Children's Artwork . . . keeping it on display

What did you like to draw when you were a kid? From the time a child can pick up a crayon and scribble on paper (maybe the wall) it is interesting to see. All first scribbles, squiggles and doodles are forms of expression. Ever wonder what is on their little minds while they draw and see the outcome? Are the drawings some kind of clue to the child’s future?

For example, this drawing of a train by
my husband Keith when he was in first grade, shows his attention to detail. He did not become an engineer, but his love for trains was passed onto his son Charlie.

Though Charlie loved to watch the trains come into the station and he always waved to the engineer when a train passed by, his love was ships. He first drew submarines, then ocean liners. This drawing was found in a Father’s Day card Charlie gave to his dad. Charlie did not go on to have a career at sea, but gave him the love of reading travel and adventure books.

The juggler was drawn by our daughter Tif. She would watch her father juggle and this was her interpretation. Her love of expressive art has given her many hours of drawing pleasure and she now passes on her talents to children as a teacher. As for me, the only picture I could find was this drawing of a little girl jumping rope. Self-portrait? Perhaps.    

There is so much written on the subject of art that it is truly mind-boggling. But whatever those early images are, they should be saved. And more importantly, to save as much as you can because it is truly amazing to see first-hand how artistic minds are expressed and developed.

Today, that are many products that you can purchase for the preservation of artwork. As this blog is focused on a child’s work, the display and storage units vary in size and use. Like these individual frame boxes in which you can both display and store pictures. These units come in various sizes and should be hung on the walls of different rooms, not just the child’s bedroom. By displaying their artwork in public areas of the home, the child can feel proud that his family takes much pride in him or her by showing off their artistic talents.

 Another storage idea is a multi-drawer cardboard box that stores many papers including school work and school mementoes. When artwork becomes larger in size and multiple in quantity, having a unit like this swinging panel that flips open like a book will present artwork in a movable display.

Whatever presentation method you use, it will give both the artist and the observer hours of pleasure and pride. For these and more products ideas, check out Blick art supplies & Michaels arts & crafts.

HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR HEIRLOOMS: FINDING, SELECTING, DISPLAYING

 

As this last week and weekend of summer comes and goes, I will be writing about a new installment for my Blog spot. Therefore, to give myself some much needed time to write and research, the next four posts follows, "Reintroducing How to Create a Family Museum."

Sometimes it is good to review because, as I have found myself, I had missed something the first time I read it or watched it. Better to do it again rather than never have done it at all.  



 

 

 

The key word is organization - one box at a time. It is overwhelming at first, but as they say, "Rome wasn't built in a day."

The finding is the easy part. It's all there; just look and you will find it. And as you do, you will be surprised at the things that were saved for one reason or another. For instance, my husband saved all of his naval uniforms. Why? It's not as if he was going to mop the deck anytime in the future. And he was so skinny thirty-five years ago! So out of that collection he picked his navy hats and the photograph of himself when he made Chief Petty Officer.

The selecting part takes time.

Picking the items out, deciding between one or more of the heirlooms, dividing the space equally, and sometimes having to draw the line as to who gets to put what where and how many. When it came to my Barbie dolls, I wanted to put all of them into the museum, along with their kitchen set and dress case. Woe was me to have to select. But I did. And I got it all in and still had room for more.

There is an art to display. Look at a large museum's intimate collections, department store windows, or antique shops. The space you have will dictate how you will display your heirlooms. Organize items in groups. The main idea is to express through display the meaning behind the person, place, thing and event. You want to invite your guests to look closely at your collections, to touch them, encouraging them to ask questions so you can tell your stories.

However you go about putting your family museum together, find, select and display a good cross section of heirlooms because variety is the spice of life.

     "Any color, so long as it's red, is the color that suits me best,
       though I will allow there is much to be said for yellow and
       green and the rest."                   Eugene Field


Next Post: Where to Begin
  





WHERE THERE IS SPACE IN YOUR HOME

Take a walk around your house, apartment, condo, where ever you call home. Pay attention to all spaces, particularly those that are not used. For example, a guest bedroom, hallways, even closets. Living and dining rooms may have a modicum of space, as well as the family room. Assess the space. What is in there now? How is it used? Can it be changed? Or can you eliminate what there is now and/or moved it to a better place in the house?

If one, a few or all of these suggestions can be done, after you have mentally envisioned the empty space, imagine a bookcase, china or curio cabinet there. Furniture pieces make great family museums. Perhaps you already have this type of furniture in your home that is filled with books, dishes, or a specific collection. If you are satisfied with this, then let it be. However, if you take off some of those books and incorporate other items such as photographs, personal belongings of the person whose books are on the shelf, or along with those dishes add a photograph of the special occasion where you used those dishes, maybe adding the invitation to the event. With that special collection in the curio cabinet perhaps you can include a picture of the person who owned the item. What is happening here is that you are developing a more in-depth look at not only the thing, but it's history.

                                                                            

My first intention was to put my family museum up in the attic. It was a commodious space, but it needs to be air conditioned in the summer. Heat is not good for antiques and heirlooms. Notice how cold it is in a museum? However, that plan did not happen. We chose to convert the attic into an apartment for my disabled parents. Though we lost that space, we were able to have my parents live with us in their twilight years.              

After bringing down all the boxes from the attic and going through cherished items that were stored for years, I was overwhelmed. What should I keep and where do I put it all? The only space available was converting a linen closet (story to follow). Cleared of everything that was in it, using every nook, corner, cranny and niche, incorporating shelving and cabinets where there was room, and after painting the walls, building shelves and making curtains, our family museum was created.

Then came the real challenge. Selecting what went into the museum, displaying it with thought and care, and parting with those things not wanted. That was difficult, however, donating the things to a worthy cause took the angst out of giving the items away. The total time it took me to place everything in the museum is irrelevant. The putting in and taking out, the arranging and rearranging, have no time restraints. There is no limit to how long it will take to create your family museum because it really is an ongoing project. Like life!

Everyday you encounter new experiences, new knowledge, sometimes new things. And the memories keep growing. You may not put in your museum what you accumulated that day. You may not do it for a week, a month, or longer. But that is OK. There is no schedule. No deadline. For me, there were many times that I did not attend to my family museum. So I let the things pile up, slid them in, put it where ever I found the room. Eventually, the museum did not look so fine and that's when I pushed up my sleeves and organized. And as I did, I changed things, put some of the heirlooms away, and in the process, found new ways to display the things I love.   
                



So have no fear. You will find the place and space for your family museum.

 

                        "Every cubic inch of space is a miracle." 
                                                   Walt Whitman

 

Next Post:   How to organize the heirlooms - finding, selecting, displaying