A stick figure family, a googly-eyed monster, a happy rainbow. Children’s artwork represents how they see the world at any given age — a sweet, fleeting perspective that the adults in their lives yearn to preserve. But kids are prolific creators, so what’s to be done with all these construction paper canvases as more continuously flood in?
Artist Shana Blakley came up with a creative way to save her kids’ drawings while breaking out of a rut she’d been in with her own work: She turned them into a big, colorful collage to hang in her family’s home. When she shared the result on Instagram, her comment section exploded. The idea clearly resonated with other moms, dads, and grandparents.
Shana Blakley’s first kids’ artwork collage
“We want to honor what our kids make,” Blakley told Nice News, adding: “Nearly every parent around the world has a growing pile of kid art, and it’s in our nature to save it. We feel guilty throwing it away, but storing it also begins to feel unsettling. There comes a time when you realize how much of it you have and you ask yourself: ‘What am I keeping this for?’”
Molly Revers with her grandkids and the collages made from their artwork
Shortly after posting the piece last year, she launched Heirloom Collage and started taking commissions. Now, she offers an online course that guides participants in producing their own artist-quality collages out of kiddos’ creations. The course consists of six video modules totaling one hour, and Blakley provides feedback in a private Facebook group where students can post their in-progress and completed work.
Molly Revers enjoys dabbling in different artistic endeavors, so she signed up for the $99 e-course. “The most meaningful aspect was the joy it brought me when creating the collages and the joy it brought my little grandsons when they saw their work displayed in such a cool way,” she shared. “They love picking their favorite creations and memories associated with them.”
Another parent’s completed collage
For Blakley, who lives in Richmond, Virginia, and began her career as a fine artist over a decade ago, the project reconnected her to a sense of spontaneity after a period of creative stagnation. “Halfway through it, I recall thinking, ‘[My kids] didn’t second-guess their creativity in these pieces, so I shouldn’t either,’” she said. “That was a big breakthrough for me.”
It’s something many adults, artists or not, can relate to. “A lot of my students haven’t made art since they were kids, and this brings them back to it,” Blakley added.
Overall, though, the memorable shared experience of making that first collage with her two children — the youngsters helped select the included drawings and “were buzzing with pride” — is what she wishes for her clients. “That connection is what lasts, and they end up with something their family really treasures,” she said.
Jeanine Long-Tuohy with her granddaughter Ava and the collage they made
Jeanine Long-Tuohy, who loves her granddaughter Ava’s artwork, created her first piece with Ava’s help and has since started a new one with another grandchild. “Working on this made me feel like there’s a lot more we can do together,” Long-Tuohy said. “It’s a memory they will always have of me.”
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