Facebook + Coffee + Art = Appealing!

My friend John Hoban has been teaching art in Duluth for over a decade and is passionate about the use of digital media in art education. He recently established a Facebook group called Duluth Sketch Bomb, which brings Duluth artists together to share their passion for art, swap ideas, improve their skills, and, overall, just have some fun. At least 4 times a year, the artists in this group will meet at a restaurant with their art supplies, pick a topic out of a hat, and represent it in any way they see fit. At the end of the session, the artists will admire each other's work. Topics and art works can also be posted to the Facebook page at any time.
Being part of this group is a lot of fun, and it makes being on Facebook more meaningful and enjoyable. I think that a Facebook group like Duluth Sketch Bomb would be a hit for middle and high school students, since more and more of them are catching the social networking bug every day. Instead of having the students meet at restaurants, the teacher could set up the classroom like a coffee shop once a month, giving the students a fun social atmosphere in which to make art. This experience might even encourage some of the students to create their own similar group outside of school and keep it up for years, even if they don't decide to pursue an art-related career.