Honestly, this
is one of my FAVORITE parts of the year. I love taking over the hallways and
covering them with art. Although we try to keep displays up and changing
throughout the year, it is nothing like the art show. We take over the halls
and cover it floor to celing with art. We also wrap it around in a circular
fashion so that visitors merely have to walk in a circle around the auditorium
in order to see and enjoy the artwork.
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| Aprons hung from the ceiling to add to the Art Show Festivities. |
Throughout the
last few years, I have learned quite a few tricks from my fellow art teachers
that I would like to share with you. I hope they aid you in the display of your
student’s artwork.
INSULATION SHEETING:
So, finding enough space can be tricky. Although we have numerous display
boards already installed on the wall, I have learned that it is very easy to
make more, temporary, mobile display boards using Blue Home Insulation Sheeting.
This Insulation is super light weight and can be transported and moved easily.
If taken care of they can be used for many years.
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| Insulation Sheeting with Bed Sheet Cover & Artworks |
BEDSHEETS: I buy
more bed sheets for display purposes than to actually cover beds! To cover up
the insulation boards, we wrap them in a bed sheet. You can purchase a Twin Flat
Bedsheet relatively inexpensively at Wal-Mart, or purchase them really cheap at
consignment shops. Note: It is not worth ironing the bed sheets before adhering
them; just pull them super tight when you apply the bed sheet to the board and
they will de-wrinkle on their own. (We use T-Pins to pin them in place. Spray
adhesive can also be used to help the bed sheet stick.) When the bedsheets on
the boards get dirty, we use masking tape to wipe it off, it works very well. I
also use bed-sheets inside the showcase to jazz up the showcases and create
backdrops.
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| Hanging Portraits Connected by Paper Clips |
PAPER CLIPS:
Paper clips are super versatile. You can use them to hang lightweight objects
or artworks from the ceiling. You can also use them like links. We have found
that if we unfold the paper clip and use it to join two artworks that have been
matted, it allows us another way to display 2D artworks without the use of a
board. It works well for filling “nooks and crannies.”
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| Hanging Baskets with Fishing Line & Cork Board Display |
FISHING LINE:
Showcase space is limited, so I have to
devise creative ways of displaying 3D artworks. I have taken to Fishing Line.
At a cost of $2-3 dollars per spool, it is incredibly cheap and also extremely
strong! I hand anything and everything that be hung safely and without adding
excess weight to the ceiling panels. This year I hung the coiled baskets, as
well as some papier mache sculptures.
CORK BOARDS:
Another trick that I have discovered is the use of cork boards. I cover cork
boards in fabric and use the cork boards to display jewelry, weavings, and
anything else that can be tacked into place. The cork boards travel well and
can be displayed on an easel instead of inside a show case.
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| Embroidery Hoop Display |
EMBROIDERY
HOOPS: Embroidery hoops work similar to the cork boards. I add a piece of
fabric to the embroidery hoop and then use the hoop to display jewelry. It is
nice because I can stitch the jewelry to the fabric to deter swift fingers. The
circular shape of the hoop also adds a graphic shape to the display. I was
gifted 3 very large embroidery hoops from my mother in law who picked them up
for me at an auction. She had no idea what they were, but thought I could
figure out something to do with them, which I did! They worked beautifully!
I hope these ideas
inspire and assist you in displaying your student’s artwork.
