PORTSMOUTH – At Dondero Elementary School, second graders draw vibrant, idiosyncratic monsters. Whether it be colorful wings, one eye, or a surplus of arms, their drawings are marked by creativity. However, these drawings are not just outlets for overactive imaginations.
Thanks to an innovative collaboration with Portsmouth High School, these elementary school students’ monsters are able to come to life.
Now in its second year, the monster collaborative is facilitated by PHS art teacher Sarah Mundy. The idea: Dondero students draw monsters from their wildest imaginations, and PHS ceramics students sculpt them into real, tangible figures. “I’d seen a version of it before, but with stuffed animals,” Mundy said. “I thought it would be fun to try it with ceramics.”
What had started as an art project became something larger. Last year, the collaborative project was showcased on “The Kelly Clarkson Show”– an unreal moment for Mundy.
.
“It still doesn’t feel real,” she said. “Any spotlight on the arts and on our program is a good thing. It made me happy.”
This year, the project has expanded to include PHS creative writing students in Audrey McBride’s creative writing English class and her English 10 classes. Now each monster will not only have a sculpture, but also its own unique story.
“It gives the project more depth, brings more people into the project, and makes it even more collaborative,” said Mundy.
Ben Croteau, a PHS junior, was one of the writers who said “it was cool. It added an extra piece that you don’t get with a regular project.” For Croteau, the challenge of the assignment was to not let his own imagination run free when writing the story. Instead, he had to anchor his ideas to the second grader’s vision.
“I had to rein in what I was writing about,” said Croteau. “It took a while, but I’m proud of how it turned out. As a second grader, I would’ve loved to hear a story about something I created.”
Arianna Grosky, a PHS senior, was one of the ceramics students making the monsters come to life. Prior to taking ceramics, she had not heard of the project.
“It was challenging because I wanted to make sure it lived up to the student’s expectations,” she said. “But it was so rewarding. I’m really happy with the end result, and I’m super excited for the second grader to receive their monster,” she added.
The final reveal, when Dondero students see their monsters come to life, is what the project is all about. “They’re so excited,” said Mundy. “The high schoolers worry that the kids might be disappointed, but they never are.”
Nevertheless, a project of this scale does not come without its challenges. “The hardest part is making sure every sculpture gets done,” Mundy said. This year, there are 55 monsters. “If something breaks or explodes in the kiln, it’s stressful. Teenagers don’t always finish things, but the project motivates them.”
Mundy believes the project resonates because of its sentiment. “The creativity and innocence of the second graders connects with everyone because we were all little kids once.”
This collaborative project will culminate in an exhibit on Friday, April 18, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Portsmouth High School Library. At the exhibit, the second graders will get to see their monsters and their accompanying stories with the high schoolers.
