How to Get Cheap Art Supplies for Schools
Art supplies for your classroom are not expensive. Incorporate the idea of recycling and reusing materials into your art room. Preserve the materials you have and promote sustainable choices for your students. Purchasing art supplies should be done only after you have approached the business as an educator. You must ask about discounts for schools before spending your budget.
Instructions
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Approach your art curriculum by working with the supplies available. Consult with other departments about conserving scrap paper, recycling bottles and assigning space for murals, or theater presentations. When you have exhausted the other departments' "recycled" art supplies, go to municipal buildings, colleges and restaurants. Request that the community's recycled paper, glass bottles and event space be available to your students for art projects. Stay local with your requests. People in your community have a vested interest in working with you. Be sincere and bring student representatives when making your requests to off-campus organizations.
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Large companies like Walmart, Target and Jo-ann's Fabrics will give discounts on bulk purchases for education. Speak directly to a supervisor before buying art supplies at a retail outlet. Make an effort to negotiate pricing, rather than paying full price. Consult with your supplier about discontinued products that may have limited supply at a much reduced cost. Be informed about the opportunity to purchase large quantities during peak buying times, such as end-of-the-year sales, or clearance items. Communicate that you are likely to continue buying from a supplier who provides the best savings. In paint or molding clay purchases, primary colors, black and white are basic supplies. Other mixed colors can be taught as part of your curriculum.
Buy from thrift stores, second-hand merchants and recycling centers. Be creative when searching for supplies. Old clothes can be reused as textile art. Broken ceramics, glass and plastic can be patterned into mosaics. Scrap paper or clothing can be dissolved into a handmade-paper project. Consider deconstruction of an object as a provision for an art project's construction.
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Begin with the things you have available to you. Make conservation of supplies a priority in your clean-up process as well. Limit the amount of time your young students spend producing or re-producing their projects. This avoids wasted materials. Present a project and give each student an opportunity to research what the possibilities are. Support their creativity by instructing them to first conceptualize how they might begin. Allow your students' imagination to create their art. For instance, a painting would begin with a pen-and-ink drawing. Allow them to draft their work on newsprint, before giving them access to more expensive supplies like canvas or mat boards. With this conservative approach, cheap art supplies expand your student's creative process.
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