KS4 · Art and design · Year 11
Presenting artwork
Second sustained project: working from a theme changing perspectives
Learn it. Recall it. Make it stick.
IllumED Slides
IllumED · 1/27
Your learning goal
I can present my work, demonstrating a strong narrative and professional finish.
1 of 27
Presenting artwork: slides adapted from the imported teaching text; recall questions created from its keywords, learning points and common mistakes. Self-check practice, with no automatic grading or XP. Answers stay on this page and are cleared when you leave.
Original teaching resources
The original illustrated PowerPoint is available as well as the IllumED text slides. It retains the publisher’s design and credits.
Download original PowerPoint ↓What you’ll learn
I can present my work, demonstrating a strong narrative and professional finish.
Key learning points
- A well presented piece communicates professionalism and adds to its perceived value, making it more appealing.
- Presenting your work gives you a sense of achievement and recognition, making you feel proud of your efforts.
- A well thought out display can enhance the viewer experience; pay attention to the visual aspects of your presentation.
- A strong narrative can engage viewers and enhance their understanding.
Words to know
- professional
- showing that you're well prepared, respectful, confident, and serious about your work when presenting or sharing your ideas
- audience
- the people who view, experience, or respond to your artwork
- plinth
- a stand or base on which a sculpture or artwork is displayed
Common mistakes
The way you show your work doesn't really matter so long as it's tidy.
A creative, careful presentation will support the idea, message or mood and help make your work impactful.
Read the teaching transcript
Hello, everyone. How are you today? I hope you're feeling really good, and I'm so pleased that you're here. My name is Ms. Afzal, and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson, which I'm feeling very happy about, especially because today we're looking at presenting artwork. I wonder how much consideration you've given to this, and however much you have or haven't, today we're going to be getting right into it. Our lesson comes from the Unit of Work, "Second sustained project: working from a theme changing perspectives". So, if you are ready with some focus, energy, and enthusiasm, we'll begin our lesson now. The outcome for today's lesson is, "I can present my work, demonstrating a strong narrative and professional finish." We have some keywords in our lesson. Let's go through them. Professional, audience, and plinth. What do these keywords mean? Professional: showing that you're well-prepared, respectful, confident, and serious about your work when presenting or sharing your ideas. Audience: the people who view, experience, or respond to your artwork. Plinth: a stand or base on which a sculpture or artwork is displayed. These are our keywords. Let's look out for them, let's listen out for them. They'll be coming up in our lesson today. Our lesson is called "Presenting Artwork", and it has two learning cycles: review presentation styles and present your work effectively. Let's begin by exploring how to review presentation styles. How do artists, designers, and craftspeople present their work? Pause here and share with someone. What do you think? Thanks for sharing. And what examples of artwork have you seen presented? Consider places like galleries, fairs, markets, museums, or online. Take a moment to share about this. What examples of artwork have you seen presented? Thanks for sharing. And how have you seen artwork presented? Pause here and share with someone. Thanks for sharing, Let's explore some ideas. Framed or mounted, pictures and sculptures for galleries or for sale. on digital platforms like websites or online portfolios. Some artists create installations or street art. Performative art can involve live demonstrations or interactive experiences. Pause here and share with someone which of these ways of presenting artwork are you most drawn towards? Thanks for sharing, I really love performative art. Let's have a check for understanding. Which of the following is a traditional way of displaying objects and artifacts often seen in museums? Is it A, B, or C? Pause here while you decide. Well done if you selected answer A. This is often how objects and artifacts are displayed in museums, in a cabinet or on a shelf. There are many possibilities when it comes to presenting your work. You might frame or mount it, hang, drape, or project it. Display on a plinth, mannequin, table, or structure. Make an online portfolio or professional social media account. Create a video explaining your artwork. Host a pop-up exhibition. Design a booklet or scene with photos and descriptions. Create an online virtual exhibition. Your choice should be guided by what suits you and your work best. Pause here and share with someone which of these possibilities are you most drawn towards exploring? Thanks for sharing. What choices might this GCSE class have made about their exhibition? Pause here and share with someone. Thanks for sharing. Here's Jun, "They don't use labels or text at all. They space the work out fairly equally and used a combination of wall and table display." What choices has this GCSE textile student made about their presentation? Thanks for sharing. Here's Alex. They've chosen to display the tactile fabric without a frame, and hanging loosely so the quality of the material comes through as it moves slightly. What choices has this 3D design student made in their presentation? Pause here and share with someone. Thanks for sharing. Here's Laura, the artist. "I chose to display my ceramic work alone on a plinth. I wanted it to speak for itself. I think it's easy to access and less ideas based, so apart from my name it has no label." I'd say that's really speaking for itself, the artwork. Considering the alternatives can help you think about what's best for your work. Here's Aisha, "Seeing the faces large scale makes you confront them. If they were in a frame it might act like a barrier. These feel human scale and imposing." Why might an artist choose a particular presentation style? Pause here and share with someone. Thanks for sharing. Here's Izzy, "To enhance meaning and guide viewers' attention to create a mood or perhaps to challenge expectations." Often, professional artists consider the presentation while making the work, especially if it's made on commission. Let's have a check for understanding, true or false. How you present your work can either make the work more impactful or detract from the idea, mood, or message if done poorly. Pause here and decide: is this statement true or false? Well done if you selected true, and now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer. Pause here while you do this. Perhaps you said something like this, "Presentation can amplify your art's impact or diminish its message if poorly executed. Choose wisely, these final touches are important." Interesting examples of presentation can be seen in the work of. Rebecca Belmore creates powerful performances and presents a select few images after the event to document her work. Her pieces are not just objects, but events that engage with a location and its history. Simeon Barclay is a multimedia artist. He presents work in diverse and interesting combinations to challenge the audience. Umibaizurah Mahir Ismail makes complex ceramic pieces and displays them with unique metal stands designed as part of the work, injecting pattern, deformities, and tactile materials into the otherwise cold and industrial metal frame. Some more interesting examples of presentation can be seen in the work of. Sophie Calle's work is presented as narrative installations, often featuring photographs, text, and objects. She's created exhibitions that are a mix of detective work and autobiography, such as "The Hotel". Andrew Bolton works alongside other groups to create painted, mosaic, or printed murals in their local communities. Cleve Jones designed a collaborative quilt made of 1,000s of panels, each commemorating a person who died of AIDS. It is presented in large-scale public displays to create a powerful physical representation of the community's loss and love. Rebecca Horn is known for her kinetic sculptures and performance art. She presents her work as moving mechanical pieces that often interact with the space around them. Carl Andre presented his work at ground level, forcing the viewer to confront the object's physical presence rather than viewing it on a pedestal. The simplicity of the presentation is a key part of the art itself. Nazneen Ayuub-Wood focuses on transforming spaces, objects, and ideas with both physical art objects and performances. And Max Liboiron has presented his work inside snow globes to make a statement about the environment and climate change. And now it's time for your first task. I would like you to think, pair, and share. Think about how you want your work to be displayed or shared. Pair with a classmate to discuss alternatives. Consider the setting, gallery, school hall, online, classroom, boards, the audience you want to engage, the narrative you want to communicate. What presentation style would make your work stand out? What presentation style compliments the narrative? So pause here while you think, pair, and share about your presentation style. It's great to be back with you. How did you get on with that task of think, pair, share? There are many ways to record your ideas, but you may have said something like this, here's Alex. "My work is all about movement and angles. I had an idea that I could animate my images and present them online, kind of moving across the screen." And Izzy, "That's an unusual idea. Alternatively, you could use wire and hang them from something so they move around while people look at them." "Oh, that sounds good. I might try it out quickly with the images I have and see if that would work." So helpful to engage in think, pair, share. And now we're onto our next learning cycle: present your work effectively. What are the key considerations when presenting your work? Pause here and share with someone. What do you think? Thanks for sharing. Here's Jun, "You need to think about how, where, what, and why." What questions can you consider to help present your work? Pause here and share with someone. Thanks for sharing, let's hear some of these questions. "What will you display or present?" "Where will I present it? Digitally, hall, exhibition, class, sketchbook, et cetera." "How will it be presented? i. e. , nails, glue, projection, mannequin, photographed?" "Why is this the best way of presenting the work?" Some really wonderful questions here. Your ideal presentation is not always possible. Factors like space, budget, client requirements, and the context impact how artists present their work. Consider what is practically possible and what would be the ideal display. How would your classmates like to present their work? Pause here while you ask someone? Thanks for sharing with each other. "My work will be displayed on A2 blackboards. I'll present a final outcome and key pieces from the journey." "I'll present my images on a light box to create atmosphere." "I've been working digitally, so I'll create an online portfolio." "Mine will hang from wooden poles on fishing wire so it sways with the movement of people looking at it." Love hearing these presentation ideas. What makes a good presentation? Pause here and share with someone, what do you think. Labels and text: clear, brief, and informative. Display: uses suitable glue, mounting, framing, or plinths, et cetera. Layout: considers the balance of flow of any element to guide viewers around the work. Lighting: highlights artwork and creates atmosphere. So these are some of the key considerations that make up a good presentation. Let's have a check for understanding. Which of the following helps most when presenting your work effectively? Is it A, using bright colors and cluttered arrangements? B, paying attention to lighting, labels, and layout? C, hiding your work until the last moment? Or D, ignoring feedback from viewers? Pause here while you decide which of these helps most when presenting your work effectively. Well done if you selected answer B. Indeed, it's paying attention to lighting, labels, and layout that helps most when presenting your work effectively. The importance of a professional finish. A well-organized layout shows skill and effort. It adds value by showing you care and pay attention to the details. Here's Jun, "It shows I take my work seriously and helps viewers understand my ideas better." Pause here and share your impressions of the presentation we can see on the screen. Thanks for sharing. A professional approach can enhance your work regardless of how you want to present it. Have you seen artwork presented with information? Pause here and share with someone. Thanks for sharing. Here's Aisha, "Reading about an artist's work in a gallery helps me understand their ideas, making the artwork more meaningful and accessible." A brief artist statement can help people engage with your work and ideas. This is especially useful if the audience hasn't seen your creative journey up to this point. Consider writing a paragraph to say why you made this work and how you resolved your ideas. Let's have a check for understanding, true or false. Artist statements beside gallery works are always unnecessary because viewers should interpret the art on their own. Pause here and decide: is this statement true or false? Well done if you selected false, and now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer. Pause here while you do this. Perhaps you said something like this. "It's up to you if you want to add more information. Many people enjoy having something to help them access a new artwork, but there are also people who feel it is unnecessary." Sophia is presenting her work on black card. "I can't put this work up yet, but it will still create a great presentation on boards." "I chose my glue carefully, cut each image on a trimmer, and considered the layout carefully for a professional finish." And now it's time for your next task, I would like you to present your work. You could take two different routes. A, actually begin presenting work, gathering materials and putting up the display, mounting, recording, uploading. Or design the ideal presentation for your work, list what you will need and describe clearly what the presentation will look like. You can be inventive and bold with your imaginary ideal design, no need to play it safe. So, pause here while you have a go at presenting your work and taking one of these two different routes. Enjoy the journey, and I'll see you when you're finished. It's great to be back with you. So how did you get on with that task of presenting your work? There are many ways to record your ideas but you may have presented your work like this, and here's Alex, "I photographed a mock-up of what my work might look like. I use strings and pegs, but in the actual thing I'd use clear wire, glossy images, and hang them vertically overlapping each other." Really interesting. Pause here and share with someone your impressions of Alex's presentation. Thanks for sharing. There are many ways to record your ideas but you may have presented your work like this, here's Andeep. "I displayed my images on a light box. I needed to consider logistics, so I chose a dark space to best show off the light box and plan the cable route safely. I added labels and an artist statement below the work." Pause here and share with someone your impressions of Andeep's presentation. Thanks for sharing. And now I'd like you to offer each other some feedback on your presentations, whether you presented the work that you actually have or if you decided not to play it safe and to go wild with your presentation ideas. Offer each other some feedback. Thanks for doing that. In our lesson "Presenting Artwork", we've covered the following. A well-presented piece communicates professionalism and adds to its perceived value, making it more appealing. Presenting your work gives you a sense of achievement and recognition, making you feel proud of your efforts. A well-thought-out display can enhance the audience experience. Pay attention to the visual aspects of your presentation, such as using supports like plinths or mounts. A strong narrative can engage viewers and enhance their understanding. Well done, everyone, for joining in with this lesson. It was great to explore presenting artwork together, and I hope you're pleased with what you've come up with. Some really, really thoughtful, creative ideas. Very much enjoyed teaching you, and I'm looking forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon. Until then, stay creative.
For parents, carers and teachers
- This lesson has three possible outcomes: a mock up, a design of an ideal presentation or actually presenting live work. With some small adaptations, it could lead to presenting work in books or on boards or for an exhibition.

