We are so excited to announce the new arrival of our coloring books. These were designed by Allie Ryder and Sarah Sullivan, both High School seniors this fall. Sarah is at Flint Hill School and Allie is at T.C. Williams. When their summer plans were canceled due to COVID-19, they volunteered to be Dewees Island Conservancy Ambassadors, which is a program for students with island connections (alas; no housing or salary.) Allie and Sarah have a strong interest in education and the arts.
After meeting with Lori Sheridan Wilson and Judy Fairchild to find out more about island challenges and brainstorm solutions, they came up with the idea of producing a coloring/activity book for kids to learn about the island resources and how to protect them. They met with recent art school graduate Kate Fairchild to talk about the art process and they were off to the races. They had fun putting it all together. While it wasn’t the summer at camp she had planned, Sarah said, “it was a great Plan B. I got to combine two of my favorite things; graphic design and Dewees Island, into a project that will help others learn about conservation.”
Allie Ryder had visited Dewees several times previously and was extremely excited for this opportunity, saying, “I was excited to create a project that includes both my love for art with my interest in elementary education. I hope that kids will be able to learn about the island while completing a fun art activity.”
If you’re on the island, you can buy them at the nature center. Since they’ve been sponsored, the entire price goes to the Conservancy. We’ve even got a handy QR code on the sign that links right to the donate page. Of course, you’re not limited to $10~ feel free to overpay! All proceeds protect the maritime forest.
If you’re not going to be here for a while, you can buy copies and have them shipped to you. We’re working on getting them into Amazon: until then, you can buy direct from Blurb. Just click the photo to the right to take you there!