With 10,000 Post-it Notes, Kentucky teacher creates Muppets Christmas mural

With 10,000 Post-it Notes, a Letcher Elementary School teacher created a The Muppets Christmas Carol masterpiece on the windows of the public library.

Tyler Watts, who teaches fourth grade, started making art installations in 2016 to help his then-first grade students learn math. As the kids put the 3-inch by 3-inch Post-it Notes on the floor, Watts started to think bigger.

“It was dead in the water when I picked it up,” Watts said. “It wasn’t big. It wasn’t trending when I started.”

He started with the the Statue of Liberty and then The Grinch, which was an 800 Post-it Note project, at the Harry M. Caudill Memorial Library in Whitesburg.

Since then, Watts has done about 20 art installations in Kentucky, including other schools in Eastern and Central Kentucky and an “I Love My Public Schools” mural at the Capitol in Frankfort. He’s known as the Post-it Note Picasso.

Watts starts designing the Christmas murals in October. He brainstorms Christmas movies and gauges their popularity with his students. This year’s The Muppets Christmas Carol was inspired by his daughter Lilah, who is always laughing at the movie, especially at characters Beaker and The Swedish Chef.

He researches patterns online, looking for a cross-stitch, Minecraft or Perler bead. He never repeats a mural but will reuse parts of designs if needed, like Santa’s hat.

Watts brings in his students for assistance. When he taught first grade, the students used line symmetry and answered how many packages of Post-it Notes he would need for his project. In fourth grade, the students learn about area, perimeter and estimation.

“It is important for them to see how simple math concepts such as the ones I have mentioned are part of everyday life,” he said. “For me, this math plays a big part in my art creations. I want my students to see that.”

The Post-its are donated by maker 3M in Cynthiana in November. According to plant manager Jesse Ahlers, it is common for the company to make a donation to educators, but Watt’s projects are an unique opportunity. This year especially during the Covid-19 pandemic was a chance to give back to the community.

Watts said 3M always gives him more than he needs and the exact colors for the art installations.

It took Watts two weeks to place all the Post-it Notes in the five windows of the library to crate the Muppets mural. At the beginning, Watts works precisely. If a note at the bottom is off by a one-sixteenth inch, it can cause the whole mural to be off.

This fall, with school in class and then online, Watts’ student participation was limited.

As people pass by the library on Main Street, Watt wants them to get a little laugh about it. For his students, he wants them to have ownership in the murals.

“They just get excited and say ‘I had a part in that,’” he said.