UPDATE – March 21, 2023:
The children in Nigeria received their portraits. View the video from the Memory Project!
November 2022 – Without meeting or speaking with them, students in Samantha Conboy’s art classes at Stillwater High School have again captured the personalities of children from across the globe by creating their portraits.
Students in the drawing class and advanced drawing and painting class are participating in the Memory Project, a youth arts organization that promotes understanding and kindness among young people around the world.
“We were sent photos of children from Nigeria, and we drew their portraits as realistically as possible,” Conboy said. “After the artwork is sent, we will receive a video of the children receiving their portraits. This project connects youth around the world through art to help build cultural understanding and international kindness.
“Together we are using art to reach a distant destination: a kinder world in which all youth see themselves in one another regardless of differences in their appearance, culture, religion, or the circumstances of their lives.”
According to the Memory Project’s website, an estimated 300,000 youth in 55 countries have been involved in the project’s school-based programs since 2004.
