Her name is Alexandra Grushkin and she is 10 years old. Alexandra lives in Morristown, loves it here, and loves art too.
Wanting to do something positive for her neighborhood and others in town, she came up with the idea of Art With a Heart, a children’s art show fundraiser.
She then worked with her friends to make it happen — and it happened in a big way on Sunday, raising $1,200 for Cornerstone Family Programs.
The plan was for neighborhood kids to show their original works and donate all the money from admission fees and sales to Cornerstone, a Morristown-based nonprofit that provides services for thousands of people in northern New Jersey.
Alexandra said she chose this charity “because it is a really good organization that helps people in Morristown who need help.”
And what about the show title — why Art With a Heart?
“Hearts make people feel good and happy,” Alexandra explained. “Plus, the name is catchy”.
Held at Alexandra’s home, the exhibition attracted 50 friends, neighbors and family members to see more than 50 original art pieces comprising 15 different media. The artists — nearly 20 participated–ranged in age from 6 ½ to 15.
One of those attending the show was Melissa Wood, Alexandra’s art teacher at the Kent Place School.
Several guests told her they were impressed by how mature some of the works were. Melissa’s response was to quote Picasso:
“All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once one grows up.”
Hopefully, these children will solve that problem. Their hearts already are in the right place.
