Thursday, January 18, 2007 Older Editions

Andover students create art for orphans

By April Guilmet

Art students at Andover High School and West Middle School have spent weeks creating picture books and portraits for children they'll probably never meet.

It's all part of the Memory Project, an international arts outreach program that provides children living in Third World orphanages "Memory Portraits" and "Books of Hope" created by American students, including more than 100 teenagers at Andover High School.

Rendered from snapshots of children living in Third World orphanages, the Memory Portraits are often the only personal possessions these children have, said Andover High art teacher Ed Parker.

"It often instills in them a greater sense of identity, and makes a connection that there is someone in the world outside ... who knows something about them and cares enough to take the time to do a portrait," he added.

The Books Of Hope were created for African children known in their homeland as "the Night Walkers." More than 40,000 children from Northern Uganda are forced to leave their villages each evening, or risk being kidnapped by rebel armies. While the daily six- to 10-mile walk towards a safe shelter is difficult, the alternative could mean being forced into a life as a soldier or prostitute. The Books of Hope are distributed to these children to read and share while at the shelters. Because Uganda's primary language is English, the books also help the kids learn to read.

The memory books were a required assignment for many students. Most students interviewed agreed they were happy to know their creations were part of such a cause.

"It's a good feeling to have your book go where they don't have much," said junior Alexa Moccia as she put the finishing touches on her story's color-pencil illustrations.

Willemijn Huizing, a junior, opted to create a book that might be somewhat familiar to a Ugandan. It tells the tale of Omutono, a lion born without a full mane. Although he tries to make a mane out of leaves, the other lions aren't fooled and tease him. But eventually, Omutono meets up with others who like him just the way he is. Huizing said that the name, Omutono, means "little person" in Ugandan.

"And he's the smallest of his pride," Huizing said.

Her reasons for creating this book were simple.

"I like animals. And this was a fun thing to do," she said.

Senior Emily Evans, who said she's been a dancer for the past 14 years, created a book called "Ellie" about a young ballerina, using color pencils and Sharpie marker for her illustrations.

In sophomore Skye Schirmer's book, a group of animals try to cross a river. They can't swim, so they pile into a raft. Halfway across the river, the cat starts chasing a bird, and the entire raft is knocked into the water.

"But then the elephants find out they can walk through the river. They all make it across and become friends," Schirmer said.

Setting it up

Andover's involvement began with the simple act of changing the channel.

When Parker, the art teacher, turned on the CBS evening news last fall, a segment on an international arts outreach program caught his attention. Fellow art teacher Meghan Reilly saw it too.

"It's weird [how this came together]," Parker said. "We got together and talked about how we could make this work."

With the blessings of Principal Peter Anderson and the collaboration of two more Andover High teachers, Teresa Consentino and Sarah Bettencourt, and West Middle School art teacher Julie Selivtella, Andover's role in the project was established, canvassing six classrooms and more than 100 students.

Anderson said he was previously unfamiliar with the Wisconsin-based Memory Project, which was created in 2004 by Ben Schumaker.

"I did nothing except give a very talented group of teachers and students the go ahead, and a little bit of funding," Anderson said.

That funding made it possible for the art department to purchase a book-binding machine, Parker said. The books will be displayed in the library during an upcoming Parent's Night, Parker and Reilly both said, and they'll be shipped off to their new owners by early February. The portraits are being sent out as they are completed.

Parker said he hopes to fund the Memory Project next year and afford a laminating machine.

"We have to pay around $10 per pound to send these books, so it depends on our budget," Parker said. "Some of the kids who wanted to laminate their books had to pay for it themselves."

"We were all scourging for materials," Reilly said.

Both teachers said they were impressed with the creativity and compassion of their students.

"It's hard for them to work so hard on something to be given away. But they're doing just that," Parker said.