by Stacey Rattner, January 2018

I am currently on the hunt for a bargain gown. I have some time, many months to be exact, but I don't want to be forced to wear the same gown I wore last year when May rolls around.

Yes, our #PictureAPoem Gala was such a success last year that we are on track to do it again, even with a new art teacher on board.

Inspiration

Last year I was inspired after attending a special librarians-only viewing of the The Original Art, an annual exhibition at the Society of Illustrators in New York City that showcases original art from the year's best-illustrated books (www.societyillustrators.org). There were over 100 original pieces of artwork on display. Imagine seeing a three-dimensional "page" from the Caldecott winning book Radiant Child painted on wood? Or a diorama page from Melissa Sweet's Some Writer: The Story of E.B. White? It was jaw dropping. The exhibit occurs every fall and is not to be missed if you like art, illustration, or picture books.

The Epiphany

Often illustrators work on jobs without ever meeting the author. This is an incredibly hard concept for students to grasp. How could one possibly convey the text without even speaking to the creator? Happens all the time and more times than not, it works.

Our English language arts (ELA) teacher loves teaching poetry and his students have a robust portfolio of poems by the time they exit fifth grade. What if they chose their favorite poem from their personal anthology to have another student anonymously illustrate? Brilliant—just like real life.

Obstacles

As enthusiastic as we were about the whole project, we did have some reservations and questions:

1. What if students spent all of their energy trying to figure out whose poem they were illustrating? Students illustrated a poem by a student from another class, therefore reducing the chances of uncovering the poet.
2. How would we keep track of the poems? After selecting a poem during ELA, students glued the poem into their art class sketchbook. We also created a secret system so only we knew who had which poem. It was almost so secret that we had a difficult time figuring it out in the end.
3. What art mediums would be available for students? Any and everything. We had paintings big and small. We had sculptures and figurines. Many students used multiple formats within one piece of work.
4. How and where would the artwork be displayed? All over the library: on boards, hanging on the wall, on top of bookshelves. We held a #PictureAPoem Gala reception on the eve of Daniel Miyares's school visit. He even cut the ribbon to open the exhibit. Parent volunteers decorated the library and were in charge of refreshments.
5. What if kids didn't finish? They finished. They stayed after school. They missed recess. They were pulled from other academics. Every fifth grader had two pieces of art on display: a poem and an illustration.

I won't lie and say it was easy or that I did most of the work. Our art teacher was heavily involved and she loved it. To see what some of these kids came up with while interpreting a peer's words was unbelievable. It gives me hope that there is good in the world and trust in the adults of our future.

The Event

Nearly 200 people attended the gala. Gowns, black suits (my principal), ties on 11 year olds, fancy dresses, high heels…they embraced it. Moreover, they felt proud. Proud to be a part of the event. Proud to see their hard work pay off. Proud of their illustrator. Not a single negative word was heard that night (or ever) about the artwork. Students respected and admired each other's work.

What's Next?

The ELA teacher is on board. He just has to keep teaching poetry. I convinced the art teacher (I hope!) that this is an amazing project that should be repeated. Finally, Matthew Cordell, our guest of honor this year, has agreed to be an awesome sport ahead of time (it's in his contract) and is prepared for the paparazzi to come out strong that night. Photos (and leaps, since this is the school with the "leaping librarian") with the rock star are inevitable. Hence, back to my original task...Anyone have a spare gown I can borrow?