By Michael Perlman | mperlman@gmail.com

Last Friday, a humanitarian art contest and breast cancer fundraiser known as “Arts For Life” was held on zoom, live from Ridgewood Savings Bank. It attracted 33 artists willing to get creative by designing art reflecting hope, the pandemic, breast cancer awareness, and water sports. It was produced and co-hosted by this columnist in partnership with Leah Salmorin, a breast cancer survivor who founded the Paddle For The Cure, and was also made possible due to the bank, Elmhurst Hospital, and technician Michael Wechsler.

“NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst is grateful for the longtime support of Paddle For The Cure,” said Ruchel Ramos, Associate Director of Public Affairs & Community Engagement. “PFC President Leah Salmorin is a former patient of our Hope Pavilion Cancer Center, where our excellent team of cancer specialists provide more than 12,000 visits a year treating people with cancer. Through Leah’s efforts, PFC has raised funds for the Hope Pavilion and provided other support. Through Arts for Life, PFC and Perlman will donate beautiful artwork, to bring joy to patients and medical staff of our Hope Cancer Center.”

Leah Salmorin & Michael Perlman at Ridgewood Savings Bank

Linda & Sol Perlman, Leah Salmorin, Michael Perlman

“Faith, Hope, and Goodness” is an inspirational colored pencil drawing by artist Judy Pesantez, a Middle Village resident who immigrated from Cuenca, Ecuador. Her appreciation for the arts and innate talent developed early in life. While illustrating a children’s book series, she discovered what she felt was “a noble cause which touches the heart of all humanity.” “Who has not had a family member or close friend who suffered from cancer?” she asked. Her drawing expresses attitudes towards cancer. Pesantez explained, “The Faith of cancer patients represented in the background, behind a pink ribbon, has a large sun for everyone to grasp. Hope is represented by the pink ribbon, which features an image of a woman facing breast cancer. Goodness is represented by caduceus on an evergreen field, which symbolizes the work of health professionals and first responders.

Forest Hills resident Nelly Lester’s “Unravel My Heart” won in the painting category. To an art enthusiast, it may be reminiscent of a stained-glass window with hands that will reach a bouquet. Since her teen years, she studied liberal art, ceramics, and abstract, followed by drawing class at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and having an exhibit at Weill Cornell Medical Library. She explained, “Usually I like to paint in the daylight, and by quiet dawn, finish my art. I never know how my art will finish. My canvas is mostly filled with bright acrylic colors and clean designs. My preference is usually flowers, women, and children in abstract form. My artwork tends to represent reality and true happiness, and that’s a sign of freedom. My artwork is not complete until others have seen it.”

Panny by Tina Zhao

Hope by David Chatowsky

Faith, Hope, and Goodness by Judy Pesantez

Photographer and animator Amy Lipson was the winner in the photography category with “N.Y. City: Home Base,” which features its namesake’s inscribed base of a Forest Park lamppost amidst greenery. She said, “The symbolism of a strong foundation surrounded by plant life relates to the resilience of NYC and the comforting power of nature that my home base of Forest Hills provides during these trying times. Staying local this past year allowed me to profoundly explore its beauty and peacefulness while on my habitual daily walks.”

David Chatowsky is an artist, a proprietor of three galleries, and a humanitarian who participated from Block Island, Rhode Island. With a belief that the world now needs hope more than ever, he painted “Hope.” He explained, “This painting is a representation of the first morning of that beautiful, bright future. It features a young woman providing for her future by harvesting dates from the Judean Date Palm, which was extinct until recently, when it was cultivated from 2000-year-old seeds. The young woman is bathed in the rays of the morning sun. The sun rays represent a blessing on her of health and security, and they go back into the rising sun, which represents a hopeful new day for all creation.”

Covid-19 Memorial by Dorothy Stepnowska

N.Y. City – Home Base, Photo by Amy Lipson

The winning contestant for drawing was 17-year-old Tina Zhao of Elmhurst who drew “Panny.” “My cousin is very excited, since this is her first time winning a contest, and it gave her much needed confidence to continue drawing,” said fellow artist and muralist Amy Zhao. “Tina decided to draw my older sister, Panny, because she has so much respect for her. Panny is an emergency room nurse that was one of the many healthcare workers who had to work countless hours trying to save as many Covid patients as she could for months. Panny was overworked, over-stressed, and constantly watching Covid patients rushed in, just to leave in body bags within hours. Being surrounded by death and mourning families and being separated from her loved ones just to keep them safe, took a toll on her mental and emotional health.” Additionally, Asian hate crimes skyrocketed, causing Tina and her family to live in constant fear. Zhao said, “Tina views Panny as brave, strong, kind, humane, and full of hope that one day we all can live in peace and unity. Hate is also a virus, and it’s times like these where people need to care for each other instead of judging.”

“I jumped out of my seat when I heard I was one of the winners,” said Glendale resident and Poland native Dorothy Stepnowska, who owns Flower Power Coffee House NYC. She won in the mixed media category for her “Covid-19 Memorial,” a large installation with a dimensional floral frame with a quote by Hattress Barbour III, “If the world is a stage and we all wear masks, let love be the final act.” When finding out about her $100 prize, she said, “I would like to donate it to Elmhurst Hospital for cancer patients.” She was also proud to learn about future Arts For Life events. “This contest was a great way to bring art to every borough and should become a tradition.”

Unravel My Heart by Nelly Lester

“Ridgewood Savings Bank believes that banking is all about people, helping them obtain their dreams, and making a positive impact on each other and the communities we share,” said Forest Hills branch manager Nancy Adzemovic, who was proud to facilitate prizes for contestants and winners. “We share a common value of helping one another succeed, grow, and prosper.” June 18 marks the bank’s centennial. She said, “For 100 years, we have been ‘multiplying the good’ by investing in the communities we serve, and providing the best customer service is very important to us, as we are a true community bank.”

Everyone who participated was considered a winner based on their unique artistry and humanitarian spirit, and will be asked if they wish to join the Arts For Life Club to further support humanitarianism and artists locally and beyond.