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Presenting & Exhibiting Art

Twelfth graders learn to present and exhibit art professionally — matting, framing, hanging at eye level, lighting, and giving an artist talk — the finishing touches that let work be seen at its best.

Grade 12Presentation55 minutes1 class periodArtistic ProcessExplicit teaching4 StandardsNCAS
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Present art professionally.
  • ✓Know exhibition tasks.
  • ✓Match tasks to purposes.
  • ✓Show work at its best.
Essential Question

A great artwork deserves a great presentation. How do artists mat, frame, hang, light, and talk about their work?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Match It · Interactive

Match the Exhibition Task

Project this and match each presentation task to its purpose — tap a task, then tap its purpose.

🖼️ Match each exhibition task to its purposeTry it
Task
What It Does
Now tap its purpose!
The Lesson · Artistic Process (Look · Explore · Create · Share · Reflect)

55 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Look — Presentation Matters

6 min

A great artwork deserves a great presentation — how do artists show it?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a well-hung gallery.
  • Ask what makes it work.
  • Get ready.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Explore — Exhibiting Art

13 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Match the Exhibition Task.
  • Match each one.
  • Discuss them.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match.
  • Discuss.
  • Name.
3

Create — Create

15 min

Students create.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Mat a piece.
  • Plan where to hang it.
  • Plan the lighting.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Mat it.
  • Place it.
  • Light it.
4

Share — Share

13 min

Students share.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Present a hung piece.
  • Give a short artist talk.
  • Give feedback.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Present.
  • Talk it.
  • Feedback.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students respond.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a task.
  • Say what it does.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (Visual Arts, HS Advanced).

NCAS
VA:Pr4.1.HSIII

Select and prepare work for display.

NCAS
VA:Pr5.1.HSIII

Present work professionally.

NCAS
VA:Pr6.1.HSIII

Exhibit and discuss art.

NCAS
VA:Re7.1.HSIII

Perceive presentation choices.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Task + purpose cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ helps by ___.”
  • Use gallery photos.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with framing and lighting.
  • Match one pair at a time.
  • Use examples.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Curate a small show.
  • Give a full artist talk.
  • Design a gallery wall.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🖼️Gallery photos
  • 💻Match the Exhibition Task
  • 🖼️Mats and frames
  • ✏️Pens
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

exhibitto display artworkmattinga protective borderframingenclosing a piecehangto mount for displayeye levelthe viewer’s sightlinelightinglight for the workartist talkexplaining your workgalleryan exhibition space
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What does matting do?
It frames and protects the artwork with a border.
QUESTION 2
Why hang work at eye level?
So viewers see it comfortably.
QUESTION 3
What is an artist talk?
Explaining your work and ideas to an audience.

Reflect: show it well.

Have students describe how they’d present one artwork — matting, framing, and where to hang it. A printable exhibiting sheet is in the Arts library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Presenting & Exhibiting ArtFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Presenting & Exhibiting ArtQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Presenting & Exhibiting ArtPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: artist talk, exhibit, eye level, framing, gallery, hang, lighting, matting
  1. enclosing a piece
  2. explaining your work
  3. an exhibition space
  4. to display artwork
  5. to mount for display
  6. a protective border
  7. the viewer’s sightline
  8. light for the work

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What does matting do?
  2. Why hang work at eye level?
  3. What is an artist talk?
Answer key — Part A: 1) framing · 2) artist talk · 3) gallery · 4) exhibit · 5) hang · 6) matting · 7) eye level · 8) lighting
Part B: 1) It frames and protects the artwork with a border. 2) So viewers see it comfortably. 3) Explaining your work and ideas to an audience.