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I love your ideas on the art show. The fun titles, the importance of the
invitation using one of the art pieces.
Inviting parents and community people and good publicity, and having the PTA
organize the Talent Show that is combined with your show.

I need advice, thoughts, and opinions. I have had my show(I teach K-12 in a
rural school, most of the pieces up will be elementary but 1/3 are high
school). I do the show in conjunction with the PTA Talent Show I have done
the show for 8 years or so.

Some years I put the show up in the adjoining gym (about two hundred pieces
with name and grade levels put on top of laminated black construction paper
I reuse each year) or have put it on all the walls around the auditorium
where the show is. Also, during the day of the show I have every single
elementary class walk through 'so they can see where their piece is to show
their parents tonight".

So here's the problem. Each year it hurts me that the public shows up, goes
into the Talent Show, and despite repeated requests from the announcer, and
even an intermission where he reminds them again to come see the art, very
few people come over to the show. (Most simply walk out at intermission or
when their child's performance is over.)
As I stand in the gym often children (bored with the talent show) show up
and run all over the gym or talk to me. I say "bring back your parents" but
no one shows up!

I tried a 'new trick' on my inviation the last two years. I said, 'if you
want to be sure this priceless piece gets home safely come over after the
Talent Show and pick it up'. That no pieces could be taken home during the
show. About 30 parents showed up I suppose, after the show, took their kids
art off wall, never walked around comparing and admiried, and left with the
piece. Well, at least I guess it got home safely.

One year I even had a 'public's choice' award, as a way to get people to
come over. Who won of course was the person with the most relatives who came
in a put in a vote. I had people sign in and that year it was more people
than usual, but I don't know that that was the right reason or motivation.

 But anyway, the people don't seem to come over. When I tried putting all
the art on the walls around the auditorium very few people even walked
around looking at the pieces.(I watched the entire night.) It was
disheartening. Oh, also, I order ribbons for each piece on the wall. So that
when the show is over they get their piece and the ribbon. I don't do a
judging anymore. The judge always took about three hours and I had to cancel
classes to organize this. Usually little old ladies who sat and gave me t
heir opinion of each and every piece and wanted me to relay this personally
to each child. Usually at end of school I would say, school is over I'm
going home, then I would have to just finish the judging on my own, as if I
stayed after with them and their comments I'd be there till midnight.

One solution I did find to the problem of "ITS LOST, YOU NEVER GAVE IT TO
ME' was letting the kids come over and take down their own art pieces. In
the past it took hours to have my classes take it down (ripping several)
sort it and give it to the teachers. And there were always BIG complaints
about ribbons and art not getting returned. Turned out it was true, many
teachers just had it stuck on shelves etc. So now the kids come over all in
a 1/2 hour time frame and help pull the masking tape off the back of theirs,
they give me back the black laminated paper, then they have to roll it up
into a piece of newspaper and put tape on the outside to hold the roll round
and mark their name on the tape with a black laundry pen. Viola, no more
LOST PIECES, as I tell the parents, it went straight into the hands of the
child.

I guess the thing I can try is your suggestion about the invitation to
everyone to come see the art, and use a Childs art.
In the past, I have done all the invitations (and the written program) for
the PTA Talent Show and gave the show and art equal space on the note home.
I guess I will try invitations that stress the art show more.

Has anyone else experienced any of these thoughts or events? Any ideas?
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Alexander <malexander06>
To: ArtsEdNet Talk <artsednet>
Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2000 9:04 PM
Subject: Re: art shows

> I feel proper tags with titles attached to all art show pieces is very
> important. It is more professional looking, and they provide the viewer
> added insight into the artist's process, thoughts and intentions. I use
> mailing labels for tags, and if I don't know the title, I either chase
down
> the artist, or write "untitled" on the tag. It used to be difficult to
find
> all those titles at art show time. My memory is very bad, and with younger
> artist's work, it's often hard to tell if it's a dog or an aardvark they
> painted. So the last couple years I've started asking the students what
> their piece if about, while they're creating them. I write their response
> right on the back, in pencil, and ask them if that's a good title. They
love
> thinking up the titles as they work, and some of the titles are precious!
A
> few K-2 titles on display right now include:
> "An Artist at the Salad Bar"
> "My Cat Never Has Kittens"
> "A Special Turtle Flying Over Three Little Green Houses"
> "A Bear That Lives In A Cave With Lots Of Rocks"
> "A Snake Eating Another Snake That Ate A Rat"
>
> Attendance used to be slim, so another thing I do, along with displaying
> examples of artwork from every student, is have a one hour talent show and
> call the night Spring Arts Night. It draws a full house, of both parents
and
> community people who don't have kids in the school! The crowd enjoys the
art
> before and after the show. We've had ballet dancers, a 7th grade rock band
> called The Bagels, piano recitals, a 5th grade magician who actually makes
a
> rabbit appear then disappears, a 6th grader who does a great stand up
comic
> act of her own stuff, a trumpet duet doing Stairway to Heaven, a gymnast,
> modern dance, and even a bunch of six 4th grade boys who wore tool belts
and
> sang and dance routine to Macho Macho Man. The student council I puts it
> together over about 8 weeks, with minimal help from me. Dress rehearsal is
> an all school assembly a week or two before the Spring Arts Night. The
kids
> talk about it all year, and attendance at the art show is much better and
> more attentive to the art than when combined with the Science Fair or Band
> Concert.
>
> Another very important detail is to invite the right people. I select a
> student drawing, or sometimes commission a drawing, then reproduce it as
an
> invitation flyer with the details of the show. I plaster these all around
> town, send one home to every parent, and I send one to each town official
> and board of education member. Don't forget to write a press release and
> send it with an invitation flyer to the local press.
>
> Hope this helps. Have a great event!
>
> Mark Alexander
> K-12 Art
> Region One in northwestern Connecticut
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dease, Christine <CDease.us>
> To: ArtsEdNet Talk <artsednet>
> Date: Tuesday, March 07, 2000 10:58 AM
> Subject: RE: art shows
>
>
> >On the labels I like to put "titles" that the students create. Often
times
> >it gives the viewer a little insight into the meaning of the artwork.
> >
> >Chris Dease
> >
>
>
>
> ---

---

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