Sculptures

When and Why

Use this practice when the group needs to move around, do something creative but not complex, and ease into a more challenging collaborative project or task. In your debrief discussion, participants will reflect on their feelings about working independently and collaboratively and identify benefits of listening to new perspectives. You will need enough small containers of Play-Doh (or similar product, 1 oz. works well) so that each participant has one.

How to Facilitate

1. Reflect on the current context, the demographics of participants, and the purpose of this engagement, and determine which questions and prompts will align this activity– making a sculpture independently and then with a group — to that purpose.
2. Give each participant a container of Play-Doh and give them about 2 minutes to make a sculpture on their own. Depending on the group and your purpose, you might give guidance about what to sculpt (a moment or object from a story, a geometric shape, an organism found in the ocean, etc.), or you might choose to keep it entirely open-ended.
3. Ask participants to find a random partner (e.g. “find someone wearing the same color shoes”, “find someone whose name has at least one of the same letters as yours”) and work for about 3 minutes to combine their sculptures. They can make something entirely new using their two colors, or they can think of a creative way to make the sculptures work together.
4. Ask each partner pair to find another partner pair, and combine their sculptures again. Now the sculptures incorporate 4 containers of Play Doh and ideas from 4 people.
5. Depending on group size, invite each group to present their combined sculpture to the group, or do a gallery walk so everyone can see what was created. Then, make sure participants put their Play Doh back in a container so you can reuse it.
6. Bring the full group back together and debrief, calling on a few people to share responses and/or prompting them to speak with those seated nearby:
   • What was it like to change your sculpture? How did it feel to “undo” your first idea?
   • Which stage of the activity did you like best? How does that compare to how you usually feel about working on your own or working with others?
   • What were the benefits of having more colors, more material, and more ideas? What was challenging about that?
   • We’re about to [describe the collaborative project or task you are transitioning into]. Based on this experience and other experiences you’ve had working with groups, what advice do you want to give yourself as you get ready to collaborate?

Modifications

• If you don’t have Play-Doh available, try aluminum foil. Give each participant a small square (and tell them to make something other than a ball, or you’ll have a room full of foil balls).
• As time allows, do another round (8 collaborators, or more). This can be a way to demonstrate a process of coming to consensus: if your group is developing working agreements, a vision statement, a Portrait of a Graduate, etc., this can mirror the process of beginning with individual ideas and combining them into a product that everyone is satisfied with and sees how their input is part of the whole.