Curating the artwork: selecting and arranging key pieces
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can curate and present key pieces of my artwork, to create a cohesive visual story.
Key learning points
- Creating a cohesive narrative for a portfolio involves structuring content for clarity.
- Capturing high-resolution images with good lighting and a clean background to present artwork clearly.
- Including sketches, notes, or step-by-step images help to show your development as an artist.
Keywords
Curate - to carefully select, organise, and present artwork
Cohesive - something that is well-connected, unified, and works together smoothly as a whole
Present - to show, display, or share something in a clear and intentional way
Common misconception
A good portfolio presentation should be is highly decorative and colourful to be engaging.
While creative touches like washi tape or coloured paint can add personality, a clean and minimal layout can be just as effective, sometimes even more so. The goal is to curate a cohesive presentation that supports your work, not distracts from it
Teacher tip
Encourage pupils to step back and view their portfolio presentation like a moderator would. Ask them to think about what story their layout tells, how their images connect, and whether the viewer can clearly follow their ideas.
Equipment
Sketchbooks, card, digital technology, scissors, glue, tape, card
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the big idea or subject that an artwork is based on called?
Q2.What is a portfolio in art?
Q3.What does a portfolio theme help you do?
Q4.What is the emotion or feeling that a piece of art evokes for the viewer often called?
Q5.Why is it useful to include mistakes or failed experiments in your portfolio?
Q6.What is the story or journey shown through your artwork and sketchbook called?
To help you plan your 10 art and design lesson on: Curating the artwork: selecting and arranging key pieces, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 art and design lesson on: Curating the artwork: selecting and arranging key pieces, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 art and design lessons from the First sustained project: working from a theme unit, dive into the full secondary art and design curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.