By: Danni Tang & Jade Liu
The “Art for All” project is a series of innovative workshops that challenges the prevalent belief that art creation is only for those with natural talent or privilege. Derived from the observation that a lot of adult learners has experienced self-doubt and a lack of confidence when they are invited to create art, our project focused on combines art education and therapeutic expression to build an inclusive, perfectionism-free creative space. Our in-person workshops put emotional expression and personal creativity over technical perfection, offering participants the freedom to explore creative painting without the pressure of achieving remarkable results. The project not only focuses on helping adult learners overcome their artistic insecurities, but also addresses broader cultural assumptions that equate artistic value with technical accuracy.
Each of our 90-minute sessions begins with a warm-up activity that familiarizes learners with basic color theory and an understanding of painting tools, followed by a long creative time where participants can use beginner-friendly materials like acrylic paints and watercolor pads and receive individualized instruction, ensuring that everyone can engage in a way that feels comfortable to them. Realizing that some participants prefer depicting recognizable tangible items instead of abstract expressions, we offer flexible topics ranging from abstract exploration and more structured artmaking, supporting whatever approach that participants feel will bring them joy and comfort. Through catering to each participants’ creative needs and the incorporation of highly personalized scaffolding, “Art for All” demonstrates our idea that artistic expression is a universal human capacity that can bring fulfillment and joy to everyone, regardless of their perceived artistic ability.
To strengthen our community building and increase the retention, we have also designed a new app to complement our workshop. View the link for more information!
