Making Memories

Nine high school students. Nine children. Nine portraits. Nine memories.

A group of Windsor Central High School art students recently completed a series of portraits of children in Nigeria as part of the Memory Project. Since 2004, the Memory Project has coordinated 160,000 art students to create portraits as specials gifts for children around the world. 
 
Nine girls, each holding a portrait 
 
The project sent the Windsor students pictures of children in Nigeria. That’s when the Windsor students got to work, spending their free time creating a portrait of each child. The art work was then shipped back to that child.   

“We got to draw together and it was fun knowing that it was going to be sent back to (the children). They’d open it and say, ‘Wow, someone drew this for me,’” said Kristen Launt.

They were also motivated.

“It made me want to get it perfect,” said Michelle Cooper. 

“It made you feel special knowing you could have your passion making somebody else happy,” said Brianna See.

The students worked to make each portrait special.

“Each of the children put what their favorite color was, so we included it in the background of each painting. It was personal. It wasn’t just random,” said Giovanna Bucciarelli. 
 
"They would come in during study halls, lunches,” said art teacher Kristin Oliver. “They were phenomenal. I told them each week they were amazing.”

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