Encouraging Your Art-loving children: Tip 2. Exposure to good artwork

My child loves art! How can I encourage them?

Here are three activities that will help your art-loving children and grandchildren grow artistically.

1. Practice drawing realistically and creatively. 

2. Exposure to good artwork. 

3. Exploration of many art mediums.

The other week I talked a bit more about the first one: practice drawing realistically and creatively. Today I want to build out the second goal.

Expose your children to good artwork!

I want to share why it is important to see good artwork and also how to incorporate good artwork into your life. 

Why is it important

We all know that to appreciate something or someone, we have to be around that something or someone. We get to know it, recognize it, study it. Then we can value it. It is the same with art. If you have grown up with artwork around you, you know how it can delight, soothe, captivate, and refresh you. It speaks to our emotions. It is beauty, communication and memory. Often it is functional too, like a set of hand-painted dishes, or a soft crocheted blanket, or beautiful clothes. Our tastes develop as we see more skilled and thoughtful artwork. 

In your home

You can inspire your children and build their artistic taste by all the beautiful things in your home, like artwork on your walls. Buy art you love. Buy original art. Buy local art where you connect with the artist. Buy artwork that evokes memories or emotions. Buy prints of artwork. Don’t be afraid that you don’t have good taste. Your artist taste will grow also as you see more art too! It is ok to swap out artwork. Get comfortable putting tiny nail holes in your walls or using command strips. See my free framing guide here. 

You can also foster artistic taste with the functional pieces in your home. We sometimes forget that almost every item in our home was designed. We have infinite possibilities of what kind of chair, blanket, flower pot, or even clothes we bring into our home. Of course we have the limitations of time, money and space, but these limitations are our opportunity to be creative and currate what we have in our home. I’ve been loving Myquillyn Smith’s new book, House Rules which gives great ideas in this regard. 

The Local Art Scene

Explore art galleries, museums and studios in your city or a nearby city! See behind the scenes of an artist and watch them work, see their process, and see what they observe and meditate on for inspiration.  Look up local galleries and art councils to see what events are in your area. Often, as in Greenville, local art museums have a free admission day each week where you can see fine art, often including famous artist traveling exhibits. 

Take your children to art shows and craft fairs. Get on your local college art show mailing lists. Follow your favorite local artists on social sites or sign up for their newsletters. Attend their shows whether you know you can buy something or not. This will encourage both the artist and you and your child as you enjoy the art. 

Media

Check out books about artists and their artwork at your local library. Many have large coffee table sized books with large artwork to flip through. There are so many fabulous children’s books about artists. I often enjoy these more accessible books on an artist than a big chapter book on the same artist. Read about the artist’s work and life. Learn why the made what they did. 

There may even be a larger selection of books to see digitally through your library’s online app. There are educational DVD’s about artists and different art forms. See what interests your child. 

Don’t forget that all the picture books your child reads count too! I love children’s book illustration. Many illustrators are highly skilled, visually witty, and hilariously creative. Enjoy these with your children. Buy or borrow beautifully illustrated books. Let your child have access to beautiful books as soon as they are born and teach them to notice interesting or beautiful things in them. They will come to treasure the reading times together with you and later on their own as they learn to read.

Travel

Take time on your travels to check out what art museums and galleries are nearby. Pop in for a look around, even if it is a few minutes. Both you and your child will get the practice of looking at art together and see what speaks to each of you. It is another fun way to learn your child. 

Have you ever thought about what inspires us to make art in the first place? We are image-bearers who create because our Creator does. His artwork, nature, is the highest artwork we can see! Whether we have the opportunity see a lot of artwork or not, we do get to see nature. Every art principle and element comes from nature; comes from Him. Look at and study nature!

How you approach artwork will rub off on your children. As you treat artwork and books with respect and care, you can teach your children to as well. They can learn not to touch artwork and not to tear pages, just as you teach them to be careful with outlets and not to lick windows. Ha ha. It is a process we know. 

Click here for a Greenville Art Guide

to some of my favorite local art galleries and museums as well as art and illustrated books you can find at Greenville libraries or online.

What are your favorite ways to expose your children to good artwork? I’d love to hear in a comment below!