Teachable Moments

In Dr. David Burton’s book, “Exhibiting Student Art, The Essential Guide for Teachers”, he writes about the potential for learning when creating student art exhibitions.

In it he also quotes his survey (Burton, 2001) that found that 88% of the responding art teachers found that exhibiting student art was an effective strategy in motivating and inspiring students in art.

He also states, “Exhibiting art completes the artistic cycle”.

Dr. Burton further explains, “I think exhibition is a normal, natural, and necessary part of the artistic and aesthetic process. It completes the artistic cycle and lays the groundwork for the next cycle. Not every work of art or project needs to be exhibited but children/adolescents should understand that this is a likely option and look forward to the possibility.

 In my opinion, exhibiting art is a more appropriate closure to the artistic/aesthetic process than studio production alone.” (Personal correspondence, January, 2011)

As we move forward into the spring, Youth Art Month, we should use this time to exhibit art throughout our school. Showing student art is motivating, it has value, it is educational, and the benefits to our students and programs cannot be understated.

Student art exhibitions are full of teachable moments (I highly recommend you read Dr. Burton’s book). Plus, we teach our students the visual arts and the display of their works is part of that education.

 -Michael Gettings