The May 1 deadline for the Art For Homeschool Art School has come and gone. There was a theme for the show. I knew that having a theme would cause the entry level to go down, but I had no idea that there would be no entries. Yes, no entries. Wow!
So, I am in contemplation mode. Why no entries? What happened? What did I do wrong? Did I do something wrong? What is the issue? Is their an issue? I am a thinker and I look at everything from a million angles. Maybe having four art shows a year is too much? Maybe the months I chose for the shows are at a really busy time? Maybe the awards are not enticing enough? Maybe this, maybe that….
I began this online art show to give homeschool students a place to show off their work and to try to create a little art community. I think it has been a good forum for the children. We have had some really wonderful work entered in the shows over the years.
Since I began teaching full time in public school I have not had the time to devote to the site that I would like. Sometimes I feel like that is a factor, but my subscription numbers for the website have continued to grow. So maybe an online art show isn’t something that is important to most people. Maybe the art lessons and art project ideas are more what you are looking for.
Maybe the art show should be an annual event? Just thinking.
If you have any ideas or suggestions or comments, you are welcome to leave them in the comment section or email me. I am open to all ideas. I appreciate all my subscribers and members. I appreciate all the people that have supported this website in one way or another. I look forward to receiving your feedback. The Art For Homeschool website will grow and evolve according to the needs of the homeschool community, parents, and students. Have a wonderfully blessed day.
Please don’t stop. We are new subscribers. We didn’t hear about the Homeschool Art Show until after the deadline had passed. The theme probably would have been a problem. I think themes are a great help when a student has trouble coming up with an idea or has trouble focusing. When they have their own ideas though, a theme can put a damper on creativity. Maybe categories might be better. Thank you.
Thanks Grace. Our lives do tend to get really busy this time of year. ~Terry
We’re new and excited about this site. We had several options to submit but got busy with end-of-year activities: field trips, testing, science fair.
It’s just a timing issue for us!
So, maybe the art show should be about showing new work and not about awards? Would that make everyone more comfortable?
We stopped submitting after my daughter won first and second one time. We were embarrassed. We didn’t even think that she could keep others out from winning; we just didn’t know which one people would like best. The next time I submitted her work but said it wasn’t for the competition. I was hoping you would show her work like the parents’ work for viewing, not voting. She now has had two exhibitions and has sold artwork, and I don’t think it’s fair to have her compete, but I would love to show her work and get comments.
Eckmama, Thank you for your thoughts about the show. I never even considered that “Home” as a theme would be so difficult. I appreciate you letting me know. Let’s see what others have to say as well. ~Terry
I am new to your website but have really enjoyed it so far. I told my children (ages 5-12, all homeschooled) about the art show, and I also shared it on fb. I was even planning to enter myself, but could not think of anything to go with the theme. My children couldn’t either, and we’re a pretty arts-and-craftsy creative family. So I think this time, at least for our family, the theme was the issue. We love themes generally, this one was just extra challenging. I’m wondering if that’s because Home is a feeling, and how do you draw/photograph/paint etc a feeling? Maybe we were overthinking. I know we were all interested in entering, but none of us were able to come up with anything. I hope this helps, and I hope you get some further feedback. Maybe you could say “do-over!” and change the theme, and we could try again this month?