Creative Kids is a nationally recognized non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing a high-quality youth development program utilizing the visual arts to empower youth. Fifteen years ago, Creative Kids created Project Arts-in-Motion
(AIM), an art and digital media program for pediatric oncology patients at Providence Children’s Hospital.
This program has flourished over these last years and recently received the President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award. At a ceremony at the White House, First Lady Michelle Obama presented Creative Kids with the award
and a $10,000 grant.
The National Endowment for the Arts also named Project AIM as a Best-Practice Model for Arts in Healthcare Programming. Through this program, the patients are engaged in a visual arts curriculum ranging from painting on canvas, printmaking and water media
to graphic design classes on iMac G-5 computers, on which they learn to navigate Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
An important component of the program is showcasing the artwork created by these children in various galleries throughout our
hospital. There are two galleries housed in the connecting corridors between the Hilton Towers and Young Towers at our Memorial Campus, home of the Providence Children’s Hospital. These exhibition spaces serve two great purposes: to make the public
aware of the depth of thought, inspiration and creativity that these children have to offer, and to provide opportunities that allow the children to feel a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment through their creations. The artwork comes directly from
the children’s hearts and demonstrates the courage and triumph of the human spirit in the face of great adversity.
