KPHS National Art Honor Society Participates in International Memory Project
King Philip National Art Honor Society students participated in the recently-completed international Memory Project.
The Memory Project is an international effort with the goal of creating portraits as keepsakes for children living in desperate situations, many of whom have gone through traumatic experiences and personal loss.
Each year, the staff at The Memory Project choose the countries whose children would benefit most from being a part of the project. This year, the KP students were told they would be creating portraits for children living in Cameroon. The Memory Project then mailed photographs of a group of children for visual reference to the high school’s Fine Arts teacher Shannon Cress and the students created a portrait of a child in the medium of their choice.
“Our participation in the Memory Project was on shaky ground this year because of the pandemic in terms of school schedules, hybrid/remote learning and travel safety,” Cress said. “In spite of these obstacles, we persevered and I’m very proud of the dedication these students displayed. This project felt even more important this year, not only because of the pandemic, but also because of the social unrest and political divide in our country. Connecting student-to-student across the globe was a powerful experience for all involved.”
This year, 13 National Art Honor Society students (juniors and seniors) participated from King Philip Regional High School. The students worked on their projects in art class and at home using drawing pencils, colored pencils, watercolor, ink, and/or acrylic paint to make their portraits.
The student artists involved in the project this year included: Stella Bailey, Tori Claypoole, Erin Cox, Ryan Dowden, Mei Edgerly, Giovanna Fruci, Maeve Lawlor, Jillian Lemieux, Caroline Lenox, Celia McSwiney, Madeleine Paradis, Veronica Redlitz and Margo Riley.
Once the portraits were completed, they were sent back with a photo of the student-artist holding up their work, along with a personal note written in the child’s language, as well as a monetary donation to cover the cost of shipping the artwork to the children.
King Philip National Art Honor Society student Veronica Redlitz created this portrait of a student in Cameroon as a part of the Memory Project. (Photo courtesy King Philip Regional School District)
Each year, the staff at The Memory Project choose the countries whose children would benefit most from being a part of the project. This year, the KP students were told they would be creating portraits for children living in Cameroon. The Memory Project then mailed photographs of a group of children for visual reference to the high school’s Fine Arts teacher Shannon Cress and the students created a portrait of a child in the medium of their choice.
King Philip National Art Honor Society student Ryan Dowden created this portrait of a student in Cameroon as a part of the Memory Project. (Photo courtesy King Philip Regional School District)
“Our participation in the Memory Project was on shaky ground this year because of the pandemic in terms of school schedules, hybrid/remote learning and travel safety,” Cress said. “In spite of these obstacles, we persevered and I’m very proud of the dedication these students displayed. This project felt even more important this year, not only because of the pandemic, but also because of the social unrest and political divide in our country. Connecting student-to-student across the globe was a powerful experience for all involved.”
This year, 13 National Art Honor Society students (juniors and seniors) participated from King Philip Regional High School. The students worked on their projects in art class and at home using drawing pencils, colored pencils, watercolor, ink, and/or acrylic paint to make their portraits.
The student artists involved in the project this year included: Stella Bailey, Tori Claypoole, Erin Cox, Ryan Dowden, Mei Edgerly, Giovanna Fruci, Maeve Lawlor, Jillian Lemieux, Caroline Lenox, Celia McSwiney, Madeleine Paradis, Veronica Redlitz and Margo Riley.
Once the portraits were completed, they were sent back with a photo of the student-artist holding up their work, along with a personal note written in the child’s language, as well as a monetary donation to cover the cost of shipping the artwork to the children.
