We Love Making Portraits for The Memory Project Kids
My students need fees to support our student portraits made for the Memory Project kids; Ben Schumaker will make the connections possible with his organization.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
Kids portraits have been a heart warming art form for centuries! This project will give my students an opportunity to use their talents to create a portrait and make another child smile! I can't think of a stronger connection for my students to make with their talent around the globe.
This project is focused on my strongest and most talented art students in our school.
They all take their art very seriously. Some are planning to pursue art in college, some have found that this is popular with friends and family. Some find this just comes so naturally it is just fun. All of the students were very excited when the first pictures of kids I sponsored arrived. When more kids saw the little kids' pictures they wanted to participate. Now there are more kids asking to participate than I can sponsor on my own. We have self portraits on display at the local museum from a recent show. Everyone is impressed by their talent, effort and personality showing from the portraits on the gallery walls. I have the motivated student artists ready to work in three classes. They can give back to the world in a way unique to a visual artist and to a small child.
My Project
All I need is to make the connections between student artists and kids from THE MEMORY PROJECT.org who need a portrait to be proud of themselves. I have the art materials, the paper and the talented high school students who are ready to give.
Ben Schumaker the founder knows where these kids are and can make the connections happen. We just need to provide the financial support to make the deliveries of these portraits. I drew my first really good portrait of a child from a photograph at about the same age as my current students, that was fifty years ago, I still have it and I'm still very proud of it. I think my students will get the same sense of pride and the added bonus of knowing they have given something no one else could give to these children. Learning to use you creative talents and learning the importance of "giving back" are lessons my students need to become adults who will lead the world forward, solve problems and make good choices in how to invest their time & effort.
This month I spent twice the budget I planned for the first four portraits now in progress.
I just couldn't turn down the students in my last class of the day who asked to do this. I made the offer to one extremely gifted student who focuses on portraiture. She is constantly making portraits in all kinds of media. Her peers find her truly incredible, but they stepped up to the challenge do just as well by more little kids. You can pick up where I had to stop.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Cloyd and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
