- Gather enough supplies well in advance. Prepare the instructions so the groups know how they are supposed to work together. For a group mural, provide a prompt and allow the groups to decide on how they will design their mural. Some groups are able to talk through their ideas. Other groups find it more productive for each individual to sketch and present their ideas before assembling the final design. This kind of activity can be done in a single session when you use a roll of butcher paper and tempera paint. It can also take many weeks if your assignment is to paint an exterior wall to show a scene from the community's history. Group sculptures and collages can follow the same format.
- Here is an interactive art project that does not need planning, other than to have paper and drawing implements available. Mount pieces of paper on a wall and assign groups of four to six participants to each sheet. Randomly select the order each group member will be drawing. Allow each member two minutes to draw. When time is called, the person stops drawing and the next participant continues. After each person has had three or four turns to draw, the projects are finished. Groups should decide on a title for the piece before a spokesperson from the group presents the finished drawing.
- Interactive art activities do not have to start with a group of artists. They can connect performance artists with fine artists. For example, a string quartet could be invited to perform in front of a group who will be drawing a picture to illustrate the music. Cross disciplinary groups of artists can be charged with the responsibility to design a set for a play or to create the puppets for a puppet show. These activities require solid group dynamics and social skills as well as competence in the fine arts.
- Group art adventures are always fun. Suppose your group is visiting an art museum. Before you enter the museum, the smaller teams should be picked and a museum "I Spy" or "Scavenger Hunt" challenge given. For example, you may be asked to identify six pieces of art that contain the image of a dragon---or you may be asked to find a piece of art from each year in the decade between 1910 and 1920. The team that finds the most items on the challenge list wins at the end of the day. While this interactive art activity does not make art, it promotes interactions between people around the subject of art.
