Participatory art project to build creative muscle

I believe creativity is a muscle and, as with all muscles, it must be exercised in order to be strengthened. Communal Canvas began as a simple experiment; an attempt to encourage people to exercise their creativity through an action so small, it felt effortless: a single brushstroke. I placed an blank canvas out by the Charles River in Cambridge, MA. Along with it - a few tubs of paint, a few brushes, and a note that simply said 'Do something creative. Limit one brushstroke per person.' By the end of the day, more than two hundred people had contributed to the first painting. Over two summers, the community completed 18 different paintings.