Pandemic Portraiture followed by Pandemic Portraiture: Reflections of Healing. Both classes were supported by Artists Respond Grants (FY19 & FY22) Purchase a copy of the book here! Read a review by Howard Fielding’s Week in Review: Week 48.
Pandemic Portraits Art Show: Seven young students ages 11 to 15 came together, while staying apart, to participate in an eight week Portrait Art Lesson Program via Zoom supported by a Grant from the FY20 CT Artist Respond awarded by DECD/CT Office of the Arts. ShawnaLee W. Kwashnak, a board member of the Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists, taught the course during the Covid-19 shutdown. “This class served several purposes from enriching the lives of these fabulous students during a worldwide pandemic to passing the torch of classic portraiture from the masters of yesteryear. I couldn’t be any prouder of these young artists for how hard they worked and practiced each week! It was a pure joy to witness their artistic growth – and in such a short amount of time. These finished portraits are a testament to their dedication to the arts! These worthy works of art will stand the test of time by becoming tomorrows history lesson about the lives of our youth during this unprecedented historic worldwide event”. ShawnaLee
Participating Youth Artists include: Madison O’Rourke, SiYi Robifker, Gabriella Berardis, George Findlay, Kallie Foran, Nicole Dicello and Ryan Saplio.
While learning the old ways through new means, each student shares their witness to our historic year by honoring the heroes among us: Please Scroll down to see and read about each artwork.
Interested in Art Lessons? Please reach out to ShawnaLee or sign up for any of the listed classes!
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Connecticut youth share their portraits and stories of healing from the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic in this collection from two workshops led by an award-winning New England portrait artist.
“Pandemic Portraiture: Reflections of Healing” is a CT FY22 grant-supported program taught by portraitist ShawnaLee Waterbury-Kwashnak to a select group of Connecticut youth artists who created portraits inspired by their witness of healing during the pandemic. The project culminated in a virtual art show and this book, which captures experiences during the midst of turmoil and will be of interest for historians for generations to come. It includes a section for readers to record their own reflections of healing.
Read Week in Review: Week 48 by Howard Fielding.
This program was produced with the support of the Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts, which also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
