New York’s Famous Animators and Cartoonists Help St. Mary’s Kid Unleash Their Creativity

The Ink Well Foundation Brings a Little Inspiration to Children of Bayside Hospital

The children of St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children joined the artistic world of some of New York’s most well-known and respected animators and cartoonist.

For the 2nd year in a row, New York artists from the Ink Well Foundation spent the afternoon with the young patients of St. Mary’s, encouraging them to unleash their creativity and teaching them the healing powers of art and self-expression. Ray Alma, Howard Beckerman, Dan Danglo, Joyce Pedretti, Tim Savage, Adrian Sinnott, and Joe Vissichelli volunteered their time to bring a ray of sunshine to some of New York’s most seriously ill and injured children battling complex medical conditions.

Surrounded by the creators and illustrators of world-wide projects such as Ice Age, The Rugrats, Speed Racers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and much more, St. Mary’s kids were given firsthand accounts of what goes on behind closed doors and learned all the inside tricks of creating movies, TV shows, and comic books. They even got to see some of their favorite comic book and cartoon characters recreated from scratch. The kids then had the opportunity to create their own masterpieces and learned about the therapeutic benefits of drawing.

Founded in 2005 by Elizabeth Winter, The Ink Well houses more than 60 artists who have worked on a span of projects and illustrations for New York Magazine, The New Yorker, Random House and Simon and Schuster and much more. The group volunteers their time to visit hospitalized children in an effort to provide them with a unique defense again the hardships they are facing, while providing them with a fun-filled and educational activity.

St. Mary’s kids can’t wait till next year for another visit from their special friends at Ink Well who brought so many smiles to their shining faces.