Follow Your Art Brings New Mural to Roosevelt School Library
Written and Photographed By Nancy Clover
As students and staff return to the Roosevelt School, they will notice something pretty magical on the wall of the library — a colorful mural that turns a bookshelf into a celebration of some of our most beloved children’s books!
But this mural is about much more than paint. It’s a wonderful example of Melrose creativity, collaboration, and young artists getting the chance to create something lasting in their own community.
The project began when Molly Brothers, Roosevelt librarian, Melrose resident and all-around phenomenal human, reached out to the FYA about creating a mural for the library. It was exactly the kind of community collaboration FYA’s Create Your Opportunity (CYO) program was created to support — giving young artists real opportunities to work on professional projects.
Molly, Nicole Morse (CYO Coordinator), and a group of fifth graders brainstormed ideas for the mural. From those conversations, Emmi Kilgallen, a former Melrose High School student and CYO participant, was commissioned to create the digital design.
Then the next phase began!
Freya Olmstead-Moran and Kensie Ludlum, current college students who have been part of CYO since high school, helped transfer Emmi’s design onto the library wall.
And now Kris Rodolico has been mentoring Jenna Allwood and Marlowe Price, rising MHS seniors and CYO members, as they learn the art of turning those outlines into a finished mural.
The result? A beautiful mural of a bookshelf filled with characters from classic childhood favorites — including Winnie-the-Pooh and The Mouse Who Ate the Cookie — with room on the bottom shelf to welcome even more beloved characters in the future!
What makes this project especially wonderful is that it gives young artists the opportunity to be involved in a real community commission from beginning to end — design, planning, transferring the artwork, painting, mentoring, and installation.
The project is being funded in part by the Roosevelt PTO and in part through a Mass Cultural Council YouthReach grant. FYA recently completed its first four-year cycle of the grant and is awaiting word on the next round of awards.
The summer timing made it difficult to involve as many high school artists as everyone would have liked, since many of FYA’s HS artists were working in its K–5 programs. But even so, this project has created a wonderful chain of mentorship—experienced young artists teaching the next generation, while everyone works together to make something special for Roosevelt students.
A mural. A library. A whole lot of imagination. And a terrific example of what can happen when a community gives young people the opportunity to create.
Congratulations to everyone involved in bringing this wonderful piece of art to the Roosevelt library!
