Presque Isle, Maine—During the month of July, students at the Wintergreen Arts Center painted portraits of local rescue animals to help raise awareness of the many adoptable dogs and cats living in area shelters. The pet portraits are now on display at Presque Isle locations including Second Chances Thrifts and Boutique, HardScrabble Solutions, Café Allegro, Katahdin Trust Company, Portland Glass, and Wintergreen. A description of the pet, along with the name of the shelter where it can be found, accompanies each pet portrait.
“Each student chose their favorite pet from a selection of photos we took of animals at the Central Aroostook Humane Society in Presque Isle and the Halfway Home Pet Rescue in Caribou,” said Kara Addington, Wintergreen art teacher. “It was a project where the kids felt they were making an impact. We also got to see which students were dog fans versus cat fans. One student even painted a rabbit. It was fun.”
Twenty-one students ranging in age from grade one through nine participated in the pet portraits project. Two students from the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Upward Bound program also took part in the class.
“It is very satisfying to work on projects that directly benefit our community,” said Kara, who also recently instructed Wintergreen’s Presque Isle Community Garden fence painting project. “I am looking forward to future opportunities where our students can make a difference in their home towns.”
PHOTO: (Left to Right) Arianna Rigby, Sam Schnieder, Alia Skaleski, Lariah Langley, Abigail Bugbee, Kara Addington (teacher), Ethan Willard, Mia Brewer, Kaleigh Phillips, Mackenzie McLaughlin, Macey Barker (assistant teacher), Ian Willard, and Piper Galipeau