• 75 projects
  • Checked October 2026

Community Art Ideas

Press the button for three projects a whole street can add to, each with what it needs.

Community Art Ideas

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  1. A wall of pets: draw yours on a card and pin it upA crowd. Needs cards, pens and a board. One person draws one pet.
  2. Clay leaves pressed from real ones and hung together as a single treeA crowd. Needs air-dry clay, leaves and wire. One person presses one leaf.
  3. Wheel prints: toy cars rolled through paint across a long sheetA crowd. Needs washable paint, a paper roll and toy cars. One child rolls one track.

Next step Painting ideas for kidsDeal a theme for the project

All 75 projects

Murals and walls 15

  • A chalkboard wall with one question at the top, changed every week A crowd, over weeks. Needs chalkboard paint and chalk. One person adds one answer. Ask the owner first.
  • A fence of painted pickets, one picket for each household A street's worth. Needs pickets and outdoor paint. Ask whose fence it is first.
  • A map mural of the neighborhood where each person adds their own favorite spot A crowd. Needs an outline map and paint pens. One person adds one place. Ask the owner first.
  • A mural drawn by children and painted by adults, scaled up square by square A crowd in two shifts. Needs the drawings, a chalk grid and paint. Ask the wall's owner first.
  • A mural of local plants painted from leaves and flowers people bring in A handful to paint, a crowd to bring plants. Needs wall paint. Ask the wall's owner first.
  • A paint-by-number mural: the outline goes up first and every visitor fills one numbered shape A crowd. Needs wall paint and a numbered outline. Ask the wall's owner first.
  • A paper mural rolled out along the tables of an indoor market A crowd. Needs a paper roll, markers and tape. One person draws an arm's length.
  • A silhouette mural: neighbors pose, are traced, and fill in their own outline A crowd. Needs a lamp, pencils and paint. One person fills one figure. Ask the wall's owner first.
  • A stencil border around the garden shed, one design repeated by many hands A handful at a time. Needs a stencil, sponges and paint. Ask the garden committee first.
  • A stripe wall: every resident brings a color that means home and paints one stripe A crowd. Needs sample paints and tape. One person paints one stripe. Ask the wall's owner first.
  • A wall of glazed tiles, one painted by each visitor and set by a tile setter A crowd. Needs tiles, tile paint and someone to set them. Ask the wall's owner first.
  • A wall of painted doors: each neighbor paints the door they wish they had on a board A crowd. Needs primed boards and house paint. One person paints one board.
  • A weekend mural on cloth sheets tied to a fence A crowd. Needs sheets, paint and ties. One person paints an arm's width. Ask whose fence it is.
  • Painted boards for the windows of an empty shop A handful. Needs boards and paint. One person paints one board. Ask the landlord first.
  • Plywood figures with cut-out faces, painted for visitors to stand behind A handful to build, a crowd to use. Needs plywood, a saw and paint.

Many small pieces 15

  • A bottle-cap mosaic glued to an outlined board, sorted by color A crowd. Needs caps, glue and a board. One person glues a handful.
  • A giant jigsaw: blank pieces handed out, decorated at home and joined at the fair A crowd. Needs a blank jigsaw or a cut board, and pens. One person decorates one piece.
  • A honeycomb of paper hexagons, one from each household, pinned up in the library A crowd. Needs paper hexagons, pens and pins. One person fills one hexagon.
  • A line of bunting where every triangle is drawn by a different neighbor A crowd. Needs cloth or paper triangles, pens and string. One person decorates one flag.
  • A mosaic stepping stone made from broken dishes people bring from home A handful to each stone. Needs a mold, cement and broken china. One person presses in one piece.
  • A portrait wall of the street: each resident draws a neighbor on a small card A street's worth. Needs cards and pencils. One person draws one face.
  • A postcard wall: blank cards on a table, each drawn on and pinned up A crowd. Needs blank postcards, pens and a pin board. One person draws one card.
  • A ribbon fence: each person writes one word on a ribbon and ties it on A crowd. Needs ribbon and pens. Ask whose fence it is first.
  • A tablecloth for the harvest dinner printed with one leaf from every visitor A crowd. Needs cloth, fabric paint, leaves and rollers. One person prints one leaf.
  • Clay leaves pressed from real ones and hung together as a single tree A crowd. Needs air-dry clay, leaves and wire. One person presses one leaf.
  • Knitted squares joined into a cover for the bench in the square A crowd of knitters. Needs yarn and needles. One person knits one square. Ask the city first.
  • One long garland for the hall, a hand's width of beads threaded by each visitor A crowd. Needs string and beads or painted pasta. One person threads a hand's width.
  • Painted stones along a path, one from each walker A crowd, over time. Needs stones and paint pens. Ask whoever looks after the path first.
  • Paper lanterns decorated by families and carried on one evening walk A crowd. Needs jars or paper lanterns, tissue and battery lights. One family makes one.
  • Tin-can lanterns punched with patterns and lit in a row for one evening A crowd. Needs clean cans, a hammer and nail, and battery lights. One person punches one can.

Streets and downtown 15

  • A chalk walk: one sidewalk square for each person down the main street for a day A crowd. Needs sidewalk chalk. One person fills one square. Ask the city first.
  • A downtown sketch day: everyone draws the same block and the drawings share one window A crowd. Needs sketchbooks and a host window. One person draws one view.
  • A gallery in an empty storefront for one month A handful to hang, a town to visit. Needs the work, lights and labels. Ask the landlord first.
  • A hand-drawn map of downtown where each business draws its own front A street of businesses. Needs one big sheet and pens. One business draws one storefront.
  • A projection night: residents' drawings shown on a blank wall after dark A handful to run it, a crowd to watch. Needs a projector and scans. Ask the wall's owner first.
  • A public bench repainted by the people who live on its street A handful to each bench. Needs sandpaper and outdoor paint. Ask the city first.
  • A sidewalk poem chalked through stencils, one word to a sidewalk square A handful. Needs stencils and chalk. One person chalks one word. Ask the city first.
  • An alley gallery of weatherproof prints hung along one wall A handful. Needs prints, frames and hardware. Ask the building's owner first.
  • Chalk outlines around the noon shadows of bikes, signs and trees A handful. Needs chalk. One person traces one shadow. Ask the city first.
  • Children's drawings of each shop hung in that shop's window A crowd to draw, a street of shops to show. Needs paper and tape. Ask each shop first.
  • Knitted sleeves for the bike racks and railings on one block A crowd of knitters. Needs yarn. One person knits one sleeve. Ask the city first.
  • Lamppost banners designed by a school and printed A class to design, the city to hang. Needs drawings and a printer. Ask the city first.
  • Painted planters outside the shops, one for each business A handful to each planter. Needs planters and outdoor paint. Ask the shop and the city first.
  • Painted utility boxes, each given to a different local artist or class A handful to each box. Needs primer and outdoor paint. Ask the utility and the city first.
  • Washable-paint leaves or snowflakes on every shop window for a season A handful to each window. Needs washable window paint. Ask each shop first.

With children 15

  • A big loom strung on a fence, woven with ribbon, grass and cloth strips A crowd, over a day. Needs string and strips. One child weaves one strip. Ask whose fence it is.
  • A cardboard city built in the park for an afternoon A crowd of children. Needs boxes, tape and paint. One child builds one building. Ask the parks department first.
  • A giant coloring sheet taped across tables, drawn in outline by a local artist A crowd. Needs the big outline and crayons. One child colors one patch.
  • A hopscotch trail designed square by square by different children A crowd. Needs chalk. One child designs one square. Ask who looks after the sidewalk.
  • A paper tree in the library where each child adds a leaf showing what they like about the town A crowd. Needs paper leaves, pens and tape. One child adds one leaf.
  • A picture book on stakes along a path, each page drawn by a different child A class to draw, a town to walk it. Needs covered pages and stakes. Ask the parks department first.
  • A picture of fallen leaves and petals laid on the grass inside a rope circle A crowd. Needs a rope and what has already fallen. One child adds one handful. Ask whose grass it is.
  • A puppet parade of paper-bag and sock puppets down the street A crowd. Needs bags, socks and glue. One child makes one puppet. Ask the city about the route.
  • A shadow puppet show behind a sheet at the summer fair A handful to perform, a crowd to watch. Needs a sheet, a lamp and cardboard figures.
  • Bird boxes built by adults and painted by children for the park A handful to each box. Needs boxes and outdoor paint. Ask the parks department where they may hang.
  • Children trace each other in chalk and fill the outline in as what they want to be A crowd, outdoors. Needs chalk. One child fills their own outline. Ask who looks after the sidewalk.
  • Kites decorated by hand and flown together A crowd. Needs plain kites or paper, and markers. One child decorates one kite.
  • Scarecrows for the community garden, one from each class or family A handful to each scarecrow. Needs old clothes, straw and poles. Ask the garden committee first.
  • Thank-you drawings for the people who work on the street, delivered by hand A class. Needs paper and crayons. One child draws one person.
  • Wheel prints: toy cars rolled through paint across a long sheet A crowd. Needs washable paint, a paper roll and toy cars. One child rolls one track.

One afternoon 15

  • A communal weaving frame set up at the market A crowd. Needs a frame and yarn. One person weaves one row.
  • A community sketchbook on a stand, one page for each visitor, kept by the library A crowd, over a day. Needs a hardcover sketchbook and pens on strings.
  • A library table of blank bookmarks: draw one, take one that someone else drew A crowd. Needs paper strips, pens and a jar. One person makes one and takes one.
  • A memory map: pin a drawing of something that used to be here onto a map of the town A crowd, older residents most of all. Needs a large map, cards and pins.
  • A photo frame painted for visitors to pose behind A handful to paint, a crowd to use. Needs cardboard or plywood and paint.
  • A pinch-pot table: make one pot, leave one for the display A crowd. Needs air-dry clay and boards. One person makes two small pots.
  • A portrait swap booth: two visitors sit opposite and draw each other Pairs, all afternoon. Needs two chairs, clipboards and pencils.
  • A recipe line: draw the dish your family brings to every gathering and clip it up A crowd. Needs cards, crayons, string and clothespins. One person draws one dish.
  • A seed-packet design table for the garden club's swap A crowd. Needs blank envelopes, pens and seeds. One person decorates one packet.
  • A shared poster: one inked block, and everyone pulls a print to take home A crowd. Needs a cut block, ink, a roller and paper. One person pulls one print.
  • A tape drawing on the hall floor that every visitor extends A crowd. Needs colored tape. One person adds one line. Ask whoever runs the hall which tape is allowed.
  • A wall of pets: draw yours on a card and pin it up A crowd. Needs cards, pens and a board. One person draws one pet.
  • A zine made in a day: every visitor fills a page and copies are folded by evening A crowd. Needs paper, pens and a copier. One person fills one page.
  • One big collage of the town made from old magazines and maps A crowd. Needs a board, glue and magazines. One person glues one building.
  • The town a hundred years from now: one building each on a long skyline A crowd. Needs a paper roll and pens. One person draws one building.

How it works

Community art ideas work when each person has one small, clear job. In these 75 projects a visitor fills one shape, paints one tile or ties one ribbon, and the line below says what the project needs.

Read the full guide

Community art project ideas by place

Murals and walls and Many small pieces are sorted by what gets made. Streets and downtown holds the downtown art ideas: painted utility boxes, a chalk walk, drawings in shop windows. With children holds the community art ideas for kids, and One afternoon fits a fair or a library table.

Ask first

Where a project uses a wall, a fence or a sidewalk the organizer does not own, its line ends with whom to ask: the owner, the shop or the city.

  • For group art project ideas with no wall to paint, pick Many small pieces: most are made at a table.

Questions and answers

What is a community art project?

A piece that many people each add a small part to, usually in a shared place: a paint-by-number mural, a line of bunting, a chalk walk down the main street. The finished thing belongs to the place.

Do these work as group art ideas for a class or a team?

Yes. Every line starts with the size of group it suits, a handful or a crowd, and most say what one person does. A honeycomb of paper hexagons or a postcard wall runs indoors at a few tables.

Do we need permission for a mural?

Each project on a wall, a fence or a sidewalk says whom to ask first: the owner, a shop or the city. This page gives ideas only and no advice on permits or law, which differ from place to place.

What can a community make in one afternoon?

One afternoon holds projects that start and finish at a fair or a library table: blank bookmarks to draw and swap, a zine made in a day, a shared poster where everyone pulls one print.

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