Gallery • 3 Photos

Photo by: Erin Bastian

In 2015, National Art Honors Society (N.A.H.S.) chose to participate in the Memory Project, and it has continued participation for years.

The Memory Project organization started in 2004, and since then has created over 100,000 portraits for youth in 43 countries.

The organization gives the student artists a portrait of a child from another country and the students make a replica drawing or painting, then those are given to that child. Each child doesn’t get one drawing, the goal is to have multiple drawings for each child.

The children that are gifted these portraits are from many different countries, and go through violence, neglect, divorce, loss of parents, abuse, and poverty. The goal of participating in this event is to help these children feel more valued and important.

When the children get their painted or drawn portrait, a video is taken and shared with the group of people responsible for the portraits.

N.A.H.S. adviser Erin Bastian said, “The Memory Project benefits children in orphanages, group homes, or refugee camps around the world. Many of these children have few personal belongings. These created portraits serve as something that is special and unique to them that they will always have.”

Participants are asked to contribute $15 dollars per portrait. That money covers the cost of coordination and delivery charges. The money can be submitted any time during the process, even at the end when the portraits are sent away.

Booster funds, classroom budgets, students, school clubs, or sponsors can gather the money for this project. N.A.H.S. provides the money through fundraising. This year, N.A.H.S. has asked for a grant. Any leftover money is donated to charities in those countries.

“I think it’s important that our student artists learn to use their creative talents to better the community. In this sense, they are using their talents to improve the global community,” Bastian said.

Initially, Bastian was worried about timing, but the project has gone smoothly these last couple of years. The entire process takes three to four months, and about two of those months are used just to complete the piece of art.

Batain commented: “I have enjoyed watching our students get excited to use their creative talents for such a positive cause. We have created portraits for children in Romania, Tanzania, and this year for children in Syria.”

This year, N.A.H.S. will be creating 13 portraits for Syrian children currently living in refugee camps, and they will get them in the spring.

When asked if she thought if the Memory Project was worth her time, Senior Paije Carbonell said “Absolutely. It was so rewarding and helped me enhance my artistic realism. I was not only able to create art, but help an underprivileged child feel important and valued.”

Senior Jack Gaul said he really liked participating in the Memory Project because it directly benefited someone who is struggling.

“I personally love receiving our portraits at the start of project each year and seeing the diversity in these children and the sweet smiles on their faces. These children have been and are living through difficult situations, and they are still very much happy and hopeful kids. My favorite part of the project is when we receive the video the following school year of our children receiving their portraits. It’s quite inspirational to see how excited and moved these children are to receive them. Many of these children have nothing in regards to tangible possessions. These children love these keepsakes and are truly happy to receive an original piece of artwork of themselves,” Bastian said.