A unique exhibit on display now at the Webster Public Library showcases the artistic and writing talents of 71 of our Webster CSD elementary school students.
The project is called “Spark, Jr.: Art From Writing, Writing From Art,” and it’s a creative blend of imagination and words, where paintings inspired stories, and stories inspired art.
Four classes across the district participated: Jamie Palmer’s preschoolers at Schroeder High School; Leslie Ambler’s first graders at Klem North Elementary; and from Schlegel Elementary, Kathleen Hall’s second graders and Becky Margiotta’s third graders.
The project unfolded in two creative waves. First, students in the four classrooms each created an original work of art and a piece of writing. These were then shuffled and passed along to other classrooms, where students used them as a springboard, creating new art sparked by the other student’s written words, and new writing sparked by another student’s artwork.
The idea for the “Spark, Jr.” project has been percolating in Jamie Palmer’s head for about 15 years, ever since she was a fifth grade teacher at Klem South Elementary, and through her years as the librarian at Schlegel Rd. Now, as a preschool teacher at Schroeder High School, she was finally able to make it happen.
“I was working with (author) Amy Ludwig VanDerwater in my fifth grade classroom,” Palmer said. “She shared that she was taking part in this experience. I thought it was a really cool idea and wanted to see what would happen if we tried it out with students in multiple grade levels, and possibly across our district. This was finally the year to try it out with three amazing teachers.”
The students and their families were invited to an artists’ reception (complete with refreshments) at the library on Wednesday evening to see their own work on display and how other students had been sparked by their artwork and writing. It was delightful to see how proud the young authors and artists were to show off their work, and how excited they were to see the results. But it was especially touching when actual connections were made between writers and artists from different classrooms.
The project sparked the teachers as much as the students. Kathleen Hall perhaps said it best when she told Palmer, “This is literally the best thing I’ve ever done as a teacher.”
More than 280 individual pieces of art and writing were created, and they’re all on display at the Webster Public Library through June 19. You’ll find them spread between two locations: under the huge feathers in the main lobby, and in (and on) the display case near the information desk. The library is located at 980 Ridge Rd., at the back of Webster Plaza.
Meet some of the artists/authors:
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(posted 6/11/2026)
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