Creating Student Artwork Displays – Tips and Tricks with GreenWood Charter School

As educators, displaying student work is a natural part of what we do.  Presenting work shows student learning and growth to parents, other teachers, and administrators and sparks pride and investment in students.  Adding a visual art display changes a boring hallway into a place where students see themselves represented.

Lydia Stewart is a Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Educator in Visual Art at GreenWood Charter School in Harrisville, Utah.  The Weber State University Arts Learning Collaborative recently asked her to give a brief presentation at our Spring PLC on how she elevates her displays into works of art themselves.  Here are some of her tips!

#1 – Identify and assemble your team

Use your school’s start of school activities (orientation, back to school nights, etc) to identify your most excited supporters and recruit them.  These can be students’ parents/guardians, other teachers, and even community members.  Be bold!

At your first gathering, communicate your purpose and supply a directory.  Then, communicate regularly throughout the year about upcoming events and needs, updates, pictures, and thank yous.  Lydia suggested a quarterly newsletter.

#2 – Give your advocacy team what they need to be successful, and then let them create

Lydia suggested brainstorming ideas together but warned against micro-managing!  If you communicate your purpose and vision clearly, your team might come up with something even better than you imagined!  Support them with supplies and show lots of gratitude, and your team will rise to the occasion.  A title for the display helps to elevate the display and draw attention as well.

An advocacy team member works on creating a display. Paper texture mimics bark on the tree trunks.

#3 – Communicate student learning

We’ve probably all had conversations with someone who thought art class was just coloring or music class was just playing games.  People are often surprised to find out there are standards and objectives for student learning in the arts, so it’s our job as educators to highlight the learning for our audiences!  Simply posting the standards and objectives students met as well as a description of the project alongside the artwork communicates students are learning in their art classroom.

#4 – The sky’s the limit!

Think big when you’re brainstorming!  Scale up displays to use the space you have.  Don’t be afraid to try different mediums or reuse found or scrap materials.  Find creative ways to mount work.  Find display ideas online and make them your own.  Create color copies of student work for displays if/when possible so students can take the originals home.

In conclusion

Lydia quoted Ron Berger:  “Any time you make the work public, set the bar high, and are transparent about the steps to make a high-quality project, kids will deliver.”  The same is true when creating displays.  Whether you are working on your own or recruiting help from others in your school community, creating excitement and pride while communicating effectively and supporting with supplies and gratitude is a recipe for success.