and pasted into collages. Young minds on fire with ideas that simple actions on their part could bring power to kids suffering from this terrible disease. Innocence, enthusiasm and talent combined and the result—12 entries to be mailed to the Queen in Spain.  

“One student imagined cancer as a bull in a bullfight, another depicted throwing cancer in the trash.  At the same time there were hearts, bespeaking the love and kindness they felt for other children they had never met,” continued Reinkraut.

Out of 8,000 international entrants, seven of Reinkraut’s 12 students made the 250 semifinalists. All will receive certificates and books containing the images of the semifinalists. 

Reinkraut’s students also participated in the 25th Anniversary of Paterson Habitat for Humanity Celebration.  The theme was to create images of home.  Ellen’s students created huge, happy, colorful images of different kinds of homes which were then reproduced, scanned into virtual gold frames and hung in a special exhibit entitled “25 Years of Housing Hope and Humanity” at the Paterson Museum.

Reinkraut is proud of her students who love to help others with their art.  The colorful images, painted boldly and with great passion are a great honor to a teacher who also gives generously and prods gently to illicit a visual compassion for those in need.

For more information about Children’s Art Classes, contact Ellen at 201-314-6430.