{"id":337043,"date":"2026-09-03T13:34:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T13:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/337043\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T13:34:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T13:34:23","slug":"addabbo-hosts-art-therapy-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/337043\/","title":{"rendered":"Addabbo Hosts Art Therapy Class"},"content":{"rendered":"

In recognition of August as American Artist Appreciation Month, Senator Joseph\u00a0P. Addabbo, Jr. hosted an art therapy class at the Peter Cardella Senior Center in\u00a0Ridgewood on August 19, 2026, featuring local artist Gennaro Kravitz as the\u00a0instructor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During the session, seniors followed along as Kravitz demonstrated how to draw\u00a0floral arrangements, cityscapes, and people, using markers and a dry erase board.\u00a0Each participant received a new package of crayons to keep, along with stock\u00a0paper to create their own artwork.\u00a0Kravitz guided the group through his process, showing how simple shapes and\u00a0affordable materials can be used to create colorful and joyful designs. His artistic\u00a0style is inspired by the 1970s Pattern and Decoration movement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As he worked, Kravitz reminded attendees that art is meant to be enjoyed, not\u00a0perfected. He also explained that drawings do not need to be exact replicas.\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s\u00a0what photographs are for,\u201d\u00a0Kravitz said.\u00a0He introduced the group to the four basic shapes\u2014circle, square, triangle, and\u00a0rectangle\u2014as the foundation for several drawings, including a recreation of one of\u00a0his own pieces titled\u00a0\u201cOrange Man.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kravitz encouraged participants to use drawing and coloring\u00a0as a way to\u00a0relax,\u00a0reduce stress, and take a break from televisions, computers, and cell phones.\u00a0\u201cTake your crayons,\u00a0doodle, and\u00a0create. It draws your eyes and your hands away\u00a0from whatever was stressing you out and helps you make something delightful,\u201d\u00a0Kravitz said.\u00a0\u201cAnd once\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0made that delightful image, you can put it on the\u00a0refrigerator with a magnet or frame it and give it as a gift to someone you love,\u00a0like your Aunt Sadie in Jersey City. Instead of buying her an expensive scarf that\u00a0she\u2019s\u00a0never going to wear,\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0sharing something personal and meaningful. It\u00a0becomes a gift that brings joy both to you and her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re never too old to create something beautiful,\u201d\u00a0Addabbo said.\u00a0\u201cThis event\u00a0gave our seniors a chance to relax, express themselves, and discover how art can\u00a0bring joy at any age.\u201d\u00a0Senator Addabbo would like to thank Peter Cardella Senior Center and its\u00a0Executive Director, Barbara Toscano, for supporting and hosting the program.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Artist Gennaro Kravitz shows seniors how to duplicate one of his art works known\u00a0<\/p>\n

as\u00a0\u201cOrange Man.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gennaro Kravitz, fourth from left, joins the seniors as they show off their artwork\u00a0<\/p>\n

and is joined by Senator Addabbo\u2019s Office Manager, John D\u2019Angelo.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Senator Addabbo shakes hands with Gennaro Kravitz and congratulates him on\u00a0<\/p>\n

teaching another successful class.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Senator Addabbo with the class.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In recognition of August as American Artist Appreciation Month, Senator Joseph\u00a0P. Addabbo, Jr. hosted an art therapy class…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":337044,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-337043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337043"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337043\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/337044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=337043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=337043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}