Collaborative art: A transformational force within communities

Abstract

This article provides a new perspective on collaborative art as a transformational force to strengthen community and enhance well-being. We outline a best practices-based framework to foster community-based, collaborative art such as cocreated community murals. Specifically, we identify a strategic and successive process for collaborative art initiatives by integrating the academic literature on art, aesthetics, community, and consumer research together with the practices of arts organizations working to transform communities through participatory, cocreated art. The article highlights the contributions of this work to academic research, public policy, and community organizing efforts and outlines questions to encourage more researchers and practitioners to investigate the dynamics of collaborative art to transform communities.