BIRD BRIGADE – Supporting K-12 Education Business Leaders

Canon Solutions America brings student art to life at the 2021 Philadelphia Flower Show

Art has an unwavering ability to permeate one’s thoughts and inspire change. For young artists of the Philadelphia, Camden (NJ) and Norristown, PA, school districts, their creativity flourished as they saw their portraits printed and displayed at the Fresh Artists’ “Bird Brigade” Exhibition at last year’s Philadelphia Flower Show.

Putting art into action, over 110 students created 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.

“Canon’s equipment is able to help bring the students’ artwork to life, and without it, those smiles would not be possible.”
Barbara Chandler Allen, founder and president of Fresh Artists

Philadelphia-based Fresh Artists, a Canon Solutions America customer, created the project to inspire students in grades 3-12 to become advocates for birds in peril. More than 175,000 people attended and were able to see the hard work of these young artists.

“We are continuously blown away by these students and I am reminded every day of why I love what I do,” says Barbara Chandler Allen, founder and president of Fresh Artists. “Canon’s equipment is able to help bring the students’ artwork to life, and without it, those smiles would not be possible.”

Dedicated to empowering K-12 children as philanthropists, Fresh Artists is an organization that educates and inspires students through the power of art. Founded in 2008, their mission is to keep art education alive in public schools.

Using large format devices from Canon Solutions America, specifically the Colorado 1650 and Arizona flatbed printers, Fresh Artists has been able to bring their students’ art to life, building on their original designs to create large-scale pieces which can be seen on the walls of businesses across the country—from corporate office buildings to the sides of city buses. To date, Fresh Artists has curated an ever-growing collection of more than 2,300 artworks created by children, positively impacting the lives of millions of young people and delivering more than $2.5M in art supplies and innovative programs like Bird Brigade to classrooms across the country. “Fresh Artists is a shining example of why we do what we do here at Canon Solutions America,” says Peter. P. Kowalczuk, president for Canon Solutions America. “It amazed me to see how, through their utilization of print to amplify their voice and efforts, they were able to help bring awareness to an important problem in our society.”