Creating a kinder world through art

Memorial art students are helping to create a kinder world through their participation in The Memory Project, a non-profit program founded in 2004, dedicated to promoting intercultural awareness, friendship, and kindness between children around the world through the universal language of art.

“This is our second year contributing portraits to The Memory Project,” said Art teacher Denise Zanutto. “Students in Art 2 and AP Art participated in 2017 and in 2019. I believe they did 20 portraits in 2017, and this year 25 students participated.”

Most portraits are rendered in black and white media, while other students have ventured into color using watercolor, colored pencil, and digital processes.  “ In 2017, our students created portraits for refugee children in Syria. This year, students chose to draw Children from Pakistan who have suffered from the effects of war.”

Ms. Zanutto added, “The students always enjoy the challenge of creating these portraits. But the real joy is watching the video we receive from the Memory Project directors once the portraits are delivered. Our students get to see the real life impact that their artistic efforts have created.”

***The Memory Project was founded by Ben Schumaker in 2004 while he was studying psychology and social work at the University of Wisconsin. Ben had just spent a month at an orphanage in Guatemala where he learned that the children had few special belongings to help capture their life stories. Because Ben had always enjoyed creating portraits for friends and family in school art classes, he had the idea to organize art teachers and their students to create portraits that could serve as positive and tangible childhood “memories” for the children. Once he started delivering these portraits to children around the world, he realized that they also helped to build feelings of international friendship and solidarity. The portraits seemed to make the world a little smaller and kinder, and that is what the Memory Project is all about.

For more information, visit memoryproject.org