February 2017 Portrait of the Month - Dachau Survivor

Dachau Prisoner

Troy C. drew this beautiful portrait of a survivor from Dachau in a Memory Project workshop led by his teacher Danielle at Whitesville Central School in New York. Danielle and her colleague Chris are among the first teachers to become ambassadors under our new Memory Project Ambassador program. The Ambassador program recognizes the efforts of educators to use Memory Project workshops as a way to cultivate creativity, connection, and compassion. Ambassadors and their students are part of a global community working together to achieve this goal.

Troy joins this global community with his portrait, and reflected on his experience:

How did it feel to spend so much time observing a photograph and then making art based on the photo?
I found this interesting and fun at the same time. The reason why I thought it was fun was because of how much detail I got to put into it. I picked the photo because I wanted a challenge. I also picked the photo because I have German heritage.

Write a caption for the portrait that you made. It can say something about the person or something about your feelings making the portrait.
“Relaxation and great calm”. This is my caption because I did not feel pressured or rushed when I was working on the project.

What did you like and dislike about the art experience?
I liked how it was different from what I normally do. This one you had to get the right lights and darks. I liked it because it took more time to do. I liked everything about it and did not dislike anything.

What do you think you will remember about this experience? Why?
I will remember this art project because it will be on the site where it can be seen by people all over the world. I also will remember the hard times the people of the Holocaust went through when our class talked about the portraits they drew.