Let’s face it — as art teachers we have a lot of STUFF. The key is to organize our glorious abundance of materials in accessible and efficient ways. Below are some of my favorite storage hacks for the art room. The best part about most of these is that they are student-friendly too!
1. Store “like” objects together.
Like my cart article suggests, keep similar materials and supplies together to avoid running around your room to gather them.
2. Develop systems of sorting.
Whether you sort by color, artist, or in another visually pleasing way, have a system that YOU can stick to. I love browsing Pinterest for sorting ideas!
3. Recycled containers are your friend.
Both my materials shelf and paintbrush system are created entirely of free, recycled containers which are spruced up with printed labels or paint. I keep extras organized in my closet for easy grabbing!
4. Invest in plastic bins of every size.
Seriously, these come in handy for everything.
5. Add wheels for easy movement.
I love having a cart of supplies that I can push out of the way when it’s not needed. Why not add wheels to all kinds of things? I added wheels, for less than $10, to my Friendly Loom for easy movement and storage.
6. Organize your class shelves.
Nothing is worse than lost student artwork. Get ideas for organizing student work and essential supplies with this video and article.
7. Label, label, label.
Anyone in your room will know exactly where to find items, and more importantly, where to return them. Labels can also be helpful if you have deep shelves!
8. Use rainbow drawers.
Store everything from rulers and stencils to games and puzzles. I’ve even seen educators use these drawers as individual project trays for choice-based projects!
9. Use Google Drive.
Store your digital files so you can access them anywhere. Check out this article for using Google Drive in the art room. Scan any paper copies of items that you could store digitally. If you need to keep paper copies of things, take time to organize them.
10. Keep some empty surfaces and allow for growth in storage.
Make sure you have adequate space to spread out, to store 3-D projects or even that awesome donation of supplies!
Check out even more storage hacks with these great articles about storing small supplies, passing out supplies, and using something as simple as binder clips to bring you peace of mind!
How do you find the time to stay organized?
What are your favorite storage hacks?
Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.
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