Collaborative art is a fun, unique way to encourage a group of people (kids or adults) to work together and create something beautiful! Group art projects can take so many different forms and there is no right or wrong way to make art together. Ready for 28 of the best group art project ideas?!
The Art of Giving happens every year in April, and it’s hands down my favorite art event all year! The event takes place in a plastic sheet covered room at Dell Children’s Hospital and 10-15 pieces of collaborative art is made by kids and adults! Kids and artists team up to make art and local businesses sponsor the collaborative art pieces made at the event. This year we raised $200,000 to support art, music, and play therapy to kids at Dell Children’s. How awesome is that?!
28 Group Art Projects
For more group art project ideas, don’t miss:
- String art (1st Art of Giving)
- Tissue paper art (2nd Art of Giving)
- Spray bottle and syringe art (3rd of Art of Giving)
- Bleeding tissue paper house (4th Art of Giving)
- Matisse inspired collage (5th Art of Giving)
- Collaborative painting (6th Art of Giving)
- Butterfly art (7th Art of Giving)
- Paint chip flag art (Created with 100 kids at a Home Depot kids workshop)
- 12 Collaborative art projects (All of the pieces from the 1st Art of Giving)
- 13 Collaborative art projects
1. Water color and music
Becca Borrelli is an illustrator and professional doodler. She had kids listen to iPods while they watercolored in cool colored tones. She also had salt and straws to give the watercolor unique texture. Becca added her artistic touch after the piece was dry. I love how it turned out!
2. Color blobs turned creatures
Terry Powell lets the kids go wild with paint and then turns their masterpiece into whimsical animals, trees, and flowers after the event.
3. Easy Tape and Paint
This is a simple group art project idea where each person get to paint as many squares as they’d like. Way too many details about how to make a collaborative tape painting with kids here.
4. Interactive group art project with leaf blowers
Troy Allen is known for his interactive art displays. This year he set up a space with a fan, leaf blower and styrofoam balls covered in crayons for kids to play and make art on the white paper taped to the floor. His creation produced 8 pieces of art!
5. Spatula painting
Jet Baker encourages the kids to use paint palette spatulas instead of paint brushes, it was a big hit! This year, his peice was sponsored by Q2, so he used a stencil to guide the kids art. (Q2 sponsored my peice the first year I was involved!)
6. Spatula painting with flowers
One of my favorite things about Jet’s paintings is the first word on the canvas is always “love”. This year he had the kids use paint palette spatulas, and after the event Jet added wildflowers on top of the kids art! Jet’s final collaborative art painting is the gorgeous red flower in the picture below.
7. Space block painting
I love Janna Sammon’s her colorful, whimsical style of art, I’d love to have a few of these in our house! Most of the artists uses a 3×3 canvas, but Janna prefers wooden boards for her paintings. She gives the kids a color palette and lets them go wild. I love how she created mini paint brushes with old gift cards. If you look closely you can see how she cut shapes in one end of the Amazon gift cards and let kids use these to make designs in the paint. Genius!
8. Syringe and bottle spray paint painting
Way too many details on how to make syringe and spray bottle paintings here.
9. Jamie Dorobek
These are the other 3 pieces of art I created with the kids at the Art of Giving. The top 2 are more of the spray paint and syringe paintings. The bottom one with multiple houses was my original idea for the 2017 Art of Giving. After making the bottom piece with Maxwell, I decided against it. It could be a fun collaborative art piece with a little more planning, but I liked the idea of letting kids go wild with syringes better.
10. Painted feathers
Elizabeth Bryan-Jacobs turned feathers into a set of gorgeous wings that were used as a photo op at the Giver Gallery! and then bought by a patron. Each kid painted a feather at the Art of Giving and she turned the feathers into a gorgeous set of angel wings.
11. Nail polish art
Sylvia Betts created the background, moon, and crow before the Art of Giving. At the event, each child added a star with sparkling star with nail polish!
12. Paper prints and weaving
Nancy Mc Millen’s paper creations always amaze me. The kids do prints on paper and the Nancy cuts the paper into strips and to form her art. I love the addition of the paper airplanes in this piece.
13. String Group Art Project
I used embroidery thread and nails to create this large scale string art with 100’s of kids.
14. Tiny watercolors
Jan Heaton had the kids use watercolor paint to make hearts on 2 x 2 sheets of watercolor paper. So simple and sweet.
15. Wooden sculptures made out of kid drawings
Gil Bruvel turned kids drawings into wooden sculptures to sit on top of one of his iconic masks made out of wood sticks. Incredible!
16. Coloring sheets turned large scale painting
Mila Sketch turned her painting into coloring sheets and used the finished coloring sheets as inspiration for her painting. If you look closely, you’ll find things like aliens and spaceships, butterflies, and suns that kids added to their coloring sheets! See more of Mila’s process on her Instagram.
17. Butterfly group art project
Grab markers, glue, and tons of tiny butterflies and get the creative juice flowing with butterfly designs. This butterfly art group project is a fun activity for people of all ages. I love that even the littlest ones can get creative with a butterfly!
Here are 12 more collaborative art projects for kids! Have you ever made a collaborative art piece with a group of people? I’d love to hear!
Comments & Reviews
Elaine says
Fabulous ideas
Laura Remedios says
How are the canvas feathers assembled together? What is used as a base for the feathers?
Nik says
What a lovely idea! What a great way to raise money for a great cause.
Samal Alpysbayeva says
What a lovely idea! These feathers can decorate my english room and inspire my students to be more artistic!
Thank you.
Varsha says
Such super work ! I work with under privileged children … is it possible to display their group art??
Jamie Dorobek says
Of course! Kids love to see their work displayed!
Sarah Leese says
These are such great ideas! I love the feathered angel wings, and the spatula stencil art, just showing if you let the kids loose it ain’t always gonna turn out messy
horn beads says
That’s an absolutely perfect shade for this, beautiful! Love this so much!! What an adorable ideas.
Kim Langlais says
Absolutely Love the Painted Paper Feather Wings. We Sell Bulk Feathers and Would Love to Share this on Our Website with a Link to Your Website of Course. Let Me Know if this is OK…(0:
Hope You Say Yes,
Kim Langlais
http://www.smileyme.com/bulk-feathers.asp
Vicki says
Some great inspiration. I teach art at a private school and create a collaborative piece each year to be auctioned at their annual fundraiser.
Jamie Dorobek says
Such a great idea! I would love to hear more about the pieces you create!!
Virginia says
Looks like fun. I would’ve wanted to be one of the kids getting to participate! What a great way to raise money for a great cause.