Unit Plan 35 (Grade 8 Art): Final Exhibition Presentation
Grade 8 art exhibition unit where students curate, mount, and label artwork to professional standards, designing layouts that shape audience interpretation and experience.
Focus: Present curated artwork to an audience with professional standards, preparing displays, labels, and layout that shape how viewers interpret and experience the work.
Grade Level: 8
Subject Area: Art (Visual Arts • Presentation & Exhibition • Curation & Audience Experience)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students prepare for their final exhibition, focusing on how presentation choices influence audience experience. Building on prior units in curation, critique, and artist statements, they refine mounting, labeling, and layout decisions to meet professional standards. Students consider how factors like height, spacing, grouping, lighting, and written text affect the way viewers move through the space and understand the work. By the end of the week, students will present a cohesive exhibition to an authentic audience (peers, staff, families) and reflect on how their presentation decisions shaped interpretation.
Essential Questions
- How do presentation choices (mounting, placement, lighting, labeling) affect how people experience artwork?
- What does a professional-quality display look and feel like in a school setting?
- How can we design an exhibition layout that supports a clear theme, story, or flow for the audience?
- In what ways do labels and artist statements help viewers connect with and interpret artworks?
- How can we work as a team to present our class’s work with care, pride, and professionalism?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Explain how specific presentation choices (e.g., height, alignment, grouping) can change the way an audience interprets artwork (VA:Pr6.8a).
- Use appropriate preparation techniques (mounting, trimming, repairing, labeling, organizing) to ready artworks for display (VA:Pr5.8a).
- Collaboratively design an exhibition layout plan that considers flow, sightlines, and thematic groupings.
- Install or assist in installing the exhibition with attention to craftsmanship and consistency (e.g., straight lines, even spacing, readable labels).
- Present the final exhibition to an audience and reflect on how presentation choices impacted viewer experience and understanding.
Standards Alignment — 8th Grade (NCAS-Aligned)
- VA:Pr5.8a — Prepare artwork for display by considering presentation techniques such as mounting, framing, labeling, and digital formatting.
- Example: Students mat drawings, trim edges, and create labels for a final exhibition.
- VA:Pr6.8a — Explain how presentation choices influence how an audience interprets and experiences artwork.
- Example: Students discuss how grouping similar themes or altering lighting placement affects mood and focus in an exhibit.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can explain why we chose to mount, place, and label artworks the way we did.
- I can help prepare artwork so it looks clean, secure, and professional when displayed.
- I can work with classmates to design an exhibition layout that feels organized and intentional.
- I can describe how our presentation choices influence what the audience notices, feels, or understands.
- I can present or tour guests through the exhibition with pride, using appropriate art vocabulary.