Nurturing the Artist, Part III: They Create it, You Display it!

I was accustomed to saving scribbled creations in scrapbooks, but then the dilemma came: My kids’ art teachers helped them create such beautiful work, I couldn’t bear to throw it away. It was too big for scrapbooks. I archived pictures electronically, but somehow, these creations seemed worthy of a more visible home.

But my home? I was selfish with my limited wall space — even for my own kids. Then came My Big Idea.

I looked around at the white, blank walls in a most unlikely room, and I saw it — Our Gallery. Those walls were begging to come to life. It was the perfect space.

My husband keeps a meticulous garage. Would he be receptive to tacks in the drywall securing whimsical pictures? Much to my amazement, he was on board!  

Over the past nine years, our collection has spread from one wall to three, displaying nearly every painting our kids brought home. I laminated each piece so it would hold up in its garage-gallery environment.

Every day as we park our cars, we are greeted by those happy paintings. Daily, we have a chance to celebrate our growing artists. My heart is grateful that we made that choice so many years ago. Perhaps someday I’ll add the work of little “GrandArtists.”

It's like North Canton resident , who has been “nurturing the artist” in his grandchildren, Siena and Alec Pilati, from the time they were able to hold crayons.

“I have kept the kids supplied with everything from finger paints to water colors,” he said.

An amateur photographer and former art student, this grandfather values creativity. He and the children create origami from some of their artwork, and a butterfly has found a permanent home on the dashboard of his car. Once, amidst home improvements, he even allowed the kids draw on the walls!

After dedicating an area in the rec-room as the “arts” area, Ken began displaying work on the walls. Then, the grandchildren took a trip to a museum and asked to turn the room into their own “art museum.”

"They meticulously partitioned off their own areas” and “systematically went about putting their art on display,” Ken said.  

Unfortunately, much of the work from The Museum was destroyed in the , but they’re busy creating new works and have plans to make it “bigger and better than ever.”

Hardly a day goes by that the kids don’t ask if Grandpa is done with The Museum yet.

Alec, age 6, wants to frame everything they hang there, but since that would be cost-prohibitive, Ken plans to have the children help matte their work. He also decided that Alec and Siena should have their own tables. Alec found a way to save money, suggesting that they cut their
old, shared table in half.   

Artistic encouragement has paid off outside the walls of “Grandpa’s house.” Both Alec and Sienna have studied dance through Plain Local’s enrichment program and have been in various dance and drama productions. Alec currently dreams of being a costume designer, and Siena, a second grader at Frazer Elementary, has a drawing that was framed and displayed in the principal’s office for the year.

As far as is concerned, Ken says that he “took it in stride.” He is doing the restoration work himself, and is trying not to stress about it.  

“I have found a new sense of coping with crisis in my life,” he said.  

The creativity and encouragement of his little artists helps.