Artsonia: For Teacher's and Parent's

Artsonia: the World’s largest kid’s Art Museum

In researching the various technologies for art students on the internet, there came a very interesting website titled “Artsonia: the world’s largest kid’s art museum.” The website is an online ‘museum’ of children’s artworks of all ages that have been posted by teachers and parents. The purpose of this website is to encourage students to place value on their original artworks and post them as if they were established, professional artists making their way through the world.

Re-productions of children’s artworks can be bought off of the website and schools will earn 15% of the profits that act as a fundraiser for the school. Artworks can be re-produced on calendars, cards, journals, mugs, t-shirts, and posters to name a few. Sign up and registration of schools are free and visitors may search specific schools and student’s works throughout the site. Permission slips and terms/conditions are all in order on the website to verify confirmation of art re-sale.

Artsonia also provides a community board for teachers to post art lesson plans and ideas to share with colleagues.

This website is a great way for teachers and students to showcase their artworks and also to fundraise money for the school. The website allows students to feel that their artwork is valuable and enables parents to order customized keepsakes of their children’s artworks right off of their class list.

Pedagogically this is a great idea, for the reasons mentioned above. The only area with potential problems that may arise is what the website’s policy on what “acceptable” art is. Students are often encouraged for original self expression and creativity, and sometimes what is particularly going on in a child’s or adolescent’s life is deep and emotional. Art is a tool of mediation and a way to convey inner feelings and therefore it may be hard to showcase all of a classrooms artworks on this particular website, which may in turn omit some of the most captivating pieces.

Check out Artsonia at http://www.artsonia.com/

Images used on this page:
http://www.crazycamel.com.au/popups/images/Camel_ArtCalendar.jpg
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/high/images/Grace-Amate.jpg
http://chesterfield.k12.va.us/Schools/Hening_ES/Mariaweb/home_files/artsonia.gif