Today at the artsyfARTsy family art event, we got a little messy!  We staged an art project by asking kids at the Mall to help us splatter paint a volunteer lying on canvas.  We had hoped it was going to be FUN but weren’t sure how people would receive it. We noticed something intriguing.

The splatter-painting was accessible enough to get kids to take a chance.  There was no way to do it wrong and any effort was a success.  More boys than girls were drawn to the activity and the boys stayed longer. It’s got me thinking about letting our kids “make a mess” and creating open-ended art without a scripted outcome.  Engaging more kids in art requires different approaches for different personalities.

If we want kids, especially boys to take risks, with art or anything, I wonder if we need to scribble a bit more and ease up on the “rules”.  This merits more thought.

Many thanks to all the kids who took a chance with us today.  It was a blast!

I apologize for missing all the kids who came to participate.   We were having so much fun we forgot to keep taking pictures.