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Writer's pictureMandy Jakich

A New Approach to School Art Exhibitions

Updated: Oct 20, 2023

Are you starting to think about your school art exhibition for 2024? We have developed an exciting new approach to exhibiting children's artwork where the whole creative process is displayed and celebrated as well as the final artworks, and the teachers are supported through the process.



In 2022 I worked with the lovely teachers from Grey Lynn School in Auckland to help them with their 2022 Journey of Arts Exhibition, with a focus on painting, over 4 PD sessions. I came back in 2023 to support them on their second art exhibition of this nature, this time with a focus on Sculpture.




We completed 4 PD staff meeting sessions covering:

  • Creating a collaborative art installation for the school

  • Setting up for painting in your classroom

  • Exploring colour making, tints and shades.

  • Exploring different ways to record and display all parts of the creative process

  • Developing techniques for using an artist as a starting point and a visual art focus

  • Discussing and conferencing teachers' ideas for their space and creative process

  • Supporting teachers throughout the creation of the exhibition

  • Celebrating the final result


Instead of presenting just one final artwork from each child in a display in a specific space, each classroom became a beautifully curated Gallery space made ready to welcome whanau, peers, colleagues and friends.


Children shared and explained the creative process and their own work with their loved ones. A beautiful way to communicate and interpret (AO) in the visual arts.


The children were given space and encouragement to come up with their own ideas, respond to motivations in their own individual way, think creatively, make choices, solve problems, reflect and share. The final artworks were so different and unique and each child had such ownership over their work and were so proud to share what they had created. No comparisons in sight!


This art exhibition was the main focus for the term and the literacy programme was linked to this. Technology and Maths links were also made, making for a fantastically cross curricular, integrated term of work. And taking the pressure off teachers!



Check out Grey Lynn School's Art Exhibition 2022


Please get in touch if you'd like support to create an art exhibition like this in your school.



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