Memory Project is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

that invites art teachers and their students to create

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better r ...

s for youth around the world who have faced substantial challenges, such as

neglect In the context of caregiving, neglect is a form of abuse where the perpetrator, who is responsible for caring for someone who is unable to care for themselves, fails to do so. It can be a result of carelessness, indifference, or unwillingness and ...

abuse Abuse is the act of improper usage or treatment of a person or thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, ...

, loss of parents, violence, war, and

extreme poverty Extreme poverty is the most severe type of poverty, defined by the United Nations (UN) as "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, ...

. The intent of the portraits is 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. For art students who participate, the project is intended to be an opportunity to creatively practice kindness and global awareness. To do this, the Memory Project receives photos of children and teens from global charities operating residential homes, schools, and care centers in a number of different countries every year. The Memory Project then assigns those children's photos to professional art teachers. The art teachers then work with their students to create the portraits, and the Memory Project delivers the portraits to the children meant to receive them. For art novice art students who do not have experience creating portraits, the Memory Project provides an option to create "identity art" focusing on the children's names and three positive words they choose to describe themselves. The Memory Project was active in Afghanistan until the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. The Memory Project also focused on Ukrainian children in 2022.

References

External links

Memory Project official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Memory Project Children's charities based in the United States Charities based in Wisconsin Children's arts organizations based in the United States 2004 establishments in Wisconsin Organizations based in Wisconsin Middleton, Wisconsin