Artwith

Artwith is a term used in contemporary art discourse to describe a collaborative practice in which artists work with participants to produce artworks. It encompasses approaches where the process and outcome are co-authored, often involving communities or publics. The concept can apply across disciplines and media, including visual art, performance, digital media, and hybrid installations, and it is not tied to a single institution or platform.

The term blends the words art and with to emphasize partnership and shared authorship. While not tied to a single origin, artwith emerged in discussions of participatory and socially engaged art in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and has been used by various artists, collectives, and curators to describe collaborative methods.

Practice and methods associated with artwith include workshops, co-design sessions, crowdsourced creation, open-ended prompts, and iterative feedback loops. Projects often emphasize transparent processes, informed consent, and credit or recognition for participants. Challenges discussed in relation to artwith include power dynamics, compensation for participants, access and inclusion, and the sustainability of collaboration over time.

Applications of artwith are diverse, ranging from community murals and public installations to online collaborative projects and interactive performances. Some initiatives describe themselves explicitly as pursuing artwith practices, while others incorporate its principles within broader participatory or social-practice frameworks. The approach is valued for expanding public engagement and democratizing art creation, but it also invites critical consideration of authorship, labor, and ethical scales of involvement.

Related concepts include participatory art, co-creation, collaborative design, and social practice art.