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Our local eye doctor came to the art show and purchased two of her 

patients artworks for the office.  The kids were so excited to know 

their artwork would been viewed by so many!    

1st Annual K-12 Art Show

The show was on a Friday night from 4:30 - 7:00 in the elementary cafeteria.  All art students had one framed artwork for sale.  The elementary artworks (11x14) sold for $15 and the high school artworks (18x24) sold for $35.  There was also a framing table set up with empty frames just incase a family wanted more than one artwork framed for purchase.  I was unsure of how the community was going to take the new concept of a school art show with artwork for sale.  

My questions were quickly answered when it was already busy with people at 3:30.     

 Elementary artwork filled the cafeteria.

 All artwork that made it in the show and was not framed was staple to long cardboard sheets and lined the outside walls of the cafeteria.  If parents wanted something framed they pulled it off the cardboard and brought it to the framing station.

In the hallway outside of the cafeteria was the high school display of framed artwork.  

The bottle cap mural even made it in the art show!

The check out table had a line for most of the evening!  Artwork was just flying off of the tables!

I just love these two ladies!  They were my mentor teachers while I was student teaching at this school eight years ago.  Who would have ever dreamed that I would have both of their jobs eight years later!  I was so excited when I saw they made it to the art show!  

Poster Children!

These students were on all of the flyers and in the newspapers to help advertise for the art show!   They were excited to show off their framed works!

After Hours

I planned to have the k-12 art show in the elementary school.  One night I went up to the elementary to get things ready for the art show and hung one framed high school project for each student using 3M velcro strips.  

Well, I teach in two separate buildings.  The k-6 students  are clueless on what the 7-12 students are creating in art and vise versa.  This did not dawn on me until the next morning when I heard all of the ohhs and ahhs from the elementary kids.  Their comments about the high school artwork were so kind, I wish the older kids could have heard the excitement in the k-6 voices.    

Getting the word out!

This year was our schools first ever k-12 art show.  I wasn't sure if the community would catch on to the idea of a k-12 art show let alone being able to purchase their child's artwork framed and matted.  I tried to advertise it as much as I could.  I put information in the local and neighboring towns newspapers, hung flyers throughout the community, sent numerous newsletters home with students, and hung three huge sign throughout our schools.    

This was the first sign that went up.  I was asked by so many people over and over, "When is the art show?"  I made this huge sign in the hallway across from my classroom (It was inspired by another display on http://bulletinboardstoremember.blogspot.com/search/label/mural).  

With this sign there was no way people would be able to question when the art show was! :)

This sign was around the display case outside of the elementary office.  

The library was packed with artwork ready to go for the art show!

Another display case showing off kids artwork.

Framing one at a time!

With all of the money my students helped raise this year and our small funds from artsonia.com we were able to purchase frames for the art show.  Every student from grades k-8 will have an 11x14 artwork and all students in grades 9-12 will have an 18x24 artwork.  My amazing husband drove to FRAME USA (I highly recommend them!) in Cincinnati to pick up all of the frames on a Saturday morning (this saved over $300 in shipping).  My high school students unloaded them and this is what I was left with.  

Boxes of frames have taken over my kiln room.  

 My old school is being SO AMAZING and letting me borrow black fabric to cover all of the tables for a classy looking display!

After the projects are all framed up I one by one add easels to the backs of each frame.

 Over Easter break I took a day and displayed artwork through out the library.  I have high hopes that this will help get the students excited about the art show.  The night janitor thanked me and said she felt like she was in a mini museum as she walked through and looked at the kids art.  I hope the students think so too!  

Four weeks to go!

I've been planning all year to have a K-12 school art show.  My husband drove 45 miles to pick up 8x10 sheets of cardboard that a company generously donated to display artwork.  I went 70 miles in the other direction to pick up 4x8 sheets of cardboard donated by another company.  

These sheets have been laying in my storage room for the last couple of weeks.  

 I've been saving stacks of artwork all year that will be displayed on this cardboard.

 I spent a little time (okay lots of time) over spring break getting the art ready for the art show.  Here are just a few sheets of cardboard ready to go!

 The large sheet were so big I couldn't move them without art falling all over.  My husband came in and helped me move everything.  I really couldn't do all of this without his help!