2nd grader Daphne Matsakis and 9th grade student Helen Gillespie discuss the student artwork.

The Somerville Public School Art Department had a busy couple of weeks as 2nd graders from the John F. Kennedy School and Studio Art and Cartooning students from Somerville High School participated in the first iteration of The Monster Mash-Up, a collaborative art project organized by teachers Lindsey Richard and Jennifer DeAngelis.

Kennedy 2nd graders, under the instruction of DeAngelis, created paintings of monsters loosely inspired by Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are. When the monsters were completed, Studio Art and Cartooning students at Somerville High School, under the instruction of teachers Richard and Wood, adopted these monsters.

The students’ goals were to recognize the power of the imaginations of the 2nd graders and elevate their renderings as a means to encourage younger artists to continue to pursue their creative potential.

The culmination of the project was a Monster Mash-Up Meet and Greet which took place at the Kennedy School this past Wednesday. High school students traveled by foot to the John F. Kennedy School where they were greeted by a standing ovation from 2nd graders. The high school artists one by one presented their “monster-pieces” to the 2nd grade artists.

All artist participants had the unique opportunity to meet one another, share their creative process and celebrate their hard work. When asked about the project, 9th grade Somerville High School student Helen Gillespie said, “My favorite part was definitely the Meet and Greet because my second grader reminded me of myself and we had a lot in common!”

— Photos by Ross Blouin and The Somerville Public School Art Department