By Crystal Hayduk
Second graders and Chelsea High School (CHS) art students met face-to-face for the first time at North Creek Elementary School on Nov. 18 to celebrate Monster Match-Up, a shared drawing and sculpting project.
Monster Match-Up began in late October when second grade students drew colorful pictures of monsters. Then, high school students spent 10 days in 72-minute art classes to create sculptures based on the drawings.
Penny Olsen, elementary art teacher, said that the two classes were chosen because their teachers were new to second grade – Karen Glover, a longtime Chelsea teacher who moved to second grade this year, and Marie Larson, who is new to the district. Between the two teachers, there were 44 students, a near match to the number of ceramics students in the high school art program.
Geo Rutherford, high school art teacher, said that her students only knew the name of the child whose picture they received. With no other information about the young artist, the sculptors used the pictures as inspiration for the final figurines, which were fired, painted, and glazed.
During the reception-style meeting, the high-schoolers gifted their art to the second graders whose drawings matched the sculptures they had done. They engaged in conversation about their art and each other.
Olsen said that discussion with the high school student was an art lesson for the children who had recently begun their first work in ceramics making bowls, dinosaurs, and owls.
“They learn how ideas grow and how they can make other things as they practice their skills,” she said. “They also learn how the high school students, who have more years of experience working with clay, can make really intricate pieces using different methods, colors and glazes.”
CHS students were pleased that their efforts were positively received. Cheyenne Shemwell said, “The project was fun because you could put your own ideas into the sculpture to make it work, and it makes another kid happy.”
Joe McFate, another CHS student, said, “It was interesting to see the main idea that a child came up with and then adding to it.”
The children were thrilled to finally see their drawings as three-dimensional sculptures and delighted to keep the gifts that reflected a stranger’s time, effort, and talent. Many of the students marveled at the sculptures’ fine details and vibrant colors. Lucy, a second grader who ended up with two figurines based on her drawing, hugged them and said, “I’m going to put them on a special spot on my dresser when I get home. I love them.”
