5 minute read
Fine Arts
A Decade Devoted to Creating Portraits of Kindness
BY DEIRDRE RYNNE ANNAN
This year, St. Sebastian’s celebrates a decade of participating in The Memory Project, a youth arts organization that spreads kindness through art and promotes intercultural understanding between children across the globe. Each artist is paired with a disenfranchised or orphaned child from another country and creates a portrait of the child that is sent to him or her as a gift of hope. As The Memory Project Founder, Ben Schumaker, noted, “These portraits touch the lives of youth around the world facing many types of challenges, while opening our hearts and minds so they can touch our lives in return.” Indeed, the project has done just that at St. Sebastian’s.
Many Arrows who become involved in The Memory Project have never painted a portrait before, but with thoughtful planning, patience, and careful attention they create heartfelt and inspiring works of art. Brian Luppy ’22, who has created seven portraits in the past six years, shared, “When I was in 7th grade, Mrs. Annan helped with my painting throughout the entire process. Over the years, I’ve grown more and more independent. This year, I was able to complete the entire portrait by myself.” Overwhelmingly, student artists return the next year to create another portrait, having found the experience to be deeply meaningful. Five of the six seniors who created portraits this year have been involved for multiple years. Aidan McCarthy ’22 noted, “Participating in
TOP: Colin ’24, Ryan ’27 and Jack ’22 Sullivan work on their portraits together. BOTTOM: Seniors Aidan McCarthy, Tommy Cronin, Brian Luppy, Jack Sullivan, Paul White and Christian Pichay.
this project not only fostered my growing interest in drawing and painting, but has allowed me to use my artistic talents to serve my peers all around the world.”
Art is not only a wonderful place to process and express one’s feelings, but also to inspire viewers. Recently, some of our artists have incorporated additional elements, choosing to capture their child in a career they aspire to or surround the portrait with affirmational adjectives. Christian Pichay ’22 recently finished his first portrait of a young girl from Sierra Leone who hopes to become a doctor: “I wanted to brighten her day and make her feel inspired. Through this project, we are now connected though we are from different parts of the world and have different circumstances. I pray she becomes a doctor!”
Arrows have created portraits for children facing heartbreaking circumstances, from Rohingya and Syrian refugee camps to group homes in Afghanistan and orphanages in the Ukraine. The experience of creating a portrait has deepened our students’ personal connection with countries and gives face to those impacted by issues such as climate crisis, political conflict, genocide, systemic generational poverty, drug addiction and illness. Through the partnerships made with The Memory Project, we’ve been able to inquire about the well-being of these children in the aftermath of catastrophic events.
Kindness is contagious! Jack Sullivan ’22 inspired his two younger brothers, Colin ’24 and Ryan ’27 to participate this year and the trio recently completed portraits of three children from Sierra Leone. Jack shared, “The Memory Project has brought me immense gratitude, joy and compassion every year I have participated. While it may be challenging at times, the satisfaction of finishing a child’s portrait is heartwarming.” We pray and trust that the 280 portraits created by St. Sebastian’s students over the past ten years serve as a lasting reminder to the children who received them that they are seen, they are valued, and they are a beautiful, unique and vital part of our world.
Turning the Ordinary into the Extraordinary
These photographs were taken by AP Photography students as part of their concentrated projects for their final AP portfolios.
“The diversity of shapes and patterns in fruits and vegetables is spectacular... I came to realize that even in the incredible symmetry and geometry of nature, there are slight imperfections in everything, making each object unique. And through this, I came to realize that just like the objects I observed, we as humans are similar in many ways, but our differences make each of us beautifully distinct.” —Ryan Kazmouz ’22
“My photos were inspired by my lifelong curiosity around trying to manipulate light to create images that look unreal and supernatural. I first started manipulating light when I was in elementary school. I would walk downstairs most nights with a flashlight to grab a glass of water. On my way down, I would wave the flashlight around the room and look at the dancing silhouettes on the walls. This helped ignite my curiosity around light. The photographs in my project were taken with my camera alone, with the use of varying shutter speeds and camera movement, and without the use of Photoshop or any software.” —Alex Maalouf ’23
SPRING REVUE
The annual Spring Revue on May 10 provided our artists, actors and musicians an opportunity to showcase their talents for parents, peers, faculty, and friends. In Martin Hall, attendees were able to view student photography, ceramics, sculptures and more. Performing arts were highlighted in the West Campus theater. The Slings & Arrows Players presented three comedic skits, written and directed by students. The Jazz Pop Ensemble performed a number of songs, from “Soul Man” to “Power of Love.”
On February 18 and 19, the St. Sebastian’s Drama Club performed “This Is a Robbery,” this year’s winter play. Written by seniors of the Drama Club and co-directed by Max Surprenant ’22 and Paul White ’22, the plot follows a group of art thieves and their scheme to steal a valuable painting. When they realize the painting they’ve stolen was meant to be auctioned off to raise money for charity, a sense of morality kicks in and the thieves develop a new plan to return the painting. However, Bruno, the mastermind of the whole operation, has plans of his own—but in the end, his “Conscience” wins. The actors and the crew excelled under the guidance of Mark Rogers, Chair of the Fine Arts Department.
