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37 of Our Favorite Easy Art Projects for Kids

Get their creative juices flowing.

The stress of tests and social dynamics can prove challenging for students, and for this reason, they need an opportunity to express themselves freely. Art provides a powerful outlet for creative expression while also proving therapeutic. Plus, a good art project can be particularly effective at getting kids to unplug from their devices. A simple art project can even fill some of downtime during the day for early finishers. Regardless of whether you teach preschool or high school, there is an art project for everyone. So gather some art supplies and try one of these easy art projects for kids!

Easy Art Projects for Pre-K Students

1. paper bag jelly fish.

As far as easy art projects for kids go, this one is perfect for preschoolers since it works on their hand-eye coordination and their cutting skills in particular. In addition to paper bags and scissors or pinking shears, you will need some paints, paintbrushes, googly eyes, and glue. If you’re really feeling ambitious, you can grab some sparkles too!

Learn more: Paper Bag Jelly Fish at No Time for Flash Cards

2. Tissue Paper Apple

Since everyone associates apples with fall and the start of school, this will be the perfect craft to start the school year off on the right foot. Simply draw an apple outline on a piece of paper and have small red and green tissue paper squares ready to be crumpled and glued by tiny hands.

Learn more: Tissue Paper Apple at Burlap + Blue

3. Fork Print Tulips

This project is both cute and simple, requiring only a fork, some heavyweight paper, and some paints. This project would be especially perfect for a Mother’s Day gift.

Learn more: Fork Tulip at Toddler at Play

4. Paper Bag Monster

First, paint the bag any color you want. Once dry, cut out shapes from card stock and assemble your monster!

Learn more: Paper Bag Monster Puppets at I Heart Crafty Things

5. Paper Plate Lion

All you need to re-create this adorable lion is orange and black paint, paintbrushes, paper plates, and scissors. Grab some Popsicle sticks to glue to the back and you’ll have a ferocious puppet show on your hands in no time!

Learn more: Paper Plate Lion at My Bored Toddler

6. Popsicle Stick Rainbow

Grab some blue card stock, cotton circles, and Popsicle sticks and have your students work on their gluing skills. This craft will prove effective at teaching little ones their colors. Choose either colored Popsicle sticks or have kids color them themselves.

Learn more: Popsicle Stick Rainbow at My Bored Toddler

7. Paper Plate Octopus

Kids love octopuses, especially adorable ones like these! This craft would be perfect for little ones still learning to count since they have a whopping eight legs to make.

Learn more: Paper Plate Octopus at Simple Every Day Mom

8. Macaroni Necklace

A staple of many of our childhoods, macaroni necklaces work on the dexterity of little fingers while also making perfect gifts. Add in some large beads as well for variety.

Learn more: DIY Macaroni Necklaces at Made To Be a Mama

Easy Art Projects for Elementary School Students

9. paper plate snake.

Have your students paint a paper plate with watercolors and then once dry, help them cut it in a swirl shape. Finally, add some googly eyes.

Learn more: Colorful Paper Plate Snakes at Pink Stripey Socks

10. Paper Roll Koala

This super-cute koala would make an adorable desk buddy since it stands up on its own. Kids will enjoy personalizing their koala’s face!

Learn more: Paper Roll Koala at Arty Crafty Kids

11. Leaf Pattern Drawing

We just love art projects that fill the entire page, and this one certainly fits the bill. The combination of crayon and watercolor paint create this multi-dimensional leaf print.

Learn more: Leaf Pattern at Art Projects for Kids

12. Woven Rainbow Fish

This project is perfect for working on students’ hand-eye coordination while being a cursory introduction to sewing. It’s challenging enough for even upper elementary school students while still being relatively simple.

Learn more: Rainbow Fish at Crafty Morning

13. Thumbprint Bugs

These thumbprint doodles are just so sweet and would perfectly complement a science lesson all about bugs. After having students try their hand at some of the thumbprint examples, let them use their imagination to see what other ideas they can cook up. You can even have them create bug jars out of card stock to put their new friends in!

Learn more: Thumbprint Bugs via Toot’s Mom Is Tired

14. Umbrella With Rain

Another fun art project that is really affordable to create since you only need paper plates, some paints, a roll of string, and some blue beads. We just love this clever approach to creating raindrops!

Learn more: Umbrella With Rain at Easy Peasy and Fun

15. Popsicle Stick Pencil

Nothing says back to school more than a cute pencil-themed craft. Have students add their names to them and then use them to decorate a September bulletin board in your classroom.

Learn more: Popsicle Stick Pencil at Crafty Morning

16. Craft Stick Airplane

Kids will unquestionably go crazy over these clothespin-and-Popsicle-stick airplanes. Regardless of whether they choose paint or permanent markers, students will enjoy personalizing their tiny flying machines.

Learn more: Craft Stick Airplane at Making Life Blissful

17. Pom-Pom Caterpillars

Since kids love pom-poms and caterpillars, this will be the perfect craft to grab their attention. Make sure to supply them with a fun variety of pom-poms and googly eyes.

Learn more: Pom-Pom Caterpillar at Easy Peasy and Fun

Easy Art Projects for Middle School Students

18. chalk christmas lights.

This is the perfect easy art project to do around the holiday season. You’ll need to create a stencil from card stock so you can create your light shapes. Once that is done, you can begin creating “light” with some chalk pastels. A silver Sharpie can be used to create your light string since it will show up nicely against the black paper.

Learn more: Christmas Light Chalk Stencil Art at Buggy and Buddy

19. Gratitude Journal

This project doubles as an art and writing activity since students can use their finished journals for writing prompts. These personalized journals beat store-bought ones any day!

Learn more: Handmade Gratitude Journal at Kids Activities Blog

20. Textured Hot-Air Balloon

This project is the perfect excuse to use up all your crafty odds and ends like feathers, glitter, and sequins. We love how unique each creation will be once they’re done.

Learn more: Textured Hot-Air Balloon at Artsy Momma

21. Layer Cakes

Regardless of students’ experience with oil pastels, this project will be a good introduction to the medium. Have students follow a step-by-step tutorial for drawing the outline of the layer cake, then let them use the pastels to bring their drawings to life.

Learn more: Cakes at Little Yeti

22. Chalk Planets

This is an inexpensive way to enhance a science unit on space while still getting creative. It’s inexpensive too since all you will need is some black paper and chalk.

Learn more: 18 Awesome Art Projects for Your Classroom at Teach Junkie

23. Back-to-School Rocks

Kids love painting rocks so why not make it school-themed? Show students some of these examples to copy or let them come up with some of their own, then spread them around the school’s grounds.

Learn more: Painted Rock Ideas at Color Made Happy

24. Dictionary Page Drawing

Easy art projects for kids that also double as vocabulary lessons? Yes, please! This project will prove especially educational as students are tasked with illustrating a word on an old dictionary page.

25. Paper Collage Painting

Students will enjoy creating their collages from a variety of materials. Even better—this project is a great way to encourage recycling since old cereal boxes and other food labels can be ripped into strips and repurposed.

Learn more: Painting With Paper at Megan Coyle Artist & Illustrator

26. Crayon Resist Art

This simple project can be done without a lot of instruction and will work for students of any age. This project runs on the same idea as some Easter egg–decorating kits in that the paint or dye sticks to the areas not covered in wax, or in this case, crayon.

Learn more: Fun Watercolor Resist Art at Kids Activities Blog

27. Number Art

If you have some math whizzes in your class, they will likely enjoy this number-themed art project. Grab some large number stencils and paints and you’ll be ready for this low-setup project.

Learn more: 5th Grade Number Project at Art Room Blog

28. Woven Baby Turtle

Select three mini Popsicle sticks, paint them, and then glue them together to form your turtle’s body. Finally, select your yarn and weave it around your turtle. Be sure to have a lot of fun colors to choose from!

Learn more: Weaving Cute Baby Turtles at Pink Stripey Socks

Easy Art Projects for High School Students

29. yarn-wrapped letter.

All you will need to create this craft is some leftover cardboard, a bunch of different yarns, and some scissors. Teens especially will enjoy this project as the end result can be used as decoration in their bedrooms and eventually their dorm rooms!

Learn more: 14 Crafts for Teens and Tweens at Art Bar Blog

30. Elevated Macaroni Necklace

Some easy art projects for kids and teens can even double as fashion! Despite their association with preschool, these are definitely not your little brother’s or sister’s macaroni necklaces. Swapping out twine with an actual chain makes these necklaces look surprisingly high-end.

Learn more: 12 Pasta Necklaces We Need Right Now at Mum’s Grapevine

31. Neuro Doodle Design

This is a simple and mindful art project that can be enjoyed by students regardless of their art experience. This art process was invented by Russian psychologist and architect Pavel Piskarev in 2014.

Learn more: Simple Mindful Art Project at Inside Out Art Teacher

32. Crepe Paper Flowers

This is the perfect project for early finishers to do since each flower only takes 5 minutes to create. In addition to being a fun project, these flowers would also make for beautiful classroom decor.

Learn more: Easy Crepe Paper Flowers at DIY Candy

33. CD Fish

Easy art projects for kids that utilize outdated technology? Why not? Although this project could work for any age group, older kids will be able to personalize their fish using a variety of add-on materials. Be prepared to explain to your students what CDs are since they were born long after their demise!

Learn more: Make Your Own Fish Aquarium at Super Simple

34. Pencil Sculpture

While this project can get complicated, simpler structures can be completed using fewer pencils. The preparation is minimal, requiring just a bunch of pencils and elastics, but the reward will be big when you see what your students create!

Learn more: Geometric Sculpture From 72 Pencils at Instructables

35. Ribbon Garland

This project is another good time-filler since it can be worked on and then picked up again later and continued. It’s also a good lesson in recycling since you can ask students to bring in any fabric or ribbons that may be sitting around their houses unused.

Learn more: Easy DIY Fabric Garland at Project Nursery

36. Origami

Origami paper is inexpensive and can be bought in bulk, making this an affordable and low-preparation art project. Additionally, it is perfect for high school students who are better equipped to follow along with an instructional video.

Learn more: 12 Origami Projects for Kids at Mom Loves Best

37. Layered Landscape

Keep those cereal boxes and old magazines since they’re perfect for ripping up to create layered art! We especially love how much room there is in this project for individual creativity.

Learn more: Layered Landscape at Art Camp Studio

What are your favorite easy art projects to do in the classroom? Come and share your ideas in our  We Are Teachers HELPLINE group  on Facebook.

Plus,  get ideas for great auction art projects .

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Easy Art lessons for substitute teachers (free, emergency lessons)

Last Updated on February 9, 2017

The prospect of preparing sub lessons for middle and high school Art classes (also known as relief lessons) can fill a teacher with dread and be perceived as more unpleasant than returning to school while sick. To solve this problem, we have provided a collection of complete one-off Art lessons that can be printed at the click of a button and administered by any relief or substitute teacher, regardless of their background (or lack of) in Art and Design. These tasks require only basic materials and are absent of elaborate procedures, dangerous equipment and undue mess. Despite their simplicity, however, the exercises encourage students to practise valuable art-making skills and reinforce prior learning in a fun, relaxing and stress-free way.

Each lesson in this article will soon link to a substitute lesson plan template that identifies learning objectives, materials required and clear instructions (lesson plans will download as a PDF that can be printed on A4 paper – we are working on these ASAP, please bookmark this page so that you can return to it soon) as well as more detailed illustrations and student examples. One-day art lessons can also be used by students who wish to undertake extension activities on their own. It should be noted that these exercises are mostly targeted at middle school and junior high school students, as senior Art students typically continue with existing projects when substitute or relief teachers are present.

Make an origami crane and draw it , as in these examples by Sean Dooley , a graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design:

READ NEXT: How to make an artist website (and why you need one)

Create a sculpture depicting an emotion from paper and then draw it , as in these examples by Year 12 student Jenny Ha, ACG Parnell College :

Explore negative and positive space , as in these artworks by 7th Grade students taught by  Larisa Kamp , Calvert School:

Create a tessellation , as in this exercise taught to 5th Grade students by  Bradley Hale , Chalker Elementary School:

Use line and tone to create a 3D illusion , as in these examples by 15 year old artist  João Carvalho :

Design a building derived from organic form , as in this example by Year 11 student Rhea Maheshwari,  ACG Parnell College :

Create an interactive business card using two pieces of colored cardboard , such as this one by Tommy Perez :

Make an abstract sculpture from paper and take a photograph , as in this example by Jamie Webb-Speight, a Year 10 student from ACG Parnell College :

Use coloring sheets to learn about color and/or tone

Note: We are in the process of preparing a lot of awesome coloring worksheets that are suitable for this purpose. Please ensure that you are subscribed to our mailing list below to make sure that you will be alerted when this resource is live!

Draw an alien , as inspired by an experimental task suggested by Chris Francis , Senior Leader at St Peter’s Catholic School and teacher of Art & Photography – and this great drawing by fifteen year old Emka Klučovská from Slovakia:

Use a black pen and colored pencils to draw over a dictionary page , as inspired by the artworks of  Kristy Patterson , teacher at Guymon High School:

Produce a transformation drawing , as in this example by Art and Design student Hanna :

Design a room in perspective using a perspective grid , as in the examples shown in our One Point Perspective Drawing tutorial .

Cut pieces from a black and white photocopy and redraw the missing pieces

Students are issued with a black and white photocopy of an appropriate image and are instructed to cut out portions and glue the remainder of the image to a sheet of drawing paper. The image may be disassembled and rearranged during this process. A pencil or black pen is used to redraw the missing portions creating a finished artwork. This may be a surrealist, imaginative exercise, where unusual or unexpected items are drawn in the missing spaces, or figures may be intentionally distorted or compressed. Alternatively, the final result may be entirely realistic.

Produce an awesome, soulful drawing of rubbish , as in this drawing by Brittany Lee, Year 10 Art student at ACG Parnell College :

You may be interested in reading: How to create an excellent observational drawing: 11 tips for high school Art students

Interactive drawings , inspired by the work of artist Victor Nunes :

Some of these lesson ideas are Student Art Guide originals; many others are shared by experienced art teachers from around the world (contact us here if you would like to suggest an addition for this page)!

Amiria has been an Art & Design teacher and a Curriculum Co-ordinator for seven years, responsible for the course design and assessment of student work in two high-achieving Auckland schools. She has a Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Bachelor of Architecture (First Class Honours) and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching. Amiria is a CIE Accredited Art & Design Coursework Assessor.

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10 Quick Middle School Art Projects When You’re Pressed for Time

Art lessons don’t have to be complicated. These  quick art projects for middle school  are the best way for busy homeschooling families to make time for art.

What comes to mind when you hear homeschool art?

A time-consuming elective that rarely makes the cut in your busy school week? Something you wish your kids had more time for? That’s what many of us think of art education.

Most of us aren’t art teachers. It’s not in our comfort zone.

But thankfully there are plenty of simple middle school art projects, with step by step directions, that we can use to add art into our homeschool day.

Your art lessons don’t have to include complex activities. Instead, focus on easy art projects that are geared toward your child’s interests.

Table of Contents

Quick Art Projects for Middle School

The 10 fun art projects listed here encompass a variety of mediums, so your older kids can learn a variety of techniques. It should be easy to find something that your tweens find interesting.

They can choose from a project using watercolor paints, a couple that replicate the techniques of great artists, simple line drawing projects, a colored pencil mosaic, and more.

No matter your child’s skill level, you’ll find a cool activity that your older kids will enjoy, that won’t take a lot of time.

What are the Benefits of Studying Art?

For middle schoolers, studying art can open up a world of possibilities. It’s a fun way to build self-confidence. Creative activities also help students in other subjects, like language arts and reading.

Art lessons teach critical thinking skills, spark imagination, and can reduce stress. It allows middle school students the chance to learn new techniques and be creative.

Whether they see themselves as artistic, art shows tweens different ways to view the world and lets them express themselves in a unique way.

Take Time for Art

As homeschooling moms, I know it’s difficult to fit everything in. Something has to give. For most of us, that  something  is often things that take extra planning and time, like art. But as you saw, art lessons have great benefit for kids of all ages. There are many reasons to add some art activities to your homeschooling week.

It’s true that art projects take additional planning, but they don’t all have to take hours to finish. That’s the best thing about these projects. Most of them take around 30 minutes to complete, depending on how detailed your teen gets.

Another bonus is that they also don’t require a ton of specialized art supplies. In fact, you probably have most of the basic supplies on hand already.

If we’re honest, most of our kids will not become artists. Our goal is to add some art into their lesson plans.

Instead of ditching art altogether because of the time-commitment, there’s a better way. Simply change your perspective and choose different activities. Leave the complex art projects for when you have free time and your teen has the interest.

For your normal homeschooling weeks, when you don’t have much time, add one of these quick teen art projects to your lesson plans to give your older kids a break from their book learning to do something creative.

Any links in this post may be affiliate links. See my disclosure statement .

Art Supplies for Tweens

While this isn’t a complete list of items you’ll need for all the art projects found below, these are some basics.

• different colors of chalk pastels
• color sharpies
• oil pastels 
• mixed media paper
• colored pencils
• acrylic paint

When you’re running short on time, but you want to add an art activity to your homeschooling day, choosing one from this list is the perfect way.

Quick Teen Art Projects

When you're looking for a way to fit art into your lesson plans, give one of these a try. They're simple and take little time to complete. They're a great way to develop your kids' creativity.

How to Draw Baby Yoda

Add some pop culture to your tween's art lessons with this Baby Yoda project.

A Unique Painting Technique

Teens will use the juice of blueberries on a piece of paper to create a watercolor effect.

Gaudi Inspired Animal Mosaics

Art created by traditional mosaic tiles is beautiful but time-consuming. This project allows them to create the unique patterns of mosaics with colored pencils.

Wassily Kandinsky Art Project

Encourage your tween to do some research on the famous artist, Wassily Kandinsky, and use their inspiration to paint their own geometric painting. This is a great introduction to his work.

Laurel Burch Inspired Cat Drawing

Tweens can use simple tools to draw and color this patterned cat in the style of Laurel Burch.

How to Draw a Cake

For a lesson on dimension, have tweens draw and color the cake of their dreams.

American Flag Optical Illusion Drawing 

This American flag op art project looks cool and is much easier than it looks. It gives tweens the chance to look at things from a different angle.

Beach Inspired Chalk Pastel Art

Chalk pastels are the best medium to use when you're short on time. These chalk art projects are all about the beach.

Hammered Nature Process Art

Turn a lovely nature walk into a work of art with this art project. Older kids will love using a hammer to create their nature artwork.

Rose Watercolor Resist Art Project

This rose watercolor resist project will give your teen a chance to work on their watercolor skills, while adding in the element of resist painting.

Hopefully these beautiful, yet easy projects have encouraged you to add some art back into your homeschool days.

Middle School Art Ideas

If you are looking for more inspiration for your art lesson plans, check these out.

• Fall Mixed Media Art Projects
• One Day Art Lessons
• Chalk Art Projects
• Learn How to Draw a Cute Flamingo Pool Floatie

Which one of these quick art projects is your tween going to try first?

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Awesome ideas! We love to add art into our day but it can be hard to find the time; pinning this wonderful list for future reference.

Thank you Joanne. I totally agree, that’s why I’m always looking for ways to fit it in. Ultimately, I found that I was thinking too big, so I started to search for smaller sized projects that I could use to introduce various mediums to my girls. If one sticks, then we spend more time on it.

Love your art posts, Tried to comment and let you know on your others 🙂 My daughter is the artist in the house so she will love these, thanks for sharing!

• Pingback: The Ultimate Guide for Teaching Art in Homeschool

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Art Lesson Categories

St. Patrick’s Day Romero Britto Inspired 4-Leaf Clover

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Penguin At Night Art Project

Penguins are a popular request in first and second grade. Students study Antarctica and are quite familiar with penguins and their habitat. Once students see how easily they can draw... Learn More

Ted Harrison Inspired Landscape & Polar Bear

Take your kiddos on a trip to Canada’s northern territory to explore my favorite artist, Ted Harrison and draw a friendly polar bear. Ted Harrison (1926-2015) hailed from the UK... Learn More

Holiday Collage Project

Sometimes children need a moment free of instruction, standards and expectations. When I first did this project many moons ago, I recognized the importance of stepping back a bit and... Learn More

How to Make a Color Wheel Thanksgiving Turkey

I have to admit, the more color a project has the more I love it. And this Thanksgiving turkey? Well, let’s just say I could make them all. day. long.... Learn More

Watercolor & Pen Flowers | Easy First Day of School Art Project

Looking for an easy first day art project that you can do on the first day of school? This simple line drawing teaches radial drawing, shape, line and watercolor techniques.... Learn More

Summer Art Ideas Inspired by Nature Anatomy

It’s no secret that students love exploring nature in their artwork. The curiosities of the natural work supply an endless well of inspiration and wonder. The book Nature Anatomy: The... Learn More

Make Your Own Typography Card for Mother’s Day

There’s no better way to celebrate mothers and grandmothers for Mother’s Day than to create a beautiful, personalized card. This hand made card features sweet floral designs that any mother... Learn More

Spring Bunny Art Project

When I was a young artist, my favorite art activity was drawing fashion figures with a water-soluble black marker. Brushing the artwork with water turned the drawing into a painting.... Learn More

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Art Projects for Kids

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For teachers who are tired of having their Sundays swallowed up by lesson planning, Art Projects for Kids has a free daily email that serves up easy-to-use art projects your students will love — without ever opening Pinterest.  

Quality lessons ready to use!

I love the step-by-step directions, meaningful and easy to do, fun, meaningful art activities with 90% less planning time, see all >.

The only options most teachers have for how to find art lessons is by spending hours weeding through the millions of ideas that come up on Google and Pinterest. Or to scour Teachers Pay Teachers for expensive supplements to your local curriculum. Or to try to force-fit the overwhelming school art program that requires all kinds of fancy materials (all in your “free” time, right?).

But even after giving up most of Sunday afternoon searching for ideas, all you turn up is one or two puny lesson plans with instructions that are about as easy to follow as IRS Form 13909. You need a faster way to find fun art projects with user-friendly directions that will engage your kids. But… how? Enter: Art Projects for Kids.

Easy Alphabet Art for Kinders Tutorial

Baby Yoda Coloring Page

How to Draw Baby Yoda: Easy Step-by-Step Drawing Lesson

How to draw Landscapes in Perspective Tutorial Video and Landscape Coloring Page

Art projects for kids creator, kathy barbro, prep your art lesson plans, effortlessly.

The Art Projects for Kids step-by-step method of elementary art instruction breaks the often anxiety-inducing subject of art down into a simple, fun process (for students AND teachers) that boosts your students’ confidence and allows them to create with joy.

Each of your kids can set their own pace to create artwork they can be proud of. And you can feel empowered to instill your kids with the delight of creativity (even if you tend to be a left-brained, “in the box” thinker yourself). 

But after 20 years in the classroom as an art teacher, I also know what it’s like to give up every Sunday afternoon (and most evenings) to plan the week’s lessons. You shouldn’t have to give up all your free time to bring your students meaningful art instruction. That’s why at Art Projects for Kids , you’ll find a variety of easy, step-by-step lessons your kids will love all in one place . The result is an instant extra 90 minutes minutes back in your weekend — just by signing up for our emails (and it’s free!).

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Mother’s day projects.

Easy How to Draw Spring Flowers Tutorial Video and Spring Flowers Coloring Page

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Easy How to Draw a Valentine Bear Tutorial Video and Valentine Bear Coloring Page

Easy How to Draw a Rose Tutorial Video and Rose Coloring Page

Easy How to Draw a Sea Otter Tutorial and Sea Otter Coloring Page

Easy How to Draw Trophy Tutorial and Trophy Coloring Page

Relax, knowing no-prep art lessons are en route to your inbox.

No more feeling guilty for not having the bandwidth to thoughtfully integrate more art projects into your lessons. No more cringing at not coming up with more “creative” ideas and projects to put on your bulletin boards. No more doubting your ability to teach art. No more feeling helpless when your kids are too afraid to create.

Instead, enjoy a classroom brimming with perseverance and playfulness . Wake up looking forward to walking into your classroom armed with your easy lesson plans and even videos you can play for your class. Smile as you watch your creative kids discover that, yes, they CAN have fun doing art. Feel truly prepared (maybe for the first time ever) . Treat yourself to a relaxing Sunday with your feet up. Maybe even reading a book that didn’t come out of the kids section of the library. And know that your (free) email membership to Art Projects for Kids is powering all of this, like your magical teaching fairy godmother. And even when you rest? It won’t. 

Really boosts their drawing confidence!

Nice art work that is kid friendly, find literally any picture your students want to draw, all in one place, view project ideas by grade level.

You Don’t Need as Much Time as You Think to Integrate Art into Your Classroom

You won’t have to spend all day searching Pinterest for ideas. You won’t have to spend hours prepping or studying the art lessons. You won’t need to beg your administration or parents for high-end supplies or purchase expensive curriculum.

All you have to do is say “yes” to the Art Projects for Kids daily email and watch as the 3,152 minutes you’re losing each year to searching for art activities slowly come dripping back into your life. Because what busy teacher doesn’t want another 3,152 minutes per year without doing anything differently at all? Get the Art Projects for Kids daily email, and let us do the heavy lifting for you.

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Art Lesson Plans

The home of quality art lesson plans.

This is just a small snapshot of the hundreds of art lesson plans available on The Arty Teacher website.  Each section highlights some of the best-selling art lessons for that theme. Remember, you don’t have to pay for these resources individually as with a subscription you can download 10 resources a month.

Exciting Techniques and Processes

Experimenting with different media is an essential part of a broad art curriculum.  Many of my resources explore exciting media; the three featured below have been very popular.

Complete Units of Work

These complete units of work are each an entire project. It’s wonderful to be able to teach new projects and to not have to spend hours and hours planning. There are many more complete art units on The Arty Teacher.

Popular Resources

I never know what resources are going to be popular.  The selection below all have received great reviews!

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Art lesson plans for teaching portraits.

Most art teachers teach portrait lessons at some point in the year.  Students really seem to love this topic even though it’s really difficult.  Below are three best selling portrait resources.  Click an image to learn more, or click here to see all  art lesson plans about portraits.

Art Lesson Plans for Teaching Colour Theory

Color theory is easy to teach with these resources to help you.  Every resource has the different spelling of ‘color’ and ‘colour’ to keep art teachers around the globe happy!  As well as the best selling resources below, there are more  color theory art resources  on The Arty Teacher.  This includes resources that help teach about harmonious, analogous and complementary colours.

Engage Boys in Art Lessons

Art teachers have told me that boys have really engaged with the resources below. Of course, many girls would enjoy them too.

Art Lesson Plans – Art Literacy

The Arty Teacher is particularly hot on literacy resources because art literacy is integral to most art curriculum’s.  On The Arty Teacher there are resources to do this through discussion, analysis and written tasks.  Click an image below or  browse Art Literacy resources .  You may be interested in art resources that incorporate  Blooms Taxonomy .

Art Assessment Resources

We all have to spend a lot time marking and assessing art work.  Many of the art assessment resources on The Arty Teacher are designed to save you time.  Click the images below or here for all  Art Assessment Resources .

Art Sub and Cover Lessons

The Arty Teacher prides itself in having helped hundreds of art teachers access sub/cover lessons when they need them the most.  You’ll find many of them will fit in with what you are teaching and will continue to teach your students the skills they need.  3 popular sub lessons are below or you can find lots of  art sub lessons  here.

Zentangles worksheets really seems to engage students.  These three resources are all on the zentangle theme.  Click on the images below, or there are more  Zentangle Art Resources  on The Arty Teacher.

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Free Art Lessons

www.artyfactory.com offers free art and design lessons for all. Learn how to draw, paint and design by following illustrated step by step instructions. Artyfactory is a growing resource of free art tutorials that are designed to improve your artistic skills and to increase your enjoyment in creating artworks.

Art Lessons

A rtyfactory's free art lessons share the knowledge, understanding and experience of art and design to encourage you to develop your own artistic voice. The lessons explore a variety of drawing, painting and design techniques across a range of subjects and styles. Each lesson leads you through an illustrated step by step development of the artwork from its initial stages to the finished example.

Art Appreciation

A rt appreciation is the knowledge and understanding of the universal and timeless qualities that identify all great art. The more you appreciate and understand the art of different eras, movements, styles and techniques, the better you can develop, evaluate and improve your own artwork.

Design Lessons

A rtyfactory's design lessons explore the basic elements of design such as imagery, color, pattern, composition, layout and typography and how to evaluate their effectiveness in the creative process.

Artyfactory Menu

Art lessons.

• Art Lessons - Introduction

African Masks

• African Mask Index

African Mask Examples

• Biombo Mask
• Bwa Plank Mask
• Lwalwa Mask
• Senufo Mask
• Yohure Mask

African Mask Information

• African Mask Artists
• African Mask Functions
• African Mask Materials
• African Mask Patterns
• African Mask Styles

African Mask Design

• African Mask Design - Introduction
• African Mask Design - Step 1
• African Mask Design - Step 2
• African Mask Design - Step 3
• African Mask Design - Step 4
• African Mask Design - Step 5
• African Mask Design - Step 6
• African Mask Design - Step 7
• African Mask Design - Step 8
• African Art Clip Art

Aboriginal Art

• Aboriginal Art - Introduction
• Aboriginal Art Styles - Rock Art
• Aboriginal Art Styles - Bark Painting
• Aboriginal Art Styles - Dot Painting
• Aboriginal Art Lessons - Introduction
• Aboriginal Art Lessons - Hand Stencil Designs
• Aboriginal Art Lessons - Boomerang Designs
• Aboriginal Art Lessons - Dot Art
• Aboriginal Art Lessons - X-Ray Art
• Aboriginal Art - The Dreaming
• Aboriginal Dreaming Stories - The Rainbow Serpent
• Aboriginal Dreaming Stories - Ilipari the Lizard
• Aboriginal Dreaming Stories - Tiddalik the Frog
• Aboriginal Dreaming Stories - The Seven Sisters
• Aboriginal Dreaming Stories - The Emu in the Sky
• Aboriginal Dreaming Stories - The Mimi Spirits
• Aboriginal Symbols
• Aboriginal Symbols - Person
• Aboriginal Symbols - Man
• Aboriginal Symbols - Woman
• Aboriginal Symbols - People Sitting
• Aboriginal Symbols - Campsite / Waterhole
• Aboriginal Symbols - Resting Place
• Aboriginal Symbols - Connected Waterholes
• Aboriginal Symbols - Water, Smoke or Fire
• Aboriginal Symbols - Human Track
• Aboriginal Symbols - Possum Track
• Aboriginal Symbols - Emu Track
• Aboriginal Symbols - Kangaroo Track
• Aboriginal Symbols - Witchetty Grub
• Aboriginal Symbols - Honey Ant
• Aboriginal Symbols - Honey Ant Site
• Aboriginal Symbols - Bush Yam
• Aboriginal Symbols - Rain
• Aboriginal Symbols - Rainbow / Cloud
• Aboriginal Symbols - Moon
• Aboriginal Symbols - Star
• Aboriginal Art - Free Clip Art Symbols
• Aboriginal Art - Free Clip Art Images

Drawing and Painting Trees

• Drawing Branches
• Drawing a Tree
• Drawing a Tree in Spring
• Drawing a Tree in Summer
• Drawing a Tree in Autumn
• Drawing a Tree In Winter

Pencil Portraits

• Pencil Portraits - Introduction
• Drawing a Pencil Portrait
• Drawing a Pencil Portrait - The Eyes
• Drawing a Pencil Portrait - The Nose
• Drawing a Pencil Portrait - The Mouth
• Drawing a Pencil Portrait - The Ear
• The Proportions of a Head
• Pencil Shading Techniques

Charcoal Portraits

• Charcoal Portraits - Introduction
• Drawing a Charcoal Portrait
• Charcoal Portrait - Drawing the Eyes
• Charcoal Portrait - Drawing the Nose
• Charcoal Portrait - Drawing the Mouth
• Charcoal Portrait - Drawing the Hair
• Charcoal Portrait - Lighting a Portrait
• Charcoal Portraits - Materials and Techniques

Color Pencil Portraits

• Drawing a Color Pencil Portrait
• Color Pencil Portrait - The Line Drawing
• Color Pencil Portrait - Drawing the Eyes
• Color Pencil Portrait - Drawing the Nose
• Color Pencil Portrait - Drawing the Mouth
• Color Pencil Portrait - Drawing the Skin
• Color Pencil Portrait - Drawing the Hair
• Color Pencil Portrait - Drawing the Clothes
• Color Pencil Portrait - Materials and Techniques

Ancient Egyptian Art Lessons

• Egyptian Art Lessons
• How to Draw an Ancient Egyptian Head
• Ancient Egyptian Crowns
• Ancient Egyptian Gods

Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs

• Hieroglyphic Alphabet
• Egyptian Hieroghyphs - A-B-C
• Egyptian Hieroghyphs - D-E-F
• Egyptian Hieroghyphs - G-H-I
• Egyptian Hieroghyphs - J-K-L
• Egyptian Hieroghyphs - M-N-O
• Egyptian Hieroghyphs - P-Q-R
• Egyptian Hieroghyphs - S-T-U
• Egyptian Hieroghyphs - V-W-X
• Egyptian Hieroghyphs - Y-Z-CH
• Egyptian Hieroghyphs - PH-SH-TH
• Egyptian Hieroghyphs - Ankh-Scarab-Wedjat
• Egyptian Hieroghyphs - Pectoral
• Egyptian Hieroghyphs - Rosetta Stone
• Ancient Egyptian Cartouche Lesson
• Still life with Pencil
• Still Life with Chalk Pastels
• Still Life with Oil Pastels
• Still Life Painting - Introduction
• Still Life - Painting the Background
• Still Life - Painting Bottles
• Still Life - Painting a Vase
• Still Life - Painting Apples
• Still Life - Painting Reflective Objects

Cubist Still Life

• Cubist Still Life Drawing
• Cubist Still life Painting

Pop Art Portraits

• Pop Art Portrait Lessons
• Pop Art Portrait Lesson Plan
• Pop Art Group Project

Pop Art Portrait Examples

• Abraham Lincoln
• Albert Einstein
• Audrey Hepburn
• Barack Obama
• Elvis Presley
• Frankenstein
• John Lennon
• Johnny Depp
• Marilyn Monroe
• Dr. Martin Luther King
• Muhammad Ali
• Oliver Hardy
• Stan Laurel
• Princess Diana
• Chuck Close Portrait Lesson - A Group Project

Perspective Drawing

• Perspective Drawing - Introduction
• The Picture Plane and the Ground Plane
• The Horizon and the Eye Level
• One Point Perspective
• Two Point Perspective
• Three Point Perspective
• The Perspective of a Circle
• The Perspective of a Cylinder
• Using a Central Eye Level
• Using a High Eye Level
• Using a Low Eye Level
• Geometry in Art

Pen and Ink Drawing

• Pen and Ink Drawing Lessons
• Pen and Ink Drawing - A Detailed Technique
• Pen and Ink Drawing - An Expressive Technique
• Pen and Ink Drawing Techniques

Pen and Ink Drawing Worksheets

• Hatching Techniques
• Stippling Techniques
• Tile and Brick Patterns

Aerial Perspective

• Aerial Perspective Introduction
• Aerial Perspective - Painting a Natural Landscape
• Aerial Perspective - Painting an Urban Landscape
• Aerial Perspective - Painting Graduating Tones
• Drawing Animals
• How to Draw a Beetle
• How to Draw a Butterfly
• How to Draw a Cat
• How to Draw a Dog
• How to Draw a Horse
• How to Draw a Rhino
• How to Draw a Squirrel
• How to Draw a Tiger
• How to Draw a Tropical Fish
• How to Paint a Dog
• How to Paint a Parrot

ART HISTORY AND APPRECIATION

• Art Appreciation - Introduction

The Visual Elements of Art

• The Visual Elements of Art - Introduction
• The Visual Elements - Line
• The Visual Elements - Shape
• The Visual Elements - Tone
• The Visual Elements - Color
• The Visual Elements - Pattern
• The Visual Elements - Texture
• The Visual Elements - Form
• The Visual Elements - Worksheets

Italian Renaissance Art

• Italian Renaissance Art - Introduction
• Italian Renaissance Art - Tempera Painting
• Italian Renaissance Art - Fresco Painting
• Italian Renaissance Art - Oil Painting
• Italian Renaissance Art - Naturalism
• Italian Renaissance Art - Humanism

Modern Art Movements

• Art Movements - Introduction
• Impressionism
• Post Impressionism
• Expressionism

Art History Timelines

• Art Timelines - Introduction
• Western Art Timeline Part 1
• Western Art Timeline Part 2
• Modern Art Timeline Part 1
• Modern Art Timeline Part 2

Art History Slide Shows

• Art History Slide Shows - Introduction
• Early Renaissance Art
• High Renaissance and Mannerism
• Baroque and Rococo Art
• Northern Renaissance Art
• Neoclassicism and Romanticism
• Realism and the Preraphaelites
• Impressionism and Post Impressionism
• Fauvism and Expressionism
• Cubism and Futurism
• Suprematism, Constructivism, and De Stijl
• Abstract Art
• Dada and Surrealism
• Abstract Expressionism

Paintings by Great Artists

• Paintings by Great Artists - Introduction
• Paintings by Giotto
• Paintings by Rembrandt
• Paintings by Claude Monet
• Paintings by Vincent Van Gogh
• Paintings by Frida Kahlo
• Paintings by Francis Bacon
• Paintings by Chuck Close

Still Life Artists

• Still Life Artists - Introduction
• Harmen Steenwyck
• Willem Kalf
• Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin
• Henri Matisse
• Giorgio Morandi

Animals in Art

• Animals in Art - Introduction
• Animals in Art - Albrecht Durer
• Animals in Art - George Stubbs
• Animals in Art - Franz Marc
• Animals in Art - Pablo Picasso

DESIGN LESSONS

• Design Lessons - Introduction

Repeat Patterns

• Repeat Patterns - Introduction
• Repeat Patterns Lesson 1
• Repeat Patterns Lesson 2

Color theory for Art and Design

• Color Theory - Introduction
• Color Theory - Color as Light
• Color Theory - Color as Symbol
• Color Theory - Color as Emotion
• Color Theory Terms -1
• Color Theory Terms -2
• Color Theory Quiz
• Color Symbolism Quiz

Graphic Design

• A Graphic Design Workout
• The Art of Typography
• Designing a Logotype
• A Short History of Logos
• Evaluating a Graphic Design

Famous Graphic Designers

• Graphic Designers - Introduction
• William Morris
• A. M. Cassandre
• Abram Games
• Niklaus Troxler

Isometric Drawing

• Drawing Isometric Forms
• Isometric Poster Design
• An Isometric Alphabet

*Grades 6-8

We’ve listed all of our Middle School art lesson plans here. These activities are best suited for Grades 6-8 – or – ages 11-14 years. Grade levels are given as a guideline only.

Oil Pastel Hearts

K-2, Grades 3-5, Middle School

Black Capped Chickadees

By Andrea Mulder-Slater Charley Harper was an incredible artist and illustrator who is best known for his stylized, simplified interpretations of nature and wildlife. Students will learn about Charley as …

Snacking Cardinals

by Andrea Mulder-Slater Charley Harper was an incredible artist and illustrator who is best known for his stylized, simplified interpretations of nature and wildlife. Students will learn about Charley as …

by Andrea Mulder-Slater Mandalas help to bring balance, peace and calm. This makes creating them a perfect activity for children (and adults) of all ages. This lesson uses readily available …

Getting to Know You

by Andrea Mulder-Slater The first days and weeks of school can be exciting and terrifying, all at once. Arming yourself with a few “getting to know” you exercises can help …

Design Your Own Nutcracker

by Andrea Mulder-Slater Nutcracker dolls symbolize good luck in German tradition, but where did they come from? This drawing lesson will teach children the answer to this question, and more. …

Drawing with Glue

by Andrea Mulder-Slater If you are looking for a sure fire way to get a great response from your students, walk into the art room and tell them they will …

Gingerbread Village

By Andrea Mulder-Slater Every year my daughter and I decorate a gingerbread house (or two, or three). We don’t bake from scratch, but instead work with pre-baked, pre-cut slabs of …

A Cup of Cocoa

by Andrea Mulder-Slater The only thing better than chocolate, is chocolate in a cup! Big mugs of hot chocolate (or hot cocoa) are the theme of this cozy art lesson. …

Paper Pumpkins

by Andrea Mulder-Slater Here’s a super quick way to make paper pumpkins that look real enough to pick! [This is a small snippet of a lesson we have inside The …

6 Ways to Make Sketchbooks

by Andrea Mulder-Slater When I was a student at art school, my drawing professor had one rule and that was to draw, every single day. From her I learned there …

Pop Art Owls Drawing Art Lesson with Video Tutorial

K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12

Glue Flowers

Negative Space Plant Drawings

Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, High School

Criss Cross Doodles

by Andrea Mulder-Slater Using materials found in every art room, students will draw criss cross lines to create shapes for doodles to live! Then, by following a few basic prompts, …

Design a Miniature Garden

K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8

Architecture Mood Board

Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12

Draw and Paint a Sea Turtle

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Make a Mark Studios

10 No-Prep Art Sub Lessons with FREE presentation download

It’s 6:00 in the morning and something has come up! You have to call off work. The stress starts mounting…. what are my students going to work on today?! What easy materials can I have them use?! How will the sub know what to deliver?! Ahh!

Hath no fear! Below are 10 straightforward, ready-made sub lessons that use limited materials that are typically accessible in any art room. Best of all, these lessons are fun and encourage your students to be creative and apply what they’ve been learning from you, their wonderful art teacher 🙂

No-Prep Art Sub Lesson #1-

For the monster description drawing challenge, students are given a very detailed description of a monster and they have to carefully interpret the written description into a visual image. It’s cool to see how the different solutions that students created based on the same prompt. Your students will have fun rendering the monsters while you are away!

No-Prep Art Sub Lesson #2-

This is a fun drawing prompt that can be done easily with no preparation! Students simply use their birthday to find their 2 word prompt. Then they have to blend the words together into one visual image. For example, if your birthday is January 3rd, your prompt is ‘slimy eyeball.’ Oh, that’s fun!

More info on this fun art challenge can be found at my blog post here.

No-Prep Art Sub Lesson # 3-

I LOVE lettering, and I find that students really engage with it when they are writing their own name. It’s personal and it means something to them. For this project, students have to draw their name using six different fonts. My students always love it!

No-Prep Art Sub Lesson # 4-

This is one of those projects that requires very little supplies (a pencil, paper, and black marker), very little directions… yet, produces a really cool drawing! Students simply draw an organic shape in the middle and then repeat the shape over and over until they reach the edge of the paper. Then they use pencil to shade the “folds” and “bends.”

No-Prep Art Sub Lesson # 5-

This is pretty self explanatory. A great project with easy-to-deliver directions, simple materials… and produces a really cool abstract artwork! Simply draw 50 circles of varying sizes all over a piece of paper. Explore overlapping and layering. Then, choose a few colors to color in the circles!

No-Prep Art Sub Lesson # 6-

For the 6 art history objects drawing, students will choose an object, for example an apple, a coffee mug, and mouse, a chair… the possibilities are endless. Then, students have to draw the object in 6 different art styles.

No-Prep Art Sub Lesson # 7-

This is a popular art challenge floating around the internet. It’s a great skill building activity and students really have fun with it! They have to draw 5 different cartoon self portraits inspired by 5 different cartoons. Some popular ones include Peppa Pig, Powerpuff Girls, Spongebob Squarepants, and so much more! Students love trying to render themselves in the style of their favorite shows and games.

No-Prep Art Sub Lesson # 8-

Below is a free download of this ‘my favorite meal’ drawing worksheet. For this activity, students will draw a detailed still life drawing of their favorite meal and decorate the edge of the plate with an intricate pattern.

No-Prep Art Sub Lesson # 9-

This is a great sub lesson for students who have some basic understanding of perspective drawing. For full step by step instructions with photos and/or a video tutorial along with a printable worksheet link , check out my blog post on this activity here.

No-Prep Art Sub Lesson #1 0-

The around the room art still life drawing is easy because all the materials are already in your art room! Student will just arrange a few art room items together in a still life arrangement and draw from observation. Encourage students to add value, details, and foreshortening to render their work.

Free download of 10 sub lessons presentation

If you download this free resource, please follow me on Facebook to keep up with the latest from Make a Mark Studios. Thanks in advance!

I hope these ideas help you the next time you need to call off from work! What are some of your go-to no prep art sub lessons? Are your students productive when you are not there? I would love to hear from you! Thanks for reading!

-Stephanie Villiotis

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Substitute Tips & One-Day Art Lessons

Get equipped with a repertoire of tried and true substitute tips and quick one-day lessons from veteran art teachers. We want you to be able to pivot with confidence and continue to engage all learners.

Plan for Substitutes

Planning for an absence doesn’t have to be more work. Check out these tips to make prepping for and hosting a guest teacher as seamless as possible.  Browse our sub plans by grade level  for lesson plans specifically designed to be implemented by a substitute teacher.

How to Simplify and De-Stress Your Sub Plans This School Year The Best Way to Tell What REALLY Happened While You Were Out The Easiest Way to Leave Sub Plans With Tabletop Centers How to Make a Sub Tub for Stress-Free Sick Days 4 Specific Things to Do to Set Your Subs Up for Success

How to Flip Your Sub Plans

Why Using Snapchat Is the Best Way to Make Sub Plans The Top 10 Things Subs REALLY Want! A Better Way to Write Sub Plans (Podcast Ep. 087) Setting Your Subs Up for Success (Podcast Ep. 082)

Use Formatting to Create Easy to Read Sub Plans!

The Big Reveal: Unveiling the Art Room Makeover (Ep. 3)

5 Exciting Sub Plans for Right Now

Plan for Long-Term or Extended Leave

It can be scary to be away from our classrooms and students for a long period of time. Take some of the overwhelming aspects out of the process with advice from art teachers who have been there.

How to Be Present Even When You’re Not There (Podcast Ep. 028)

4 Ways to Navigate Long-Term or Extended Leave in the Art Room

8 Helpful Tips to Make Your Maternity Leave Less Stressful

How to Plan a Successful Return From a Leave of Absence

Plan for One-Day Artmaking

Keep these quick and fun one-day artmaking lesson ideas in your stash. Be prepared for when you have a schedule adjustment, or you are drained and just need a change of pace. Some of these lessons do require some prep and special supplies so take a peek now so you can be prepared later. And just because a lesson is labeled for a substitute, it doesn’t mean you, the art teacher, can’t implement the lesson yourself!

5 Exciting Sub Plans for Right Now Don’t Miss This One-Day Lesson That Connects Poetry & Art Analysis 4 Fun Ideas to Unprogram in the Art Room to Alleviate Student Stress 6 One-Day Activities for the End of the School Year A One-Day Clay Project Easy Enough to Do From a Cart Engage Your Students From Day One With an Art History Remix 5 Art Lessons That Are Effective at Home or School

Simple One-Day Lessons (Ep. 307) 5 Successful One-Day Art Lessons for the Middle School Classroom

7 Easy Art Lessons for When You’re in a Pinch

4 One-Day Challenges for Your Art Class That Incorporate Math 15 Fun One-Day Elementary Art Lesson Ideas 4 Engaging One-Day Activities 3 Ways to Play in the Art Room 4 Ideas to Get Your Students Participating From Day One The Perfect One-Day Lesson Video

Even More Simple One-Day Lessons (Ep. 308) 4 Engaging One-Day Art Lessons That Connect to Science

6 Fantastic One-Day Art Lessons to Engage Your Elementary Students

12 Fun and Interesting One-Day Lessons for the Secondary Art Room

An on-demand professional development library for art teachers with hands-on tutorials, resources, and strategies.

Transfer Printing

Methods for Early Finishers

Creating Art Outside

Sketchbook Ideas That Really Work

Planning for Substitutes

Games in the Art Room

Planning Instructional Videos

A vast library of standards-aligned lessons with step-by-step instructions, a project photo, and student-facing handouts such as artist bios, assessments, and more.

Visual Journaling

Inspired by Mindfulness

Experimenting with Sketchbooks

From Ordinary to Fantastic

Middle School Morph

Sculpting a Community

Strong Shapes

Visual Documentation and Research: One-Day Lessons

Drawing connections: one-day lessons.

Building a Sketchbook Practice: One-Day Lessons

Meaning-Making Through Sketchbooks: One-Day Lessons

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2 Issue 2 : Local-Eyes!

Partizaning's first year - an exhibition in December at Vostochnaya Gallery showing a year's worth of projects. (Photo (c) Partizaning)

Partizaning: participatory art, research and creative urban activism

Partizaning leverages artistic interventions in Moscow’s public spaces as tools for social research and transformation, blurring the boundaries between everyday life, urbanism, activism and art.

P artizaning (v): public art practices which strategically challenge, shape, and reinvent urban and social realities.

The last several years have witnessed increased visibility and importance given to DIY cultures and tactical urbanism in cities across the USA, Canada and Europe. This is partially as a response to the financial crisis and limited resources for city maintenance and development, and resistance to the forms of neoliberal urban development. Active, creative citizens have begun to address the inadequacies of government functions, using temporary, creative interventions to suggest alternative realities.

DIY cultures are not new: most recently, they have long existed in Latin America, parts of Asia and in the former USSR (as well as other parts of the world, at different points in time), where capital-led urbanism was not the norm and people lived in circumstances of scarcity. These DIY traditions have demonstrated people’s ingenuity as the best solution in times of necessity; people can invent and deftly make do, especially in the city.

The tactical urbanism movement – led mostly by planners and architects – has built on DIY action in a strategic struggle for bottom up or grassroots urban planning. The same phenomenon is referred to as ‘urban hacking’ in parts of Europe. But what all of these actions share are active resistance and citizen participation in the processes and developments in our cities.

Partizaning’s first documentation exhibition in Amsterdam. (Image (c) Partizaning)

In Russia, we are witnessing a form of strategic, bottom-up urbanism being led by artists who work in the streets and writers, rather than by architects and planners. Creative people are working in public spaces to express themselves and to create dialogues with authorities and with other citizens. In this article I discuss the work I am doing as a member of the project Partizaning, leveraging artistic interventions in public space as a tool for social research and transformation; blurring the boundaries between everyday life, urbanism, activism and art.

Our idea is not to propose a new form of DIY urbanism, but to transform the idea of a top-down, expert planned city into one where residents are active stakeholders in the place they live; a space where they have a right to lead the lives they choose. I explain how we connect the ideas of DIY-ism and participation, as well as how Partizaning is a strategy which is aligned, but different from, tactical urbanism and conventional social art practices by its connection of research and process of creation.

In Context: Urban Planning in Russia

Partizaning’s map of the Moscow Metro which promotes our ideas of affordability, pedestrianism and walkability. (Image (c) Partizaning)

Russian cities are unique, complex entities. Following the revolution in 1917, all Russian land was nationalized and socialized, transferred to State or local authorities. The houses once belonging to the bourgeoisie were divided into accommodation for the proletariat. The collapse of a traditional spatial order required new planning approaches. At the time, ideas of a ‘socialist city’ were debated in terms of the concepts of two groups: the urbanists and dis-urbanists. Dis-urbanists wanted to dissolve the difference between town and country, while Urbanists proposed a contained expansion and planning of existing cities. The Garden City, an idea that flourished in the West, also became a starting point for the Soviet suburb. All this was resolved by the top-down functional and central planning in the form of high-rise apartments with wide-ranging amenities like schools and clinics located nearby. These ‘microrayon’ structures continue to exist today and present just one aspect or challenge of contemporary urban living in Russian cities.

A game about urban tactics which we created and disseminated online and in print. (Photo (c) Partizaning)

After the collapse of the USSR, the country saw the growth of economy and a construction boom as a result of privatization. The Western model of a city and urban development began to take root; but after 20 years of post-Soviet development, most people still live in a reality which created by and for a centrally planned economy. How is this shift to a capital system possible without removing all ideals of social equity?

Reversing urban gentrification with a DIY platform and discussion in Dusseldorf. (Photo (c) Christian Ahlborn)

Russian cities as they now exist are struggling with remnants of Soviet-era urban planning and the development of a neoliberal form of the city. Although highly organized, these plans were not created for people to experience life in the city. Architects and bureaucratic planners promoted ideals like creating social equality through infrastructure and access. But ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union and subsequent privatization of space in the city, there have been many recurring urban issues worldwide, such as traffic, over-consumption and trash generation and resource overuse, each with an environmental impact.

So the idea of a ‘partizan’ re-emerges in this contemporary context of resistance and urban revolution. In Russian, the word means ‘guerrilla’ and the idea we promote is resistance to this form of urban development and engage people in the processes shaping their cities – advocating a sense of creative responsibility. With it, we are seeking to promote a new ideal and a new vision for cities – constructed by and for people, based on their explicit involvement and dialogues. Our work straddles the worlds of art and urbanism: we work in the city and with the public but use artistic venues as just one forum for sharing our ideas.

Partizaning: Participatory Urban Re-planning

The DIY mobile discussion platform to activate abandoned railway tracks in the city. (Photo (c) Partizaning)

The website Partizaning emerged at the end of 2011 as an online project documenting examples of urban interaction and participation, whether social, political, environmental or anything else. Meant to inspire people, we show examples of projects in the public realm as creative achievements of social transformation through DIY and participatory actions. The site is managed by an interdisciplinary group of artists and researchers in two languages, because we realized that the project resonates, not only in Russia but as an idea taking root in cities around the world. So we document projects and people who work with the language of art to transform urban contexts worldwide.

A Public mailbox which we installed in Troparevo Nikulino. (Photo (c) Partizaning)

Part of our goal is to reorient the city around people and their goals and ways of life, rather than around expertise and bureaucracy. We recognize the important role of creativity as commentary and suggestion, while advocating people’s involvement, because residents know the city best and sometimes just need the tools to participate, or to express or converse ideas about it. The problem with how cities have developed is that they are perceived as places of work instead of sites of play and living. If you think of the city as an extension of your home, it is different. You are more willing to plant trees, to clean up trash, to decorate it, to repair it. But this is not an idea that is widely held – people are generally confined to their homes, their cars, and are restricted in public space. Partizaning proposes the idea that unsanctioned repairs and improvements can collectively help to re-create a better city. We have done things like made DIY benches, painted crosswalks and created maps and signs that promote an alternate trajectory for the city.

Scans of the mail received during the Cooperative Urbanism project. (Image (c) Partizaning)

We are motivated by a conflation of art and urbanism and are inspired by the role of the Situationists and of street art and urban interventions which fall into the realm of revolutionary urban and social activism. In Russia and internationally, we engage in participatory processes based on research and culminating in interventions in public space. We think of these interventions more as a process and dialogue. Apart from projects, we try to promote creative grassroots urbanism and participation by giving lectures, presentations and conducting workshops in various cities. We also try to produce a bulletin which is occasionally printed as another format for people to interact with some of our ideas.

Cooperative Urbanism

Public surveys in Amsterdam during the Kunstvlaai Festival. (Photo (c) Partizaning)

In 2012, we did a project based on installing Public Mailboxes in outlying districts of Moscow. An experiment in the idea of collaboration and in the concept of cooperation in the city, we tried to get people to communicate their urban challenges and desires by leaving us anonymous mail. Our goal was to work with the idea of how people could reorganize their city from the bottom up and engage in processes that are generally impenetrable. What we found was that creating unsanctioned and unwatched forums in public space involved children and the elderly, who had varied and different suggestions and ways of using the mailboxes. As part of this project, the mail was scanned and shared with participating municipal authorities who could respond to people’s concerns – but the other part of the project was to encourage people to be the agents of urban change in their own neighbourhoods, particularly if they already knew the problem.

What Should Happen to Sint Nicolaas Lyceum?

In Amsterdam, as part of the Kunstvlaai Festival, we put up large format posters surveying residents in the district under transformation for insights about a building that was going to be demolished. We found people to be apathetic about future changes in their city and wanted to facilitate a public dialogue. This is another way in which we have sought to promote the idea of urban participation in varied contexts.

We are interested in how to facilitate and moderate user-oriented cities, promoting the belief that residents know best what they need and how they should behave in a moderated dialogue with other activists and experts. But one of the concerns and challenges we faces is truly involving overlooked and minorities in the city – voices that remain unheard and invisible, but are part of the urban fabric. In cities like St. Petersburg, Moscow, Amsterdam and Dusseldorf we find that our projects are invariably used by voices that don’t have forums for expression – or become taken over by those who seek to control the socially unaccepted.

Ultimately, as researchers, artists and urbanists, we find ourselves trying to use the language of art as a tool for inquiry to understand urban processes and facilitate a form of participation based on art and ideas of inclusion. To what extent we are successful can be debated, but as an experiment we believe that art in the city has a right to public space and interaction in the same way all urban residents do.

Shriya Malhotra is an urban researcher and intervention artist based in Moscow with Partizaning . She has an MA in Cities and Urbanization from the New School and collaborates on participatory art and process based projects that highlight the unseen or unusual aspects about cities and urban life.

Asking the Clergy: Honoring teachers' faith lessons

Rabbi Art Vernon, Anu Jain and The Rev. JoAnn Barrett  Credit: Art Vernon; Anu Jain; JoAnn Barrett

Tuesday is National Teacher Appreciation Day , dedicated to honoring caring, committed educators nationwide. This week’s clergy discuss influential family members, fellow clergy and public school teachers who have transmitted vital faith lessons.

The faith lesson that comes to mind was from my high school social studies teacher. He was the first person in my life that was very comfortable with not only who he was, but with what he believed. His class on world religions changed my life. My family kept a closed circuit of friends and relatives, which created an air of fear over faith. All of this was held together by the threat of the wrath of God. This questioning teenager would say, “If you had faith, why fear?”

Then I met this teacher. He opened my eyes and taught me not only the vastness of Christianity, but that there were so many other faiths. He taught that people who are comfortable with themselves, who really believe and are okay with what they believe, have the greatest faith of all, no matter what path they chose. He never disclosed his beliefs, but he floored this teenager when he very calmly shared that, if he heard that an atomic bomb was heading towards us, he was just going to sit on his roof and watch the show. That man’s conviction opened my mind and made me want to have that kind of faith.

I was born into a Jain family, and my grandfather and my mother were the first teachers who introduced me to Jainism and its core principles. Jains believe in ahimsa paramo dharma, meaning nonviolence toward all living beings, and in jiyo aur jeene do, which translates to “live and let live.”

Subsequently, Jain gurus and teachers in school emphasized the core principles of nonviolence, truthfulness and compassion. They explained the importance of nonviolence towards all living beings, which extends to diet, lifestyle and interactions. They also taught the concept of karma, in which actions influence future consequences and the cycle of rebirth. Additionally, they emphasized truthfulness, striving to always speak the truth and avoid misrepresentation.

Compassion is another fundamental value, leading Jains to practice kindness and empathy towards all conscious beings. Moreover, Jains follow a path of self-discipline and detachment, seeking to minimize their attachment to material possessions and desires.

Through these teachings, Jains aim to attain spiritual liberation and enlightenment, known as moksha, by purifying the soul and freeing it from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Central to Jain teachings are the ideas of compassion and respect for all living beings, and advocating for a lifestyle that minimizes harm.

I had the pleasure of studying with Rabbi Eugene Borowitz, of blessed memory, in rabbinical school. Rabbi Borowitz was a big proponent of reason informing faith, and that true ideas were formative for faith. But, for Borowitz, faith was more about a relationship with God than “believing” in God. I did not fully understand or appreciate Borowitz then. It has taken decades of study and thinking for me to understand and, essentially, agree with his teaching. It was an “aha” moment for me when, all of a sudden, it became clear. Borowitz would have called that a moment of revelation as much as a moment of insight. In rabbinical school, every week there was a service practicum at which a senior student would give a sermon. The faculty and student body would gather over lunch to critique the sermon. Often the sermon dealt with a current issue in Jewish life. Borowitz always offered the closing remark, “Well, if God wants the Jewish people to survive, She will have to do something about it.” Those words still echo with me and many of his students.

The Rev. JoAnn Barrett

Senior officiant, gathering of light interspiritual fellowship, huntington station, anu jain of jericho, trustee, jain center of america.

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Rabbi Art Vernon

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