The Creative Dinner Party
In this creative dinner party the participants imagine and paint their favorite meals onto a shared tablecloth. Guided by storytelling, they co-create a vibrant and colorful artwork that serves to reflect personal tastes, cultural identities, and obviously each participant’s creativity. By adding food, drinks, and utensils, the group builds a collective scene that celebrates diversity, inclusion, and self-expression in a playful and collaborative setting.
THEME
Inclusion, self-expression, cultural identity, co-creation through a creative “dinner”
COMPLEXITY
from beginner and up
GROUP SIZE
5-15
participants
AGE
13+
TIME
1
hour
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1. Introduction, material, demonstration (10 min.)
Welcoming the participants to the creative dinner-party (sitting around the table with a tablecloth on or at the floor). It works best if the facilitator finds the proper storyline for setting the scene. Here is an example:
- Look at the empty tablecloth. What’s missing?
- Ask the participants about their personal favorite food.
- Trigger their imagination and tell them that we are visiting one of the finest restaurants in the world. At this restaurant they can be served whatever they want.
- But first everyone must paint it on the tablecloth.
2. Work (40 min.)
- What would you like to eat? Paint it on the tablecloth (have paint and brushes ready).
- In the process, it is essential to ask the participants what kind of tools they normally use at the dinner table, e.g. fingers, chopsticks, forks and knives, spoons etc. Paint them.
- What do you want to drink? What kind of glasses do you need? Paint them.
Reflection and Debriefing:
Reflection as a group (10 min.)
- Place the tablecloth on the floor. Look at it.
- Express what you see and think.
- The creative dinner-party has become a cooperative piece of art. Everyone has contributed and expressed their creativity and artistic way of work.
Debriefing
- After the painting process, everybody looks at the result, together. The discussion starts about the different kinds of meals at the table. What is the difference between them?
Tips for Facilitators:
- Talk positively about the process. Show your respect for everyone and the collective result.
- There is no right or wrong. Some people like to think and take their time about what they want to paint, and others are working directly and expressively.
- The tablecloth becomes a picture of different foods, artistic traces and cultural background.
Variations and adjustments:
- Instead of talking about the fine restaurant, you could create another setting eg. Welcome to the castle.., Welcome to the museum.., Welcome to my birthday party etc.
- Also, a variation could be to make a collage using cut-outs from supermarket and lifestyle magazines and/or combine collage and drawing.
Disclaimer:
- Be mindful of participants’ sensitivities. If in doubt, make sure to ask/see if the topic of food is in any way an uncomfortable issue due to for instance eating disorders or financial background.
- Avoid forcing anyone to share if they are uncomfortable. Just let them show the result.
Visual arts activities
INTRODUCTION
MODULE 1
MODULE 2
MODULE 3
MODULE 4
Contact
Iuliana Adriana PAVEL (project manager)
iuliana.pavel@a4action.ro
A4ACTION – Antim Ivireanu Culture House, Islaz Alley, Ghermănești, Snagov, Ilfov District, Romania, 077170
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the ANPCDEFP. Neither the European Union nor the ANPCDEFP can be held responsible for them.
The project is conducted by the following organisations: A4ACTION (Romania) – coordinator, Udruga Delta (Croatia), InterAktion (Austria), Asociación Espacio Rojo (Spain) and GAIA Museum Outsider Art (Denmark).
