At Marion Primary School Vacation Care and OSHC, the children engaged in various collaborative artwork projects as a whole class. These activities fostered creativity, teamwork, and self-expression. These projects were designed to be inclusive. They aimed to be engaging. Each participant contributed their unique flair while working toward a shared artistic vision. The students experimented with vibrant circle paintings and messy mandala. They also created their school’s lion mascot. They explored the dynamic nature of collaborative art. The students embraced spontaneity and creative freedom.

Whole Class Collaborative Artwork 1: King Leo

In 2022, Marion Primary School Vacation Care began a collaborative artwork project. The whole class worked together to bring their lion mascot, King Leo, to life. This social art initiative involved over 30 children and staff. They worked together in multiple stages. The project began with the Messy Play phase. During this phase, they created textured painted papers in warm colors and blues. The children enhanced their scissor skills by cutting Leo’s mane from spirals and circles. Then, they assembled it. After assembling, they added intricate embellishments using paint pens, patterns, and glitter. The final artwork was proudly displayed at the Westfield Marion Art Story. It was admired by many. A print was gifted to each student to commemorate their contribution. This whole class collaborative artwork serves as a lasting reminder of the school’s value of ‘Integrity.’ King Leo now watches over their rooms.​

Whole Class Collaborative Artwork 2: Fiery Circle Paintings

In another creative endeavour, Marion Primary School Vacation Care created a project called ‘Our Fiery Circle Paintings’. The children began by preparing a vibrant ‘underpainting ‘Messy Playing’ stage. They used warm tones, focusing on reds, oranges, and yellows to create a lively, dynamic background. The children freely painted and overlapped circles and blobs, eggs and ovals. They layered clusters of these circular shapes in varying sizes, using both brushes and sponges to build depth and texture. During the ‘Exploring’ stage, the emphasis was on overlapping and adding simple patterns. These actions helped integrate the colours and patterns into a cohesive whole. This expressive, whole class collaborative artwork beautifully celebrated their creativity. It captured the energy and spirit of the group through their unique contributions​. The children worked together on the 20 small canvases. They moved around and added their flair to each one. The children left their unique marks on all of them. I call these projects joint collaborations. The kids then drew on their canvas randomly. They added stick on gems for the BLING to personalise it. Each took an artwork home, knowing they all worked on them together.

Whole Class Collaborative Artwork 3: Messy Mandala

One of the standout projects from the Marion Primary School OSHC program was ‘Our Messy Mandala’. This collaborative art piece encouraged the children to work together. They explored radial patterns and practiced spontaneous mark-making. This all occurred within a structured, accessible process. The group used a mix of bright cool colours. They applied paint in layers to create a vibrant, circular design. This design shows the universe, as all mandalas do. Each child added their unique flair. They experimented with shapes and patterns. This resulted in a mandala that was both chaotic and harmonious. This whole class collaborative artwork highlighted the power of group creativity and left a lasting impression on the participants. It now decorates the school library for the whole school to admire.​

Whole Class Collaborative Artworks: In conclusion

Each of these projects showcased the power of whole class collaborative artwork. From the fiery circle paintings to the intricate messy mandala, each was a symbol to this power. The final results were greater than the sum of individual efforts. Through my unique ‘Pattern Play Collaborative Art’ process—moving through the stages of ‘Messy Playing’, ‘Exploring’, and ‘Bling!’—the children at Marion Primary discovered the joy of artistic collaboration. Whether layering colours, adding embellishments, or crafting patterns, they experienced the magic of creating something beautiful together, celebrating the creativity and diversity of their contributions​

Discover simple tips about how you can create whole class collaborative artworks like these. Join my Inner Circle email list. I’ll give you “Starting Your First Social Art Project at Home”, my free 7 page guide. It makes it effortless for you to paint a unique artwork using this fun style of collaborative art.

Happy Painting! Charndra, Your Inclusive Social Art Guide.

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How would you like to explore whole class collaborative artwork in your school or community? This approach blends creativity and teamwork in one vibrant project.