1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to group-based activities and more particularly to group-based activities centered on visual works of art such as paintings, photographs, drawings, sculptures, statues, and the like.
2. Related Art
Paint-by-number kits include a board or canvas on which outlines indicate areas to paint. Each area has a number and the kits include corresponding numbered paint to use in the numbered area. Carefully painting all of the areas can produce work of art often suitable for framing.
Many paint-by-number kits focus on realist subject matter such as landscapes, seascapes, animals, clowns, or the like. However, some paint-by-number kits allow the paint-by-number artist to reproduce famous masterpiece artwork. In this way, the paint-by-number artist can produce relatively complex artwork even without formal artistic training, and thus gain insight and a deeper appreciation for the process of painting.
Unfortunately, paint-by-number kits have some limitations with respect to providing a hands-on participation in the creation of art. For example, generally, a paint-by-number kit is intended to be sold to and completed by a single painter. Hence, only this single painter will gain the experience of the art project but miss out on the benefits of a collaborative team approach to completing the project.
Additionally, revenue from an art project such as a paint-by-number kit is usually limited to sale of the kit and possibly sale of the completed paint-by-number artwork. Moreover, paint-by-number kits are usually limited to graphical two-dimensional works of art such as paintings.
The inventor of the present invention has recognized that it would be advantageous to develop a step-by-step art project that is group-based in reproducing a complex work of art. Additionally, the inventor of the present invention has recognized that it would be advantageous to develop a group-based activity that reproduces a master work of art by having members of the group produce different portions of the work of art which can be combined or assembled to produce a replica of the master work of art so as to enhance the collaborative effort of reproducing the master work of art. Moreover, the inventor of the present invention has recognized that it would be advantageous to develop a step-by-step, group-based activity that reproduces a two-dimensional or three-dimensional work of art. Furthermore, the inventor of the present invention has recognized that it would be advantageous to provide a group-based step-by-step art project that provides for multiple opportunities to raise funds through participation in the art project.
The invention provides a system for conducting a group-based activity including a master visual art work suitable for reproduction. The system also includes a copy of the master visual art work that can be divided into a plurality of divided pieces. The system can also include a plurality of blank pieces. Each blank piece can correspond to a different one of the plurality of divided pieces. Additionally, the system can include supplies for altering each blank piece to reproduce the corresponding divided piece.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the group based activity can be a fundraiser and the system can include offers for selling of the individual blank pieces with associated supplies, offers for selling the master visual art work, and offers for selling the reproduced assembly of the master visual art work. Additionally, the group-based activity can “pre-sell” images of future fundraising events as a result of the excitement just experienced in the present art project.
In accordance with other aspects of the invention, the group-based activity can be a team building activity and the system can include instructions and question for assisting participants of the group based activity in building team skills.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the master visual art work can include a two dimensional graphic work of art such as a painting, photograph, computer graphic, and the like.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the master visual art work can include a three dimensional work of art such as a sculpture, statue, model, and the like.
The present invention also provides a method for conducting a group-based activity including providing a master visual art work suitable for reproduction. A copy of the master visual art work can be made and the copy can be divided into a plurality of divided pieces. Each of the pieces can be paired with a corresponding blank piece having substantially the same shape as the corresponding divided piece. Each of the pairs can be distributed to at least one participant of the group-based activity, and the participants can be instructed to reproduce the divided piece on the blank piece using supplies distributed with each of the pairs. The reproduced pieces can be collected and assembled to form a reproduction of the master visual art work.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which together illustrate, by way of example, features of the invention.
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and additional applications of the principles of the inventions as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention.
The embodiments of the present invention described herein provide generally for a system and method for conducting a group-based activity that produces a replica or reproduction of a master or original work of art by having members of the group produce different portions of the replica which can reproduce the master when combined or assembled. The system can include a master visual work of art, such as a painting or sculpture, and a scaled reproduction of the master. The reproduction can be divided into a plurality of pieces. Each of the divided pieces can be paired with a scaled blank piece that generally corresponds proportionally to the divided piece in shape. The system can also include supplies for altering the blank piece in order to recreate the divided piece with the blank piece. The supplies can be grouped together with the pairs of divided and blank pieces so as to form a plurality of kits that can be distributed to participants of the group activity.
In use each of the kits can be distributed to members of a group that is participating in the group-based activity. Each participant that has a kit then uses the supplies in the kit to transform each blank piece into a scaled replica of the divided piece. When complete each replica can be combined or assembled together in order to form a scaled reproduction of the master visual artwork.
In one embodiment, the group-based activity can be a fundraiser presenting multiple opportunities for generating revenue from sales of the plurality of kits, sale of the scaled replica formed from the replica pieces created by the participants, and sale of the master visual work of art.
In another embodiment, the group-based activity can be a team building activity that can foster teamwork, communication skills, collaboration, and the like, amongst participants by engaging the participants in introspective question and answer sessions upon successful or attempted assembly of the scaled reproduction.
As illustrated in
The master visual art work 20 can be any type of visual art. For example, as shown in
The copy of the master visual art work 40 can be a digital replica of the master visual art work and can include a reproduction 42 of the master visual art work 22. The copy 40 can be produced by a printer, copier, scanner and the like. The copy 40 of the master visual art work can be divided into a plurality of divided pieces 44.
The plurality of blank pieces 60 can be formed from a medium suitable for reproducing the master visual work of art 20. Each blank piece 64 in the plurality of blank pieces 60 can correspond in shape to a different one of the plurality of divided pieces 44. The plurality of blank pieces 60 can be assembled together to form a complete reproduction of the assembled divided pieces 44. The blank pieces can also be proportionally smaller or larger than the divided pieces. In this way, the plurality of blank pieces can form a scaled replica of the master visual art work 20 when the blank pieces are transformed to reproduce the corresponding divided pieces and then assembled together.
As shown in the embodiment in
The art tools and supplies 80 can include materials, tools, and equipment for altering or transforming each blank piece 64 into a reproduction of the corresponding divided piece 44. For example, as shown in
Thus, by using the tools and supplies 80, the portion 22a of the image 22 shown as a reproduction 42a on the divided piece 44a can be reproduced as an image 62a on the corresponding blank piece 64a. In this way, a reproduction, indicated by dashed lines at 52, of the painting 22 can be formed by assembling all of the blank pieces 64 together.
Additionally, the plurality of divided pieces 40, the plurality of blank pieces 60, and the tools and supplies 80 can be separated into a plurality of kits, indicated generally at 90. Each of the kits can be distributable to members of a group participating in the group-based activity. Each kit can include one of the plurality of divided pieces 44a, the blank piece 64a that corresponds to the divided piece 44a, and at least a portion of the tools and supplies 80 needed for altering the blank piece to match the corresponding divided piece.
The art project system 10 can be used for a variety of group-based activities. For example, in the embodiment shown in
A second sales offer can include an offer to sell 104 the reproduction of the master visual art work 60 created from an assembly of the plurality of formerly blank pieces 64 after each blank piece has been altered to reproduce the corresponding divided piece 44. The offer to sell 104 the reproduced master visual art work 60 can provide a second opportunity to generate revenue.
A third sales offer can include an offer to sell 106 the master visual art work 20. The offer to sell 106 the master visual art work 20 can provide a third opportunity to generate revenue.
Other opportunities for generating revenue can also be envisioned by the embodiments of the group-based activity centered on the art project system 10 described herein. For example, the group-based activity can “pre-sell” images that can be used in future fundraising events as a result of the excitement just experienced using the present art project system 10.
The sales opportunities of the various parts of the art project system 10 can include a variety of types of sales offers. For example, the offers to sell can include a sales offer document such as price tags 102, 104 and 106, a contract, a silent bid form, and the like. As another example the offers to sell can include live or silent auctioning of the assembled reproduction 60 and the master visual art work 30 to the highest bidders.
In this way, the embodiments of the art project system 10 described herein advantageously can provide multiple opportunities for generating revenue rather than a single sales point when the art project system is purchased as commonly found in the prior art. It will be appreciated that multiple revenue generating activities greatly increase the amount of revenue that can potentially be raised by a fundraising activity.
In summary, the embodiments of the invention described above and shown in
Advantageously, the art project system 10 shown in
As Illustrated in
The master visual art work 220 can include a three dimensional work of art such as a sculpture 222, statue, model, extrusion, casting, molding, and the like. The master visual art work can be of suitable complexity so as to allow and even facilitate reproduction.
The copy of the master visual art work 240 can include a scaled replica 242 of the master visual art work 220. The scaled replica can be divided into a plurality of divided pieces 244.
The plurality of blank pieces 260 can be formed of a material suitable for reproducing a corresponding divided piece. Hence each blank piece 264a can correspond in shape to one of the divided pieces 244a. The blank pieces can also correspond by a larger or smaller scalar factor in size to the divided piece.
The art tools and supplies 280 can include materials, tools, and equipment for altering or transforming each blank piece 264 into a reproduction of the corresponding divided piece 244. For example, as shown in
Thus, by using the tools and supplies 280, the portion 222a of the section 222 shown as a reproduction 242a on the divided piece 244a can be reproduced as a section 262a on the corresponding blank piece 264a. In this way, a reproduction, indicated by dashed lines at 262, of the sculpture 222 can be formed by assembling all of the now formed blank pieces 264 together.
As discussed above, each of the divided pieces 244 along with the corresponding blank piece 264, and suitable tools and supplies 280 for altering the blank piece can be grouped together to form a kit 290. Each kit can be distributed to participants in the group activity.
In use, once the participants in the group activity receive the kit 290, the participant can create a scaled reproduction or replica of the divided piece 244 in the kit with the blank piece 264. The participant can then assemble the reproduction of the divided piece with other reproduced divided pieces that were reproduced by other participants in the group activity to form a reproduction 260 of the original master work of art 220.
The embodiment shown in
It will be appreciate that all of the embodiments of the art project systems described herein and shown in
As shown in
In one aspect, the master visual art work can be a painting. In this case, the blank piece can include a paintable surface, and the supplies for creating the reproduction can include a paint brush and paint. The supplies can be used to paint the portion of the master visual art work found on the divided piece paired with the blank piece onto the blank piece.
In another aspect, the master visual art work can be a sculpture. In this case, the blank piece can include a sculpting material, and the supplies for creating the reproduction can include sculpting tools. The supplies can be used to sculpt the portion of the master visual art work found on the divided piece paired with the blank piece onto the blank piece.
In yet another aspect, the group-based activity can be a fundraiser and the method can include offering for sale each of the pairs and the supplies as kit, thereby providing a first opportunity to generate revenue. A reproduction of the master visual art work created from an assembly of the plurality of blank pieces when each blank piece has been altered to reproduce the corresponding divided piece can also be offered for sale, thereby providing a second opportunity to generate revenue. The master visual art work can also be offered for sale, thereby providing a third opportunity to generate revenue.
In yet another aspect, the group-based activity can be a team building activity and the method can include conducting a question and answer session with participants of the activity to help the participants analogize the activity to teamwork skills, such as cross functional cooperation, multi-discipline consensus building, and the like. The question and answer session can also facilitate self-improvement, communication skills development, and introspective discovery among the participants.
The present invention can also provide for a method for fundraising including providing a master visual art work suitable for reproduction. A copy of the master visual art work can be made. The copy can be divided into a plurality of pieces. Each of the divided pieces can be paired with a corresponding blank piece. Each of the pairs can be distributed to a participant for reproduction of the divided piece onto the blank piece. The reproduced pieces can be collected and assembled to form an assembled reproduction of the master visual art work. The assembled reproduction can be offered for sale to produce revenue for the fundraiser.
The method can also include offering for sale each of the pairs of pieces and the supplies as a kit to provide an additional opportunity to generate revenue. The master visual art work can also be offered for sale to provide an additional opportunity to generate revenue.
The present invention also provides for a method for conducting a group-based team building activity including providing a master visual art work suitable for reproduction. A copy of the master visual art work can be made. The copy can be divided into a plurality of pieces. Each of the divided pieces can be paired with a corresponding blank piece. Each of the pairs can be distributed to a different participant. The participant can be instructed to reproduce the divided piece on the blank piece. The reproduced pieces can be collected and assembled to form an assembled reproduction of the master visual art work. A question and answer session can be conducted with participants of the activity to help the participants analogize the activity to teamwork skills and to facilitate self-improvement and introspective discovery among the participants.
The method can also include a fundraising activity including offering the assembled reproduction for sale to produce revenue for the fundraiser. Each of the pairs and the supplies can also be offered for sale so as to provide an additional opportunity to generate revenue. Similarly, the master visual art work can be offered for sale to provide an additional opportunity to generate revenue.
It is to be understood that the above-referenced arrangements are only illustrative of the application for the principles of the present invention. Numerous modifications and alternative arrangements can be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. While the present invention has been shown in the drawings and fully described above with particularity and detail in connection with what is presently deemed to be the most practical and preferred embodiment(s) of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications can be made without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention as set forth herein.