COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL creative and authentic art  67 Respect the child who does not want to partici- pate in the art center. I have worked in classrooms where teachers force every child to make a partic- ular project, in order to be certain every child has one hanging on the wall. Despite good intentions, it is not appropriate to force a child to participate in the art center if he is not interested. To take pressure off the child who does not want to participate (and even the child’s parent), I often do not label artwork that is hanging on the wall or bulletin board. And typically I display more collaborative art projects than individual pieces in my classroom. Liquid watercolors and paints Monoprinting in hallway with photo documentation Group Displays and Art Exhibits Explore different ideas when showing and sharing the children’s art. Depending on your time, space, and motivation, group displays can be small, only a few pieces, or very big, requiring a whole room! During conference times, display artwork in the classroom, halls, or lobby. Maybe your school has an extra room, library, or other place to set up an art exhibit. Displaying the children’s artwork as a group shows the world the true artists you have. For the past few years, I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to organize an art exhibit where I currently work. It was truly one of the most moving experiences I have ever had with art. I want to share my art exhibit experience simply to show you how magnificent young children’s art truly can be when it is presented in a professional manner. Individual panels in an art show Exhibiting the art brings new meaning and respect to the children’s work. I collected the artwork throughout the year. I filed it, documented it, and took thousands of pic- tures. (Digital cameras are the best invention!) I se- cured the art gallery and set up the artwork. The exhibit consisted of mostly large group pieces placed throughout the gallery that highlighted a variety of artistic techniques the children had learned and worked on all year. I also included many of the vari- ations of the art projects, as well as the experiences that had been modified and explored. I wanted the COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL