Bedford Central School District Community Art Project a Monster Success

What creative monsters do we all have within?

This was one of the questions that inspired art teacher Amy Salerno to go all in on the creation of Bedford Central School District’s Monster Art Exhibit, a community art project that paired young students with older artists who reimagined their work.

A whopping 286 monsters created by BCSD first and second graders were on exhibit at Fox Lane High School from November 22 through December 20. Each young artist had a community partner, including middle and high school students, BCSD faculty, staff, administrators, parents, families, friends, alumni and local artists. There were nearly 600 pieces of art created and displayed for the project.

“Initially, the event was inspired by David Albano’s Community Fox Read, the theme of creative communities, and of course ‘Frankenstein,’” Salerno said, referring to the Mary Shelley classic that was one of the books chosen for this year’s Fox Read. “From there,e it evolved and gathered momentum.”

Salerno was amazed by the different interpretations and mediums that could be found by taking a walk through the gallery. There were paintings and drawings, sculptures and knitted creations, collages and even a picture book.

“The idea was to find inspiration in the art that led to people being really playful,” Salerno said.

One of the most heartwarming parts about the whole experience is how important it was to community artists not to let the younger students down. The artists wrote students notes and some even left art supplies that students could use to experiment with new mediums.

“There were parents crying that someone who doesn’t know their child would put so much effort into supporting them,” Salerno said. “The fact that students got to keep the art is so special. It was a way for student artists to have fans like our student athletes do.”

Salerno also noted that the project was a great entry point for people who had been artistic or creative in the past to get back into it. She noted that Fox Lane High School dean Dan Mulvey created a piece, and she hadn’t realized he was so artistic.

“I really loved connecting with participating faculty members and discussing their creative process and ideas. It was so much fun to talk art with people I normally don’t have the opportunity to speak with on the topic.” 

Salerno hopes that all the students who participated got something wonderful out of the experience.

“I hope the students recognize that their ideas are amazing and can inspire others,” she said. “I hope they see that their gifts are special to our community. I hope that they become part of the cycle of giving back to another young artist someday, and for my older middle and high school artists, that they find possibilities to build community through the arts.”

The event was such an inspiring, joyful success that there are plans to do another community art event next year.

“I love a big project! And I love to build community,” Salerno said. “My art colleagues — in particular Yvonne Pokorne, David Llanos, Maddie Grano and Jody Chadwick, who did most of the heavy lifting with me — were such a source of inspiration and support. I loved getting to fuel our excitement together! It was amazing to meet so many artists in our community who got involved.”

Students will get to collect their art and the pieces their community partners made during the Fox Lane Winter Art Show on January 9.

“The joy this has brought to so many people makes me so happy,” Salerno said. “You can’t help but look at these and smile.”

See more photos here