Students from East Hampton High School are taking part in an international effort called the Breathing Project that is meant to be therapeutic for essential workers who have kept society afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In it, students first interview doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, food pantry staff, social workers, and others, with the goal of gathering their personal stories. Then, artists from the high school's National Art Honor Society, along with others from around the world, create works of art to illustrate or represent those stories.
The artwork will be displayed publicly, such as at Guild Hall's annual Student Art Festival in January, and those whose stories are represented will receive prints of the work. The project comes by way of the Ellen Frank Illumination Arts Foundation, a nonprofit that is "dedicated to the transformative power of art to build a global culture of understanding," according to a release.
"The goal, instead of stepping on a balcony and clapping or honking a horn, is to give them something, to individualize and honor individual stories that are the untold stories," said Ellen Frank, a 2018 Fulbright specialist who is directing the Breathing Project. "This is to be more expansive, more global -- to really be a gratitude project."
It is an offshoot of Cities of Peace Illuminated, also led by Ms. Frank, which seeks to bring healing to places that have been affected by war or other conflicts. Another aspect of the Breathing Project is to recognize artists, who "have also been hit by Covid economically and feel very disenfranchised," Ms. Frank said.
Essential workers across every field and industry are sought for participation. Those interested in telling their stories can contact Julia Ledermullner at [email protected] or 917-991-0008. More information is online at citiesofpeace.org/the-breathing-project.