Art in Action: A Creative Collaboration Between Artists

What began as a simple idea quickly became a meaningful partnership.

When Chelsie Kane, Fine Arts Department Chair and art teacher at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School, was approached by Aquinas' Director of Community Relations with an opportunity to collaborate on an art project with students at St. Michael the Archangel grade school, she immediately saw the potential.

The vision was simple but bold. The project was outlined and put into action. Third grade students at St. Michael would draw a self portrait that incorporated a personal motto reflective of their desires, wishes and hopes. The students two-dimensional (2-D) artwork would then be entrusted to Aquinas high school students, who would transform the drawings into three-dimensional (3-D) clay sculptures.

The third graders worked with fearless creativity, pouring their personalities into every line and color. When the portraits were handed off, the challenge shifted to the high school artists. Translating a child’s drawing into a clay model required patience, problem solving, and determination. At first, many of the high school students were unsure.

“My high schoolers were very hesitant at first,” Mrs. Kane shared. “Creating a portrait of someone they didn’t even know out of clay felt daunting.” Yet that hesitation soon turned into action. As the Saints leaned into the process, trial and error became part of the joy. Perfection no longer mattered. “Art is not about the final product,” Mrs. Kane reflected. “It’s about the process, which requires courage, and imagination.” While the younger students’ drawings offered bold ideas and fearless expression, the older students rediscovered a sense of play. Even more remarkable was how personalities naturally emerged in the final pieces.

Without ever meeting, the high school artists captured details of these third graders that felt authentic and deeply personal.

When the students finally met, the impact of the collaboration became clear.

“It was a full circle moment,” Mrs. Kane said. “The high schoolers were timid about sharing their work, but the third graders’ smiles and excitement made it powerful. At that moment, we became a community.”

For the third graders, it was affirmation of their identity - that someone had taken their drawing and captured their unique personalities in 3-D form.

For the high school students, it was a lesson in leadership, humility, and creativity beyond technical skill. For the teachers, it was a reminder that art has the power to connect hearts across age and experience.

Seeing the excitement on the third graders’ faces when they saw their finished projects showed me the true reason behind the work we did.

Bailey Sparks, ’26, Aquinas senior

This first collaboration between Saint Thomas Aquinas and St. Michael the Archangel was more than an art project. It was a shared journey of imagination, growth, and community — one that shaped every student involved. 

Interested in a collaboration with our Fine Arts? Please contact, Sam Paradise, '03, Director of Community Relations: email sparadise@stasaint.net.