Artist Mark Cooper creates remarkable, collaborative art with children, and in this practical book of ideas he shows how it can be done anywhere, with amazing results. Drawing from his own work with classes around the country, Cooper shows how children can create art objects together, from decorated sculptures to billboards against violence to maps of the world. Children learn the way adult artists work—and about how democracy works—in planning, designing, and executing these large-scale works.

A bold, richly illustrated, practical book that offers a new way to think about making art with kids.

“Practical and revolutionary. Should be required reading for all elementary and secondary school teachers.” —John Laughton, composer, professor, and former dean, College of Visual and Performing Arts, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth

“A highly innovative approach to a very modern and important subject. Cooper and Sjostrom have done an amazing job of making collaborative community art fun, instructive, and accessible. Every teacher, artist, or parent should have this book for their work with kids.” —Henry Horenstein, professor of photography, Rhode Island School of Design, author of Beyond Basic Photography

“A thought-provoking book, this volume will be a wonderful and useful resource for all parents, teachers and youth leaders. The authors do a tremendous job of making these large-scale projects seem very doable. Even teachers without any art experience or knowledge will come away feeling empowered that they can tackle what is described in this book….This resource explains the power of collaborating with youth while providing wonderful details on brainstorming, funding, making and displaying powerful pieces of art.” —Voices of Youth Advocates, review in the February 2007 issue

Mark Cooper is professor of art at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and at Boston College. His solo work has been exhibited in prestigious galleries and museums, and his collaborative work with children has been displayed in the Whitney Museum in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and many other venues.