Two heads are better than one. Each student will bring to the table a personalized set of ideas and creative skills. The sharing of these individual ideas creates a discussion and new ideas can be formed. The perspectives of each student can help refine an idea or concept. The result can be something far more powerful and creative in the art.
One of the biggest drawbacks to cooperative art activities is students fighting for creative control. Each student feels that his or her idea is the best. Each student is then unwilling to yield control of the project. This can result in a stalemate, which can be tricky to solve. Depending on the age of the students, they can be given new partners or a new assignment. Some teachers may want to sit down and try to work out a compromise.
Each student possesses an individual set of skills. For example, one may be a good big-picture thinker and able to sketch out the overall concept of the project. Another may be skilled at figuring out details. The integration of skill sets can help students discover what they are good at and how to use their skills in a team.
One drawback of cooperative art can happen when the students involved try to get all their ideas out. Rather than just focusing on the best, each student adds too much of their own creative touch. This can result in an art project that is too busy and lacks focus.