milan news leader
newsSaturday, June 9, 2012
MILAN: High school students create portraits of kids in West Africa for Memory Project (with video)By Lori Maranville
lorimaranville@att.net
Twitter: @lmaranvilleTen Milan High School students recently used their artistic talents to bring smiles to the faces of disadvantaged youth in a country in West Africa. The students in teacher Stephanie Stein's art class participated in a global initiative called The Memory Project, creating portraits of students from a school in Sierra Leone. Stein said the purpose was to expand the students' cultural knowledge, while giving them the chance to open their hearts and reach out to disadvantaged youth in a way that supports their emotional well-being. "There are ways we can help people with artwork and visual culture versus always helping them with the basics like food, shelter, water and things like that," Stein said. "Emotionally, we were able to make these kids happy by providing them with portraits and artwork of themselves." The Milan students were able to see the reaction of the children upon receiving their portraits via an Internet link to the special delivery. http://www.memoryproject.org/SierraLeone2012.mp4 Milan High School students Jason Sell and Chynelle Vaughn were more than happy to participate when Stein asked the students about making the Memory Project as part of their classroom assignment. "It felt like it was bigger thing that we were connected with," Sell said. "Even though you're not giving them food or water, it helps them maybe on a sentimental level," Sell said. "It was sort of like giving something of yourself." After receiving photographs of the children, the Milan students chose a medium for creating their masterpieces, whether through painting, drawing or computer art. They spent a month perfecting their portraits, finally sending the artwork to the organization. The organization, in turn, personally delivered the portraits to the children and recorded the event for participants to see the children's reactions. As a personal touch, each artist was encouraged to attach a photograph of themselves to the back of their portraits. Knowing the portraits were going to a child who may have faced great hardship in their life was incentive for the high school students to put extra effort into the assignment. "It made you work that much harder knowing it was going for a good cause," Vaughn said. The assignment not only brought joy to the recipients of the portraits, but also to the students who created them. Stein said many of the students cried tears of happiness when they saw the video clip of children receiving the portraits. Vaughn said her biggest worry was that the child who received her portrait wouldn't like it. Those worries melted away when she saw the smiles in photographs and video of the portrait delivery. "It was really cool to see the kids' reaction," Vaughn said. "It was kind of surreal. Some of them weren't smiling in the original photographs, so to see how happy they were when they got their portraits was nice." Sell said this is the first time he has participated in the project, but would do it again if given the opportunity. He said he enjoys art and the fact that it can be used to communicate without words. "I like that art doesn't have any words. It's an expression of feeling and you get to interpret by seeing." Both Sell and Vaughn have aspirations in creative career fields. Sell, who is now a sophomore, has an interest in architecture, while Vaughn, a senior, is interested in culinary arts. Also participating in the project were Alyssa Culler, Grant Davis, Zach Maurer, Madison Sanders, Jasmine Sparks, Maya Vick, Bianka Von Lonski and Elisabeth Weinfurtner. The Memory Project was started in 2004 by a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin named Ben Schumaker. According to the organization's website at www.memoryproject.org, the purpose of the project is to give children who may have been orphaned or neglected a personal keepsake of their youth and also to promote a positive self identity for those children. The project also inspires art students at high schools in the United States and other countries to share their creative talents and show kindness and friendship across the globe. To date, about 30,000 portraits have been created for children in 33 countries. These latest portraits, created by the Milan High School students and other Memory Project participants, were delivered by Schumaker's parents this spring. For more information about the initiative, visit the website or contact Schumaker at 608-467-5706or ben@memoryproject.org. Stein said she hopes to have her students participate in the project again next year. Lori Maranville is a freelance writer. She can be reached at lorimaranville@att.net.
lorimaranville@att.net
Twitter: @lmaranvilleTen Milan High School students recently used their artistic talents to bring smiles to the faces of disadvantaged youth in a country in West Africa. The students in teacher Stephanie Stein's art class participated in a global initiative called The Memory Project, creating portraits of students from a school in Sierra Leone. Stein said the purpose was to expand the students' cultural knowledge, while giving them the chance to open their hearts and reach out to disadvantaged youth in a way that supports their emotional well-being. "There are ways we can help people with artwork and visual culture versus always helping them with the basics like food, shelter, water and things like that," Stein said. "Emotionally, we were able to make these kids happy by providing them with portraits and artwork of themselves." The Milan students were able to see the reaction of the children upon receiving their portraits via an Internet link to the special delivery. http://www.memoryproject.org/SierraLeone2012.mp4 Milan High School students Jason Sell and Chynelle Vaughn were more than happy to participate when Stein asked the students about making the Memory Project as part of their classroom assignment. "It felt like it was bigger thing that we were connected with," Sell said. "Even though you're not giving them food or water, it helps them maybe on a sentimental level," Sell said. "It was sort of like giving something of yourself." After receiving photographs of the children, the Milan students chose a medium for creating their masterpieces, whether through painting, drawing or computer art. They spent a month perfecting their portraits, finally sending the artwork to the organization. The organization, in turn, personally delivered the portraits to the children and recorded the event for participants to see the children's reactions. As a personal touch, each artist was encouraged to attach a photograph of themselves to the back of their portraits. Knowing the portraits were going to a child who may have faced great hardship in their life was incentive for the high school students to put extra effort into the assignment. "It made you work that much harder knowing it was going for a good cause," Vaughn said. The assignment not only brought joy to the recipients of the portraits, but also to the students who created them. Stein said many of the students cried tears of happiness when they saw the video clip of children receiving the portraits. Vaughn said her biggest worry was that the child who received her portrait wouldn't like it. Those worries melted away when she saw the smiles in photographs and video of the portrait delivery. "It was really cool to see the kids' reaction," Vaughn said. "It was kind of surreal. Some of them weren't smiling in the original photographs, so to see how happy they were when they got their portraits was nice." Sell said this is the first time he has participated in the project, but would do it again if given the opportunity. He said he enjoys art and the fact that it can be used to communicate without words. "I like that art doesn't have any words. It's an expression of feeling and you get to interpret by seeing." Both Sell and Vaughn have aspirations in creative career fields. Sell, who is now a sophomore, has an interest in architecture, while Vaughn, a senior, is interested in culinary arts. Also participating in the project were Alyssa Culler, Grant Davis, Zach Maurer, Madison Sanders, Jasmine Sparks, Maya Vick, Bianka Von Lonski and Elisabeth Weinfurtner. The Memory Project was started in 2004 by a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin named Ben Schumaker. According to the organization's website at www.memoryproject.org, the purpose of the project is to give children who may have been orphaned or neglected a personal keepsake of their youth and also to promote a positive self identity for those children. The project also inspires art students at high schools in the United States and other countries to share their creative talents and show kindness and friendship across the globe. To date, about 30,000 portraits have been created for children in 33 countries. These latest portraits, created by the Milan High School students and other Memory Project participants, were delivered by Schumaker's parents this spring. For more information about the initiative, visit the website or contact Schumaker at 608-467-5706or ben@memoryproject.org. Stein said she hopes to have her students participate in the project again next year. Lori Maranville is a freelance writer. She can be reached at lorimaranville@att.net.