Honoring Children’s Creative Endeavors
Paper Mache Vessel Classes (ages 5-8 and ages 9-13) recently wrapped up. The culmination of these 5 week classes was an art show the students put on at the end of the last class. All of the projects the students made during the 5 week period were thoughtfully displayed for parents to view. Once parents arrived students had the chance to tell them about their process and finished art work. I always look forward to these shows.
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Now, I’ve put on a lot of student art shows in my days. Some large (an entire school) and some small (summer camps). These past two art shows however, were particularly inspiring. They were small classes, only 4 students in each session, but the seriousness with which these intimate groups of students approached the preparation for the shows was nothing short of amazing.
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During the 5-8 Art Show students came up with the idea to perform an “Art Song” (which they wrote, practiced, and performed for parents). They decided to organize the work by artist instead of project, and set out the work and made name tags. During the last few minutes of the 9-13 class, as we were putting final touches on our last project, a student said, “Ok, can we start setting up, I’m panicking.” And so the preparation commenced. The ‘panic’ playfully described, was clearly this student’s desire for the show to be successful. Students began displaying art work with SUCH CARE. “Can we have something to prop the bowls up with so people can see the inside better?” One student had the idea to display the animal vessels in their “natural habitat” among the plants in the garden and another student designed a mechanism for hanging the paper mache lanterns around the string lights in the backyard. Finally, all of the students discussed a plan for leading their parents through the show which involved a staggered entrance so it was never too crowded in one place. The students decided not to tell their parents which work was theirs and at the end there was a guessing game. The atmosphere they created was wonderful.
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The pride these children felt was obvious. They were proud of their work and wanted to honor their efforts. They took their work seriously so it was no surprise that they took the presentation of it seriously. They collaborated, discussed, organized, and delegated jobs…they worked together and it was beautiful. I was almost moved to tears watching all of this unfold.
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So, let’s never forget the importance of honoring our children’s creative endeavors. Creativity takes courage. An authentic creative process is deeply personal, filled with decisions and reflections, is unpredictable, and requires bravery to delve into the unknown. When your children are proud, let them know that YOU are proud of them too. I’ve seen parents honor their children’s art work in some really creative ways. Here are some ideas to try at home: Designate a hallway or room to be a “room of art” where all of your child’s art goes on display. If you don’t have that kind of space, try having a “rotating art wall” that showcases a few of your child’s projects at a time. Frame some of your child’s art (framing doesn’t have to be expensive, ArttoFrames has some really inexpensive options). Submit your child’s work to local publications. If you’re in San Diego a great youth literary magazine dedicated to elevating the voices of young artists and writers is Blue Sage Magazine. And of course, always show interest in your child’s work. Ask questions and listen as they tell you the journey they’ve been on.