Giving Tree Art Gallery

The Giving Tree Art Gallery is a recent tradition started at the end of the year event for the 2022-2023 school year-Celebration in the Air.  During our Celebration in the Air event, we collected artwork done by children in each class and displayed the pieces in the hallway along with an artist portrait of the child.

This year for our annual Friends and Family event, we decided it would be a wonderful idea for families to see their children's artwork displayed in the hallway as the Giving Tree Art Gallery.  Teachers began collecting different artwork in the beginning of the year.  Some classes explored making masks out of paper mache and paint while others experimented with paint sticks and aluminum foil.  There were several self portraits and family portraits in addition to collaborative murals.  All artwork displayed was process art, the method of art exploration we implement at Giving Tree Early Learning. 

Process art means that children are able to create with freedom from ideas of what their artwork should look like.  This means that the artwork created was determined by the child and not dictated by the teacher.  The teachers put out supports and tools for children to explore and create art with.  Supports are materials used to make marks on like paper, cardboard, aluminum foil, and wood.  Tools are considered anything that makes marks on supports like paintbrushes, sticks, crayons, markers, and paintsticks.  

The Giving Tree Art Gallery is the perfect way of celebrating children's artwork.  It is a celebration for their abilities, their learning, and their hard work.  Documentation in this form gives children a sense of pride.  It allows families, visitors, staff, and other children to see a glimse of the Hundred Languages of children.