Art display
Whether your art show is the result of a kindergarten class's first experience with finger paints or a culmination of a semester of collegiate fine arts portfolio work, show off students' efforts by displaying the work on an art show wall. Create a theme for your budding Picassos and Eschers or let their art speak for itself.
Town Monuments
For your next art show, consider putting your town on display. Many towns, both large and small, have at least one monument, artifact or memorial that symbolizes the area. Instruct art students to spend time visiting the monument, then interpret it their own way through whatever medium (clay, paint, film, watercolor) you're focusing on. For example, in Raleigh, N.C., a giant bronze acorn sits atop a pedestal in the city's downtown capital area. In Santa Rosa, Calif., home to "Peanuts" comic strip creator Charles Schultz, statues of Snoopy and Woodstock line the streets. Students can put their own spin and mark on the monuments with their artwork. Place a photograph of the actual monument with the display, then center students' work around it.
Time-Lapse Photography
Capture the minute changes of flowers, sunlight or other subjects with a display of time-lapse photography. Time-lapse photography is the effect of taking a photograph of a specific subject at the exact same time every day, week or month to show how it has changed. For example, art students interested in photography could take pictures of a decaying building, developing their film and pasting up the images in a timeline on the art show wall. Viewers may note the changes in the building's structure, missing pieces and bricks that have fallen on the ground. Have students label the photos with the dates the images were captured so people know how much time has lapsed in between each.
Image Interpretation
Make art come alive by assigning art students the task of replicating iconic paintings. Ask students to partner up and step into some of the most well-known images artists have created, such as Edvard Munch's "The Scream," Andrew Wyeth's "Christina's World" or Leonardo Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa." Students may use mediums such as photography, black-and-white sketching and oil painting to produce their new take on the images. For the art show wall, display a copy of the original artwork (posters are available at museum shops and online) next to the students' replications.
