Advocacy: Digitally Presenting Student Work

Presenting art is one of the four areas of concentration in the National Visual Art Standards, and itʼs important for students to learn early so they can share their artwork and make connections with family, friends, and the community.

My students learn to use technology to present their work by creating digital portfolios. Once they learn how, all artworks they make in their art classes are photographed and uploaded, along with a short artist statement explaining each work to the viewer.

When it comes time to assess their work, having a digital portfolio to view visuals of what students have completed all year is invaluable.

Digital Portfolios
I use Artsonia to produce students’ digital portfolios. Students first submit their work to me. If the photo quality or artist statement needs improvement, I send it back for revisions.

By the time a student graduates, assuming three years in art, they will have at least fifty artworks in their digital portfolio. When students graduate, their digital portfolio stays on Artsonia and their account goes with them.

With a digital portfolio, students can see their improvement and growth over time, along with all the different media and techniques theyʼve learned. There is pride in what they have creatively accomplished.

Student Posters
Artsonia is integrated with Google Classroom and most learning platforms. I’ve used it for ten years, and each year it improves with what it offers students, teachers, and parents.

One of the new features lets you create a digital showcase of studentsʼ work with a link to it, and each student can receive a poster of their work with a QR code that links to their digital portfolio. I order the posters and display them in the school multipurpose room, where students eat lunch. They are also up for eighth-grade awards night, where parents, teachers, friends, and students can scan the code with their phones to view the digital portfolios. Afterward, students get to keep the posters, and many have their friends sign them as keepsakes.

A Virtual Interactive Gallery
I also upload the posters to Kunstmatrix, a 3D exhibition site. You can give each artwork a frame with a chosen color and include the media used, dimensions of the work, and a title.

Once all the artwork is uploaded, you can choose a room, virtually hang the artwork, and then publish a temporary art gallery online. I also take a screen recording of the artwork in the gallery, add music, and post it on YouTube and the schoolʼs webpage. It creates an interactive online art gallery where the viewer can walk inside the gallery using their computer mouse and view each artwork. This year, we had a gallery show of fifty-five artworks from fifty-five art students.

Whether itʼs shown in a digital portfolio or a virtual gallery, showcasing studentsʼ work online makes it accessible to family, friends, and teachers.