ELVIRA: I was actually very excited to see the students’ projects on the wall. I think that was one of the reasons why I wanted to come to this school, because I knew that I was very hands on and our work was going to get displayed.

EDUARDO: It feels nice, because other students get to see your work and see the creation that you made. We made a book, and it’s exciting to have my project on Amazon, because millions of other people can see my work.

KELLY JACOB: Curation is a form of communication. It communicates what you find valuable. For students, it communicates that the work that they did was really important, that it was meaningful, and that it’s going to have a life beyond just the project span.

LEO: If you look around our school and there’s all the art hung up, it makes it look colorful. It makes the school look good, too.

ENRIQUE LUGO: I would say that curating student work in our hallways, in our classrooms, in our spaces is important, not only to show the value of the work and help our students feel proud of what they do and see it– that almost seems like they’re in an art gallery– it also really cultivates a culture of excellence. And I think that’s the part that’s most impactful and positive for our school culture, is the students seeing their own work, their peers’ work.

ALEJANDRO: When I was younger, a bunch of projects I didn’t really understand. I obviously had all the explanations, but it’s new to me. And now that I’m here, I’ve realized how far I’ve come and how much I progressed in that aspect.

ALEX: I will be able to learn what these kids have learned and be able to say, I have learned something like this. And then also knowing that there could be a chance that my art gets put on is absolutely amazing.

ENRIQUE LUGO: It helps us see the identity of our students in our school, our community, the things that we value, the things that are important to us. And as an educator, that’s something that has always stayed with me, of assessing what I value, and that’s what’s displayed on the walls.

KELLY JACOB: For teachers, curation can also be really inspirational. If I see that there is a teacher whose students are doing really cool work, I want to make sure that the cool work my students are doing is displayed, as well.

ENRIQUE LUGO: I think there’s also opportunities to inspire each other as colleagues or create opportunities to collaborate, share resources, experiences, wisdom, or craft knowledge.

KELLY JACOB: When student work is curated thoughtfully, it models the standards of quality that both students and teachers are looking for in project work.

LEO: I think students will try harder when they know that their work is going to go on a wall. And if the work would just go straight to their teacher, they might try less hard or not get as high a quality of work.

ENRIQUE LUGO: And for our families that visit to be able to see the type of work that their students are engaging in is also really positive, especially in settings where we’re doing project-based learning, where it’s different from the norm of textbook learning. Sometimes, having that visual is really important.

MARGARET NOBLE: The only way to bring this whole discussion to an audience is to curate it. You help them to understand that making their best work can really connect them with new people and new ideas. The whole point is to get people to engage.

ALEX: And they get to see amazing art that I have done in the past and being able to know hey, part of me is still being left at the school and other people are going to see something that I’ve done.