Suffolk Reporter

William Floyd High School art students recently took part in the "Memory Project," a program that encourages art teachers and their students to create portraits for young people worldwide who have faced significant challenges. The students, from Mrs. Theresa Bianco’s Portfolio Prep class, chose to focus on youth from India.

The Memory Project is a non-profit organization aimed at fostering cultural understanding and international kindness by connecting students globally. William Floyd's student-artists selected photographs of individual Indian students to draw, using information provided about each student's age, favorite color, and interests.

Students used various mediums such as marker, pastel, colored and graphite pencils, and the Procreate program to create personalized portraits. They also wrote personal introductions on the back of each portrait.

“They were nervous at first because they wanted to make sure their portraits had each students’ likeness and personality,” said Mrs. Bianco. “In the end, our artists demonstrated an overall talent and skill for facial details and had fun adding vibrant backgrounds; some even worked together to help make the portraits more accurate.”

The project was well-received by the participants. Junior James Smart expressed his enthusiasm: “It was an honor to make a kid’s day by giving them something unique and special.” Junior Isabella Humberstone shared her experience: “It was challenging drawing and adding color to her, but I know she will enjoy it.”

This initiative provided a meaningful experience for both the William Floyd student-artists and the youth in India who received these personalized artworks.