Students, academics and the arts · For art teachers, fine arts coordinators and principals
A digital student art gallery that keeps the work after it goes home
Paintings go home and ceramics get gifted. Photograph the work and give each piece a place with its title, medium and the student’s own artist statement, for every year of your art program.
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What is a digital student art gallery?
A digital student art gallery is an on-screen collection of photographed student artwork, organized by medium and year with titles and artist statements, usually placed near the art rooms or main lobby. HistoryShowcase lets art teachers add each piece with its medium and grade, hold senior portfolios of up to 100 images, and publish a show when it’s ready.
Updated
- Made for
- Art teachers, fine arts coordinators and principals
- Where schools put it
- Hallway outside the art rooms, Main office lobby, Art show night
- Layouts
- Photo gallery, Portrait gallery, Pennant
- Visitors can filter by
- Medium, Grade, Year
- Cost
- Free to use. No payment details required.
Most student art leaves the building in June
Art rooms make hundreds of pieces a year, and wall space shows a few dozen at a time. The spring art show fills the cafeteria for one evening, then the work comes down and goes home. A student’s best piece might hang in a hallway for a month before it’s replaced. Next year’s students never see it.
A digital student art gallery keeps a photograph of the work long after the piece leaves. Each artwork has a title, the medium, the student’s grade and their artist statement. Seniors can show a portfolio of up to 100 images. Your school decides which pieces and what details to publish, and can build each show in a private draft until it’s ready.
How does a digital student art gallery compare with hallway display boards?
| What matters | Hallway display boards | HistoryShowcase |
|---|---|---|
| Seeing the real piece | The original work, with its texture and scale | A photograph, with several angles for 3D work |
| How many pieces fit | A few dozen at a time | Every photographed piece, by medium and year |
| After the work goes home | The wall is rehung with new work | The photo and statement stay in the gallery |
| Artist statements | A printed card beside the piece | The student’s own words in the profile |
| Guests who missed the show | Seen only in person | Shared by web address on show night |
What to show in a digital student art gallery
Artwork by medium
Painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, photography and digital art, each in its own collection.
Artist statements
The student’s own words about the piece, in the profile’s biography, as they wrote it for the show.
Senior portfolios
Each senior’s strongest work in one profile, with up to 100 images from their years in the program.
Show and contest winners
Pieces that placed in district, regional or state art shows, with the award in the subtitle.
The spring art show
Photos of the show itself: the cafeteria hung with work, families walking the rows.
How to set up a student art gallery
The Photo gallery layout lets the work take up the screen. Organize by medium, with grade and year as filters.
Your siteStudent Art Gallery
- 2D workPhoto gallery
Painting, drawing and printmaking, one piece per entry.
- 3D workPhoto gallery
Ceramics and sculpture, with several angles of each piece.
- Senior portfoliosPortrait gallery
A portrait for each senior, opening their portfolio.
- Award winnersPennant
Show and contest winners, each as a banner.
Visitors can narrow it by
- Medium
- Grade
- Year
How do you set up a digital student art gallery?
Photograph work before it goes home
Use even light and a plain background, and take a few angles of three-dimensional pieces.
Add the piece and the statement
Type in the title, medium and grade, and paste in the student’s artist statement.
Hang the show by publishing it
Preview the gallery privately, then publish it the night of the art show.
Where should a digital student art gallery go?
- Hallway outside the art roomsThe work stays near where it was made.
- Main office lobbyVisitors see student work before they see anything else.
- Art show nightShare the web address so grandparents who couldn’t come can see the show.
Digital student art gallery questions
Do we need permission to show student work?
That’s for your school to decide under its own policies. Many art teachers ask students before photographing a piece for the gallery. Keep everything in a private draft until you’re ready to publish.
How should we photograph the work?
Even daylight or two lamps at an angle, a plain wall behind the piece, and the camera square to it. For ceramics, add a few angles.
Can a student’s work from several years be grouped together?
Yes. A senior portfolio profile can hold up to 100 images, so four years of a student’s work can sit together in one place.
Related ideas
Give your student artists a gallery
Free to use. No payment details required.
