Co-creating art: the IKEA effect and citizen engagement
This article draws on my master's thesis: Verdier, D. (2024). How to serve the democratization of Art among citizens in the digital context of 2024? M.Sc. in Management of Social Innovation, HEC Montréal (supervisor: Rafael Ziegler).
The heart of my research is co-creation: what happens when citizens take part in making the art they live with. It turns out that taking part doesn't just feel good — it changes the value, durability and meaning of the work.
The IKEA effect: effort creates attachment
Taking part in making an object makes it more loved and longer-kept — the 'IKEA effect' (Norton, Mochon & Ariely, 2012). A custom artwork is a clear case: the citizen helps conceive the canvas, and the result is treasured rather than discarded. In a throwaway, materialist world, that attachment makes art a durable good, not a disposable image.
A canvas is a mirror
Perceiving a canvas is, in a way, perceiving oneself — a form of projective identification (Bolgert, 2003). Most custom commissions are portraits of people, loved ones, pets or memories. Active participation enriches the work and speeds artistic innovation (Goudarzi & Gioti, 2016): the citizen moves from consumer to co-author.
Flow, meaning and sustainability
Arts and crafts are among the most 'flow-conducive' activities for the lowest environmental impact (Isham & Jackson, 2022). Co-creation taps that state to produce durable, meaningful goods. The tension is real — fairly paying the artist while widening access — but commissioning an original from a living artist is co-creation that respects both sides.
