Monsters Made REAL: A Creative Collab

Some art projects stay on paper. This one didn’t.

What began as a simple drawing assignment in Ms. Shelly’s art class grew into a collaboration none of us expected to feel quite so magical. We knew Garfield High School’s sewing and drama teacher, Natalie Gress, would be partnering with Shelly—but the final results went far beyond anything imagined.

The project started with monsters. Students were asked to design and name their own characters—any shape, color, or personality they dreamed up. They sketched wings, stripes, scales, extra eyes, elaborate patterns, and often entire backstories. Weeks later, they still remembered every monster by name.

Those drawings were then passed to Natalie’s Beginning Costume Design students at Garfield. Earlier this year, Emma—one of our former Amistad students—reached out to connect us with Natalie, offering a chance to pair elementary imagination with high-school sewing skills. For three weeks, the Garfield students studied every detail of the drawings and hand-sewed 3D stuffies to match. Their accuracy was astonishing.

When the day finally arrived, it was just the three of us—walking quietly into the auditorium with boxes of soft creatures and the original drawings. No announcement. No buildup.

The moment the lids opened, the room erupted. Students rushed forward to find their monsters, recognizing them instantly not only by colors and shapes, but by the names they had chosen. Some hugged their stuffies. Others traced the stitching, amazed that their artwork had been taken so seriously.

The high schoolers didn’t just meet expectations—they surpassed them. The attention to detail, the care, and the craftsmanship made the reveal feel truly special.

Beyond the excitement, this project carried meaningful lessons: patience, gratitude, collaboration, and loving what you receive even when it comes back in a new form. It connected communities, bridged ages, and showed our students that their ideas—no matter how wild—are worthy of being brought to life.

This partnership has already sparked ideas for more shared projects, and we hope it becomes an annual tradition between Garfield High School and Seattle Amistad.

At Amistad, learning goes beyond the classroom. And sometimes, it becomes something you can hold.

See these incredible creations on our Instagram here