I contacted the schools in October to see if they would be interested in doing an ongoing art exhibition at the library using their student's artwork. The chairs of both the junior high and high school art programs liked the idea and stopped by the library to look at the space and give suggestions. We decided that January would be a good month to start the revolving show because it would give the library time to do the set-up and the students time to make the work they wanted to display.
We started with an article in our December newsletter and have been adding it to each newsletter since then. We've also put it on the library's website and Facebook and Twitter accounts. The art teachers also promoted it in the schools.
We spent about $100 on wood and foam board to make the display space.
Our maintenance staff built the display a few days before the first exhibit was to go up. The junior high art teacher set up the first exhibit, and she brought the artwork, labels and double-sided tape to hang everything.
The display is ongoing and the teens have brought family members into the library to see their work. Other patrons have said they thought it was nice to have the teens' work on display; we've had a few people ask how long the display would be up so they could bring someone else in to see it. We definitely were successful with the first show and I think as we keep rotating the artwork each month, we'll have more people coming to see it.
Don't be afraid to contact the schools to get help. You'd be surprised how receptive they are when you want to do something collaborative.
The Teen Art Show displays the works of the West Babylon Junior High School’s talented artists. It features new artwork every month.
The Teen Art Show displays the works of the West Babylon Junior High School’s talented artists. It features new artwork every month.