PONTIAC (WWJ) -- Portraits created each year by student-artists in Pontiac Notre Dame Prep's IB visual arts program are bringing joy to disadvantaged children from around the world.
Senior student-artists in the International Baccalaureate art program finished up what has become an annual tradition for the soon-to-be graduates.
Each senior artist created a portrait of an orphan living in India as part of the "Memory Project,” a unique initiative in which art students create portraits for disadvantaged children and teens around the world.
This week, Sandy LewAllen, visual arts teacher and chair of the Notre Dame Prep arts department, packaged and shipped their portraits to India.
"I look forward to this project every year with our IB kids," LewAllen said. "It's the last project of the year for these seniors and they really get into it, especially since they know how excited the orphaned children will be when they finally receive their portraits."
IB visual art seniors who participated in the project this year included Lindsey Creek, Abigail Gietzen, Lucas Husch, Olivia McGettrick, Maggie Miklas, Charlotte Milback, Leonie Salzmann, Dani Stanko and Jason Stewart.
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The charitable nonprofit organization behind the Memory Project invites art teachers and their students to create and donate their portraits to youth around the world who have faced substantial challenges, including neglect, abuse, loss of parents, violence and extreme poverty.
In years past, NDP IB student-artists have created portraits for children in Afghanistan, Haiti, Ghana, Venezuela, Mexico and Peru, among others.
Ben Schumaker, who is founder and director of the Memory Project, said this past year has been exceptionally difficult due to the worldwide pandemic. Portraits are typically hand-delivered to the orphans, but this year they can only be mailed due to the current dire conditions in India.
LewAllen said that sometime during this summer, she will get photos and a video from India showing the orphans receiving and posing with their portraits.
“It truly is heartwarming to see how elated the kids are when they receive our artwork,” she said.