What began as a flyer in art teacher Chelsea Baber’s school mailbox became a meaningful mission project for four advanced art students.
The flyer introduced and explained the mission of The Memory Project, a charitable nonprofit organization that invites art teachers and their students to create and donate portraits to youth around the world who have faced substantial challenges, such as violence, disasters, extreme poverty, neglect, and loss of parents. This year, they focused on Syrian refugees.
“As soon as I saw the flyer I started to research what it was all about,” Baber said. “I knew it was something I wanted my students to do. The Memory Project sent me pictures of Syrian refugee children who have lost everything because of the war, and we’re sending the hand-drawn portraits back to them to encourage them and lift their spirits.”
The advanced art students were excited to work on an assignment that would not only challenge them artistically but would also make an impact on people across the world. According to the artists, focusing on accurately portraying faces of children who had survived traumatic experiences brought a sense of purpose to the project.