Art students at Quincy Junior-Senior High School are participating in The Memory Project, a nonprofit endeavor based out of Wisconsin that encourages art teachers and their students to create portraits for youth around the world who have faced hardships, such as neglect, abuse, loss of parents, violence and extreme poverty.
Their mission is to help children feel valued by providing them with meaningful pieces of personal history and a work of art. Danielle Frid, who teaches visual and media arts at Quincy High, said she came across this organization earlier on in her career. Over the years, her students have been involved in creating portraits for children in various countries, including Vietnam, Ecuador, Jamaica, Afghanistan, Russia, Ukraine, and Sierra Leone.
This year students were paired with children in Colombia. The Memory Project mails artists photos of kids from that country. Students can use any medium they are most comfortable with to create the portraits. Frid reported that some students created digital drawings using Adobe Illustrator, while others worked with watercolors and colored pencils. After they finish, they take a picture of themselves, attach it to the art, and mail it back to the organization. The Memory Project personnel then personally deliver the portraits to the kids. Finally, a video of the delivery and pictures of kids holding their treasured art is emailed back to Frid’s class.
“Students learn about the cultures the kids are from and take time to reflect during the process,” said Frid. “This project creates lifelong memories and a connection between American artists and the kids around the world who receive the art.”
More information on the organization can be found at www.memoryproject.org. Anyone can participate, with a fee of $15 per portrait for shipping and handling. Frid said that the Quincy Trojan Boosters Club paid for this year’s expenses, and anyone who would like to contribute towards this project for students can send donations to the Boosters Club.
This year’s participants are as follows:
- Ninth grade: Ellis Etter, Kylie Poole.
- 10th grade: Maya Crump, Reese Daniels, Addison Lee, Logan Molina, Anthony Warndorf.
- 11th grade: Angie Covello, Lexi Covello, Jennifer Kingston, Shelby Nussle, Evelyn Valdivia.
Information submitted by Quincy Junior-Senior High School
