Look who's going to the 2021 Philadelphia Flower Show!
Fresh Artists was invited to create a children’s art project for Bird Safe Philly, a local consortium led by the Academy of Natural Sciences and the National Audubon Society advocating to alleviate the shocking number of birds dying after flying into glass windows. These “bird collisions” are especially devastating during the spring and fall migratory periods each year.
Fresh Artists created the “Bird Brigade” a STEAM (art + science) project inspiring 3rd through 12th graders to become advocates for birds in peril, introducing collision mitigation techniques to their families, neighbors and communities.
Distance-learning for over the past three months, 112 kids from 9 public schools from Philadelphia, Camden and Norristown public schools made beautiful portraits of birds of the Delaware River Watershed referring to paintings of famous early-20th century bird painter and ornithologist, Louis Agassiz Fuertes in the Academy of Natural Sciences’ collection.
Fifty-two well-known professional and award-winning amateur bird photographers also donated their extraordinary contemporary bird photos as a teaching gallery for the children’s inspiration.
The art supplies students used for this project were made possible by our generous 2020 Giving Tuesday Donors and Sakura of America, manufacturers of Cray-Pas oil pastels.
Meet our young artists!
"Art is important to me. I believe art makes people happy, sparks joy and empowers change. My favorite part about this project was researching my bird, the Passarina. I found out what type of habitat they live in and what they like to eat.
I learned that the birds in the city have a hard time seeing glass windows. I think it's sad how many birds die every year.
When people look at my art I want them to know that we need to protect the birds but we also need to protect their habitats in order for them to survive. It makes me excited that Fresh Artists wants one of my artworks to be representing them [in the Flower Show] and it's like a really big deal to me." – Dy'Lea, Fresh Artist
Fresh Artists empowers K-12 children to make art for a purpose. Some kids donate selected artwork that raises funds to deliver art materials and innovative art programs to underfunded public schools. We also design and implement themed artmaking projects, like Bird Brigade, that advocate for change to make the world a better place.
The youngsters’ artwork will be used to make Bird Safe window film that will be installed on several of the participating schools...and perhaps in the corporate world and beyond!
A perfect fit with the 2021 Philadelphia Flower Show’s theme of “Habitat: Nature's Masterpiece", Fresh Artists children's brilliant bird portraits were selected to be exhibited at the Flower Show which runs from from June 5th to June 13th, 2021, down at FDR Park in South Philadelphia. Their work will be admired by 175,000 visitors!
Help us bring our young artists to the Philadelphia Flower Show!!
$118 donation will support the cost of a young artist's work to be scanned, printed, and installed on a weatherproof panel for display in the Fresh Artists exhibition at the Philadelphia Flower Show
$65 donation will purchase a ticket for one Fresh Artits child and their caretaker to attend the Philadelphia Flower Show to see their artwork
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