How to Display End of the Year Student Artwork
I thought I would share my “Top 5 ideas” for displaying your child’s artwork from the school year. I am a sentimental fool and I love to save things, especially children’s artwork so of course, it is important to have creative and beautiful ways to share this creativity. Displaying your child’s artwork brings honor to the work and its creator, it is also extremely encouraging to your children. In addition, I believe it is part of the creative process, the last step, the out-pouring and sharing your gift. Sharing your child’s work gives them time to reflect on their work too, which is another art lesson in and of itself. I hope these inspire you to share and display your child’s creativity.
Gallery wall and art show
Like the photo above this is a wonderful way to have maximum impact in a specific area of your home. This also screams art exhibit. SO, why not invite family, friends, and neighbors over to see what you actually do as a homeschooler. Have a simple reception and give your child an opportunity to answer questions and talk about their assignments while receiving praise for a job well done. Looking at their art from the entire year also gives your student a sense of process and accomplishment, which is sometimes hard to conceptualize. AND, it gives a concrete example of what diligence and hard work can accomplish in a year.
Should we frame them, you ask? That could be expensive for this event. Ha! You could try exalting them to “museum quality” by having your student use this clever paper.
Process Portfolio
This is one of my favorite ways to display my personal work. It also becomes an artistic practice in and of itself because you create a creative book using examples of work from your process. You can get as imaginative or simple as you like. If you would like to read more about my personal Process Portfolio read about it here. I also created a flip through video of my portfolio after I had finished a class I was taking. Get a special journal, I got mine from Leather Village. Then I gathered up your favorite work from this year and begin to order it according to how and what you learned. Then you can glue things into place or do what I did and use photo corners. This way your work is removable. What I like most about this is that you can keep adding to it year after year. It is then that you will really start to see the development of your artist.
Monthly Easy Change
Perhaps you would prefer to enjoy your child’s work throughout the year a little at a time. If this is more your style then look at trying something like a magnetic frame for your refrigerator or you might try this kind of frame for the coffee table or for the homeschool room. This frame is great because you can hang it on the wall
Mini Easels
Another current and stylish way that I see quite a bit is to display framed artwork on an individual mini easel, like this one or this one. Make sure they are at least between 7in. and 10 in. to accommodate most small sizes of artwork. Here again, display it in a high traffic area where friends and family won’t miss it.
Coffee Table Look Book
Another idea is to photograph the artwork and then create a look book from a company like snapfish, shutterfly, or blurb. This is also a great option if you are prone to discard work or don’t like saving every little scrap like the little squirrel that I am.