Artist Mark Cooper aims to change the way you think about making art with kids. Working with schools around the country, Cooper has brought together scores of teachers and hundreds of children to make remarkable collaborative art that has enlivened classrooms and public spaces and been displayed in the nation's most prestigious museums. In this inspiring, practical, idea-filled book, Cooper shows how any teacher—not just art teachers—can imagine and execute similar projects in their own classrooms. But more than that, Cooper transforms our sense of possibilities, arguing for a new view of art in schools. Making Art Together is a book about art education structured around big ideas: that adults can flourish in the role of Master Artist, that the perspective of contemporary art offers liberating possibilities for rethinking art in schools, that art can and should be about the larger world, and thus naturally ties in to all areas of the curriculum. Most of all, Cooper shows us the power of collaboration. From mammoth, freestanding sculptures to billboards against violence to maps of the world, the projects here are all planned, designed, and completed by children themselves. The resulting artwork is complex and ambitious on a scale that would be out of reach for any individual child. Working collaboratively, using a distinctly democratic model, kids actually think and work like adult artists throughout every stage of the project. Together the sky's the limit—the artistic and educational opportunities are boundless. Making Art Together is a bold, beautifully illustrated book that could—at a time when art budgets are being slashed—revitalize our sense of what art in schools can accomplish.

“There are more than 50 creative prompts for the artist (or artist at heart) to explore. Take the title of this book as affirmation, and get started.” —Fast Company More than 50 assignments, ideas, and prompts to expand your world and help you make outstanding new things to put into it Curator Sarah Urist Green left her office in the basement of an art museum to travel and visit a diverse range of artists, asking them to share prompts that relate to their own ways of working. The result is You Are an Artist, a journey of creation through which you'll invent imaginary friends, sort books, declare a cause, construct a landscape, find your band, and become someone else (or at least try). Your challenge is to filter these assignments through the lens of your own experience and make art that reflects the world as you see it. You don't have to know how to draw well, stretch a canvas, or mix a paint color that perfectly matches that of a mountain stream. This book is for anyone who wants to make art, regardless of experience level. The only materials you'll need are what you already have on hand or can source for free. Full of insights, techniques, and inspiration from art history, this book opens up the processes and practices of artists and proves that you, too, have what it takes to call yourself one. You Are an Artist brings together more than 50 assignments gathered from some of the most innovative creators working today, including Sonya Clark, Michelle Grabner, The Guerrilla Girls, Fritz Haeg, Pablo Helguera, Nina Katchadourian, Toyin Ojih Odutola, J. Morgan Puett, Dread Scott, Alec Soth, Gillian Wearing, and many others.

Found art is a type of art that involves creating pieces from found objects that are not usually considered to be artistic. From dryer lint to plastic found in the ocean, learn how ordinary objects can be made into beautiful art! Created in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution, this title builds students' literacy skills while fostering curiosity, creativity, and innovation through real-world examples. Features include: A hands-on STEAM challenge guides students through each step of the engineering design process and is ideal for makerspace activities; Content that highlights every component of STEAM: science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics; Dynamic images and text features enhance the reading experience and build visual literacy; Make career connections with career advice from Smithsonian employees working in STEAM fields. This 6-Pack includes six copies of this title and a lesson plan that addresses literacy and engineering objectives.

Getting messy is the best part of creating! Get Messy Art gives you the freedom, inspiration, and ideas to experiment and play with art techniques and projects to create perfectly imperfect art. We’re always told that play and experimentation is the foundation of growing as an artist. But where do you start? Where to find new techniques to try? How do you bring them all together? Get Messy Art has all the guidance, instruction, and inspiration you need. Based on the popular online class and community website Get Messy Art, this book brings together tons of creative art techniques and projects, including painting with watercolor and acrylic, mark-making, drawing with markers and pen and ink, sketching faces, and much more. The fun doesn’t stop there. You’ll also learn how to make your own art journals and trendy junk journals—easy handmade books to work in that are personalized and one of a kind. In Get Messy Art you’ll discover: A welcoming environment that encourages play and experimentation, to help you become the artist you always wanted to be. How to use no-rules, no-stress art techniques as a creative outlet to express feelings. Actionable inspiration that will keep you going, even when motivation is scarce. Fresh techniques that will show you innovative ways to use low-cost supplies such as paint and mediums, stencils, pens, and paper. Easy background techniques that will get you started and banish fear of the blank page. The satisfaction of making your own unique journals using simple methods. Ultimately, art is all about creating for the sake of creating. It’s powerful, it’s cathartic, it’s messy—and it’s all yours. It’s time to get messy!

Make art and memories with the special kids in your life! Packed with how-to drawing and painting projects, creative prompts, and original crafting activities, The Grown-Up’s Guide to Making Art with Kids will inspire you and your little ones to spend hours of creative fun together. Whether you're a teacher, a homeschooling parent, or a creative looking to improve upon your drawing skills while having fun with your kids, this book is for you! The Grown-Up's Guide to Making Art with Kids includes drawing and painting projects featuring popular, kid-friendly, and on-trend subjects—like dinosaurs, pets, flowers, and robots—that adults and kids can create together. Guided practice pages invite interactivity and allow children and adults to draw and paint the same subjects, side by side, for a fun-filled joint activity. The book’s artwork is colorful, cheerful, approachable, and done using ordinary, easily available art tools, including markers, crayons, colored pencils, and acrylic paint. In addition to drawing lessons, The Grown-Up’s Guide to Making Art with Kids also includes projects and ideas for using artwork created from the prompts in the book to make crafts, including a map, pop-up art, paper dolls, and much more. The Grown-Up’s Guide to Making Art with Kids teaches valuable drawing, painting, and crafting skills to both kids and adults; inspires creativity; and encourages family togetherness. What better way to avoid screen time than by drawing, painting, and creating together with your kids? Follow-up books in the series that are also ideal for kids and adults to do together include The Grown-Up's Guide to Painting with Kids and The Grown-Up's Guide to Crafting with Kids, both publishing in June 2020.