“The Memory Project” is a nonprofit organization that invites art teachers and their students to create portraits for youth around the world who have faced substantial challenges, such as neglect, abuse, loss of parents, and extreme poverty.
This year, students at OHHS will be creating portraits for 45 Syrian children who are displaced and living in refugee camps as a result of the civil war raging for the past 5 years in their country, resulting in one of the most complex humanitarian crisis in the world. Many of the children have lived in camps with makeshift tents and shelters for years, being kept alive by donated food of foreign governments and aid agencies. This is the only life many of these children have known.The ultimate goal of the project is to create portraits to help the children feel valued and important, to know that many people care about their well being, and to act as meaningful pieces of personal history in the future. The project also provides an opportunity for students to practice kindness and global awareness.
“The Memory Project” portraits are created by students enrolled in the Drawing and Printmaking course (grades 9-12).
Below are images of the OHHS Drawing and Printmaking students selecting their Syrian child:
OHHS Art and Design 