Want to encourage your little artist? You can stage an art exhibit, gallery-style, at your home! We did this once with my son, Elliot, when he was six years old, it was so much fun, and it meant the world to him.
We took the everyday art off of our living room walls, and replaced it with a collection of his artwork, which had been piling up around the house. He chose his favorite pieces, and we proudly displayed it on every wall. We even had an easel that we used to feature one of his paintings.
Friends and family were invited for a “gallery opening”, where we served “wine” (grape juice) and cheese, played music, and generally made it an awesome party. Elliot was so encouraged! He had the chance to speak about his art with everyone he cared about, and a few people even bought a piece! Through this experience, his pride in his creativity and abilities only grew.
Today he’s 14 and still loves to draw and paint. In fact, he’s considering art as a career. What could be more encouraging than celebrating a young artist, center-stage, in front of all their family and friends?
Putting the living room back together again afterward was quick, as we only needed to clean up some tape and easily removable adhesive hooks. The whole experience was so much easier than I’d thought, and it created the most amazing memories. If you have a prolific young artist at your house, I hope you’ll be inspired to give it a try!
—Hilary Key is the owner and Director of Art Steps, fine art studios serving over 1000 students per week. Her team of dedicated artists and art teachers has also developed a world-class online program for ages 7 through teens. She lives in Orange County, CA with her husband, two sons, dog Bella and cat, Hazel.