Memories in the Making

By Melissa Miskin

The Memory Project is a nonprofit organization rooted in Middleton, Wisconsin that aims to connect youth around the world through beautiful, personalized artwork. Through this organization, talented young artists create portraits of underprivileged children in other countries, in order to give them a keepsake from their childhoods. This project was started in order to bring some joy to the lives of children who have very little to be happy about. To know that another person from the other side of the world is willing to put so much time and energy into a gift is so meaningful and life changing to these children. Starting in 2019, our art teacher, Mrs. Ritchie and some of her art students have participated in this project. She has participated in 2019, 2020, and 2022. After receiving photographs of children from Nigeria, she assigned some of her advanced art students with the task of recreating these childrens’ images in the medium of their choice. According to Mrs. Ritchie, students were chosen to participate in this project based on their attendance in class, as well as their “commitment, interest, and talent” for art. Students who have participated include Alice Benson, Desiree Davis, Kylie Doyle, Kaylani Carroll Duarte, August Fortunato, Sam Funk, North Holt, Savannah Jones, Azayda Lynt, myself (Melissa Miskin), and Eva Pizzonia.

Whether through pencil, charcoal, or paint, these talented students have created beautiful artwork that strikingly resembles the original images. These students are proud of the hard work that they have put into these portraits, for a wonderful cause.

As one of the goals of the Memory Project is to build connections with youth from other countries, students added a personal touch on the back of their portraits: each student has attached photographs of themselves, as well as a tracing of their hands on the backs of the portraits with a small message. This is meant to put a name and face to the artists of the drawings when they are received by the children that they depict.

In January 2023, these portraits will be shipped to Wisconsin. From there, they will be delivered in person to Nigeria. There, they will be received by children who are highly anticipating the arrival of their portraits, which are sure to be cherished by them for years to come. However, before the portraits can be shipped to Wisconsin, our school must first raise $180 to pay for the shipping and handling of each portrait. Currently, we have not been successful in raising this amount of money. This fundraiser consists of a pottery sale that is located in front of the main office. The pottery that is being sold consists of artwork that was created by former THS students who left behind their work after graduating. In order to ensure that these portraits are received safely by the children that they are intended for, it is important that we reach the required $180.

As a participant in the Memory Project for two years, I have an in-depth understanding of what this project stands for. I couldn’t be prouder of the work that we have done to bring some joy into the lives of these underprivileged children. Beautiful art takes a great deal of time, energy, and dedication to create, especially with something as immense and personal as a portrait. It is wonderful to see that some of the talented artists in our school are so willing to pour their hearts into such a personal and meaningful gift for these children. According to Mrs. Ritchie, we are making a particularly big impact in the fact that these artists are reaching out from Terryville, all the way to Nigeria, and it is especially powerful that these portraits will be handed to the children in person by members of the Memory Project. Although creating these portraits is an enormous undertaking, it is all worthwhile to these artists, knowing that they are making a big difference in the lives of these children; a difference that might just change their lives, knowing that someone was willing to put so much effort into a gift for them.