How to create
a gallery wall
like a pro
Meredith Forte is a big fan of framing and displaying children’s
art—and not just because coming up with creative solutions to
empty walls is part of her job.

“I witnessed kids coming home and seeing their artwork on
the wall and it makes them feel almost famous,” says Forte, who
offers mobile picture-framing and design services through her
company, Frame Avenue Design. “That their mom or dad took the
time to frame it and hang it and have something special for them.

It gives them encouragement and promotes creativity.”
Forte loves creating gallery walls for her clients of their
children’s artwork to hang in the rooms where the kids hang out:
basement rec rooms, playrooms and even their bedrooms.

10-YEAR-OLD AVERY USED COLORED PENCILS TO DRAW A BIRD IN HER
BACKYARD LISTENING FOR HIS FRIENDS.

GO BIG
TO CREATE YOUR OWN GALLERY WALL
OF KIDS’ ART, FOLLOW FORTE’S PROCESS
1 Choose a mix of personalized artwork such as painted
handprints, artwork that’s special to your child and anything
that can pass as abstract art. “Adult artists can sometimes make
art that looks like a 5-year-old made it. So why not frame a 5-year-
old’s art that looks like an adult did it,” says Forte.

2 3
4 5
Use picture frames that are either 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches
or 11 inches by 17 inches, which fit the “two basic sizes of
construction paper that schools have,” she says.

Pick picture frames that can be easily opened, so you can swap
out artwork when your child brings home something new.

Stick with white frames and white mattes. “It’s simple, it looks
pretty, it looks clean on the walls, and then the artwork sort
of pops,” says Forte.

Decide which style of gallery wall you prefer: grid or organic.

“Gallery grids are great for people who are Type A,” she
says. In a grid, all of the frames are the same size and hung in
symmetrical rows and columns. Organic grids, on the other hand,
come together like a puzzle.

6 CAMERA: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS/DINKOOBRAZ:
FRAMES: GETTY IMAGES/DIGITALVISION VECTORS/ HUDIEMM
Arrange your picture frames on the floor below the wall
where you plan to hang them in order to determine the size
and placement of your gallery wall. “You sort of fit the pieces
together,” she explains. Once you like how it looks, hang it up!
If any of this sounds complicated, just remember: “One of the
main things about gallery walls is don’t overthink it,” says Forte. ■
GO D I G I TA L
BE SELECTIVE
LABEL ,
TOSS THE
NOODLES LABEL ,
LABEL What to do with
all that artwork?
A PRO FE S S I ON AL
ORGAN I Z E R W E I GHS I N
GO BIG
Kids often bring home artwork on paper that’s larger than 8 1/2 inches
by 11 inches. Rather than folding their masterpieces to fit in letter-
size file folders or binders, professional organizer Libby Kinkead of
Potomac Concierge prefers storing artwork in portfolios—those big,
black cases with handles that artists use to carry their work.

Another option is to store both flat pieces and three-dimensional
creations in clear plastic bins. “You can have bins per year, per child,
per school,” says Kinkead.

LABEL , LABEL , LABEL
“You’re not gonna remember a watercolor when you have more than
one child,” she says. As a favor to your future self, write your child’s
name and the date on the back of every drawing or painting they bring
home. And don’t forget to label the outside of the portfolio or bin, too.

TOSS THE NOODLES
Unfortunately, certain pieces just won’t store well. “Anything that’s
made out of macaroni or rice or whatever ... those aren’t good
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