The Art of Collaboration, Gambill, Summer 2026

Course Number:	EDX 5710 S77
Instructor:	Paul Gambill, M.M.
Location:	In-person at Creative Campus at Goddard & Online
Dates and Times:	June 24, 2026 - May 31, 2027. June 22-26, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Goddard. The remainder of the course takes place in an online, independent format.
Credits:	3 Graduate Credits
Tuition:	Set by and payable to the Community Engagement Lab

Course Description

An artist collective is an ancient practice, where collaboration can thrive by sharing resources, ideas, and creative risk-taking under a common vision. This course is inspired by that practice, bringing K-12 visual art teachers together who want to explore the power of creative collaboration, expand their practice, experiment with media, and experience and design collaborative art-making projects with colleagues.

Through a series of hands-on workshops, participants will explore a variety of 2D and 3D techniques. Working alongside fellow art educators, you will create artwork that is both personal and collaborative, and design a collaborative project for implementing in your school.

You will leave with practical tools, fresh inspiration, and ideas to strengthen your classroom's culture of collaboration and respect.

Audience: K-12 Visual Art Teachers and educators with a Bachelors Degree using arts-infused curriculum

Course Goals & Objectives

Course Goals:

Expand your 2D and 3D art making techniques
Learn with nd from art teacher colleagues
Create personal and collaborative work
Design a project that strengthens your student's respect and empathy toward each other
Play and find joy in the process of making art together

Course Objectives:

Participants will know…

Techniques for art making in various media, including: wax and mixed media; armature building using cardboard, paper, foil, tape, and paper mache to design and create a multidimensional form; mixed-media artwork that fuses together written and visual storytelling using journaling and photos; and book structures.

Participants will understand…

The components of designing and implementing and collaborative artwork that incorporates 2D and 3D media.
How to build and foster a student-centered culture of collaboration, curiosity and creativity.

Participants will do…

Create a project plan for leading students to design, create, and exhibit a collaborative art work
Design an evaluation plan to track the impact of your project on student engagement and learning.
Reflect on growth by engaging in self-assessment.

Course Schedule

DAY 1

Introductions & charting goals for the course
Creative warm-up
Book structures workshop
Daily reflection & tomorrow's plan

DAYS 2-4

Creative warm-up
Armature building, wax and mixed media, and visual storytelling workshops
Daily reflection & tomorrow's plan

DAY 5

Finalize project plans
Gallery Walk: sharing your project plan
Next steps

Required Readings/Resources

Costs for required readings, if any, may not be included in the course tuition.

Ratkaj, Rochelle. "You Can’t Pour from an Empty Sketchbook: The Case for Artist Dates in a Burnout Culture". Rolling Stone (tinyurl.com/yk82m3rb), November, 2025

Cameron, Julia. "‘My own inner critic is a bully’: Julia Cameron on creative demons and updating The Artist’s Way". The Guardian (tinyurl.com/bde83upd), 24 April, 2025

Bublitz, Melissa G.; Rank-Christman, Tracy; Cian, Luca ; Cortada, Xavier; Madzharov, Adriana; Patrick, Vanessa; Peracchio, Laura; Scott, Maura; Sundar, Aparna; To, Ngoc (Rita); and Townsend, Claudia. "Collaborative Art: A Transformational Force within Communities" University of Chicago Press (tinyurl.com/37aas5yh). 2019.

Golden, Tasha. "From Absence to Presence: Arts and Culture Help Us Redefine “Health”." Grantmakers in the Arts (tinyurl.com/4s6zepv8), 19 January, 2022.

"What Is the CASEL Framework?" CASEL, 2025, (Casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/what-is-the-casel-framework)

For additional course information

Paul Gambill

(802) 595-0087

For additional registration information

This course requires registration with the Community Engagement lab first using the Register Now link below.

Center for Schools Team

(802) 468-1325