The Arts · Year 5 · Critique and Curation · Term 3

Displaying Our Art: Creating an Exhibition

Planning and arranging their own artworks for a classroom exhibition, considering how to best present their creations.

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About This Topic

Year 5 students explore the practicalities of presenting their visual art through the creation of a classroom exhibition. This involves making deliberate choices about placement, grouping, and accompanying information, moving beyond the creation process to consider the audience's experience. Students learn that the context and presentation significantly influence how an artwork is perceived and understood. They will consider factors like lighting, wall space, and the overall flow of the exhibition space to ensure their creations are viewed effectively.

This unit directly addresses the curation aspect of the arts, teaching students to think critically about how artworks communicate and connect with viewers. By planning an exhibition, they develop skills in visual communication, spatial reasoning, and collaborative decision-making. They consider how grouping artworks by theme, colour, or technique can create a narrative or highlight specific artistic intentions. This process encourages them to see their art not just as individual pieces but as part of a larger, curated experience.

Active learning is particularly beneficial here as students engage in hands-on planning and arrangement. Physically moving artworks, experimenting with different layouts, and debating the best placement for each piece solidifies their understanding of exhibition design principles.

Key Questions

1. Where is the best place to hang this artwork so people can see it clearly?
2. How can we group artworks together to tell a story or show a theme?
3. What information should we include next to each artwork for the audience?

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Any place is fine to hang artwork; it's the art that matters.

What to Teach Instead

Students learn that presentation significantly impacts how art is received. Through hands-on placement activities, they discover how lighting, height, and surrounding artworks influence viewer perception and appreciation.

Common Misconception

Labels should just state the title and the artist's name.

What to Teach Instead

Creating curator's statements or descriptive labels helps students understand that additional information can deepen audience engagement. This requires them to articulate their artistic intentions, a process clarified through drafting and peer review.

Active Learning Ideas

Exhibition Layout Design: Gallery Walk

Students sketch potential exhibition layouts on graph paper, considering traffic flow and focal points. They then present their designs to a small group for peer feedback on clarity and impact.

45 min·Small Groups

Curator's Statement Creation: Label Writing Workshop

In pairs, students draft concise 'curator's statements' or labels for 2-3 of their artworks, explaining the theme, materials, or process. They focus on using clear, engaging language suitable for an audience.

30 min·Pairs

Mock Exhibition Setup: Wall Space Challenge

Using masking tape on a classroom wall, students mark out 'hanging spaces' for their artworks. They then discuss and decide collaboratively which artworks best fit together in a designated section.

40 min·Whole Class

Audience Perspective: Artwork Placement Debate

Students individually select one of their artworks and write down where they think it should be hung and why. They then share their reasoning in small groups, debating the best position from an audience's viewpoint.

35 min·Small Groups

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key considerations for displaying Year 5 artwork?

Key considerations include selecting appropriate display locations, grouping artworks thematically or aesthetically, ensuring clear visibility, and providing informative labels or statements. Students must think about how the audience will navigate and interpret the exhibition space and the art within it.

How does planning an exhibition relate to art critique?

Planning an exhibition requires students to critically evaluate their own work and the work of their peers. They must consider what makes an artwork effective and how to present it to best communicate its message or aesthetic qualities, mirroring the analytical skills used in art critique.

Why is grouping artworks important for an exhibition?

Grouping artworks can create visual connections, tell a story, or highlight a specific theme or technique. This curation strategy helps the audience understand the artist's intentions or explore a particular concept more deeply, transforming a collection of individual pieces into a cohesive visual experience.

How does active learning enhance understanding of exhibition design?

Physically arranging artworks, sketching layouts, and debating placement allows students to experiment with design principles in a tangible way. This hands-on approach moves beyond theoretical knowledge, enabling students to directly experience how spatial decisions and presentation choices affect the viewer's perception of art.