QHS art students share portraits they made for their Nigerian counterparts

Quincy High School intermediate art students have participated in The Memory Project, an annual tradition that teacher Danielle Frid began doing with students over 10 years ago. This non-profit organization in the US coordinates pairing (often orphaned and/or impoverished) children from around the world with American art students and educators. “Each year we anticipate an email to accept the invitation to receive photographs of children from a new country,” Mrs. Frid said. “Quincy High Students have created portraits over the years for children in Ecuador, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Russia, Ukraine, Sierra Leone, and more.

This year Quincy High’s six intermediate art students and Mrs. Frid worked with children from Nigeria. “The six reference photos we receive of the children include their age, first name, favorite color, and what they want to be when they grow up,” she said. Art students often use a grid drawing method to start drawing and create a likeness of the child they select. They can choose a medium they’d like to work with: watercolor, acrylic, oil paints, colored pencil, etc. A final step before the finished portraits are mailed back to The Memory Project organization is to include a photo of the artist with the work, name and age.

The organization receives artwork from participating schools all over the US, then their team delivers the heartfelt portraits. This is an opportunity for students to learn about children living in different countries and cultures, and work with their images. The children that receive them often have little possessions and a painting of themselves, created by an American artist, is a treasured gift.

QHS Boosters overs the $15 cost per artist! Please consider donating to QJSHS Boosters to help support this project and more!

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Attached is a video file of the delivery to children in Nigeria, and the QHS students.