In Portsmouth: Celebrating art’s power to heal

PHS senior Audrey Pham organizes art show fund-raiser

By Lauren Daly
Posted 4/13/23

PORTSMOUTH — Portsmouth High School senior Audrey Pham knows how impactful art has been on her life. Now she wants to spread the word and help a good cause to boot.

For her senior project, …

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In Portsmouth: Celebrating art’s power to heal

PHS senior Audrey Pham organizes art show fund-raiser

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — Portsmouth High School senior Audrey Pham knows how impactful art has been on her life. Now she wants to spread the word and help a good cause to boot.

For her senior project, Audrey has organized a self-curated art show fund-raiser from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday, April 15, at the Portsmouth Arts Guild, 2679 East Main Road. The show’s an opportunity to see many kinds of self-expression, meet nearby young artists, and learn about a cause that has helped so many.

Through her love of art and passion for helping others, Audrey has decided to showcase some local teen artists’ creativity, to support the non-profit organization Kids & Art Foundation. 

The foundation’s focus is using the power of art to lessen stress, anxiety, and trauma in kids who are battling pediatric cancer, and other serious medical conditions. The organization has proven to be successful in helping adolescents with their mental health struggles induced by various medical obstacles.

“One of the big things is just for people to be more educated on how important art is to many, and how much it can heal someone. I think this specific non-profit really sheds light on how art therapy is so important for so many kids,” Audrey said. “Art therapy has helped me personally so much.” 

Audrey has been creating her own art since the age of 10, and has turned her creativity into something inspirational, not only developing a skill but an understanding on how mentally useful art can be. Her goal is to inform other people on how successful art is with better maintaining peace and self-expression. 

Not only will the show help raise awareness and support to Kids & Art, but hopefully guide aspiring artists to better find their style, she said.

By observing the pieces displayed, Audrey aims to make other people feel more comfortable in their art style. Seeing how different creative minds take on their own methodology is a powerful inspiration for the next generation of artists, she said.

There are no requirements as to what type of art will be displayed.

“I will be taking all kinds of media,” Audrey said. “It doesn’t matter if you want to submit a photo to me digitally; I will get it printed. If you want to submit 2D art, I will get it framed and matted. If you want to submit 3D art, it will be in a case. If you want to submit fashion, it will be hanging.” 

Each artist is able to submit either a single piece or collection of three to six pieces that they feel positively affects others — and the artist themself.

Knowing how impactful art can be, Audrey has been working at encouraging others to submit their own works, advocating for the children who have been positively affected by art, and taking strides to make this a fun and fascinating experience.  

The overall message of the fund-raiser, Audrey said, is to remind people that everything one creates matters. No matter the color, shape, size, techniques used, or point you’re trying to get across, art is always influential. 

To help support Audrey’s project as well as the Kids & Art Foundation, donate at https://gofund.me/ed2b1b30.

Lauren Daly is a junior at Portsmouth High School who wrote this article as part of her senior project.

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.