Printed photo on cloth with acrylic paints.

“Abdulazeez” – Kathryn Herman ’25

Sacred Heart art students annually participate in the Memory Project which enriches cross-cultural connections. The Memory Project’s goal is to enhance global citizenship through gifting hand-painted portraits from high school artists to under-resourced children in orphanages around the world, according to memoryproject.org. The mission of the project is to create a positive memory for the portrait recipients who face displacement, poverty, and war. The Memory Project raises funds to help support the children through aid programs and schools.

This year, Sacred Heart painted portraits of children from Nigeria. Freshman Kathryn Herman painted a portrait of an eight-year-old boy named Abdulazeez, who described himself to be quiet, serious, and sporty. Kathryn included these adjectives on the border of the portrait which also mentions that Abdulazeez’s favorite color is green and that he wishes to be a soldier. She reflected on her experience painting Abduazeez’s portrait.

“After this project, I feel more connected to people in other areas with different lifestyles as me,” Kathryn said. “This project definitely enhanced my experience as a global citizen and helped me gain awareness. I think that this was an eye-opening project that will stay with me forever and I am thankful to be a part of it. This truly loving gesture to help people who are not as fortunate as us around the world is important for our Sacred Heart community to continue.”

Featured Image Courtesy of Kathryn Herman ’25

“After the Storm” – Natalie Becue ’22

Newspaper and magazine collage with acrylic paint.

The ongoing climate crisis intensifies global precipitation and temperature patterns, increasing extreme environmental events, according to nationalgeographic.org. The continuation of destructive and deadly natural disasters such as forest fires, hurricanes, heat waves, poor air quality, floods, droughts, and storms call for climate action. In the last 30 years, the number of climate-related natural disasters has tripled, displacing over 20 million people per year, according to oxfam.org.

Senior Natalie Becue’s collage titled, “After the Storm” depicts the dramatic tolls and aftermath of destructive climate disasters. One of the newspaper excerpts reads, “loss in millions” while another reads, “hurricane brought death and destruction.” Natalie reflected upon the true meaning of her piece.

“I chose to create this piece to explore the devastating effects of climate change, specifically in natural disasters,” Natalie said.

Featured Image Courtesy of Natalie Becue ’22