Poet Philip Larkin once wrote that empty houses are sad. But to a certain group of Boston artists, they're something much more: a blank canvas.

A couple years ago, some friends and I decided to form a neighborhood artist collective. The idea was to provide feedback on each others work in a supportive and encouraging environment. Our monthly gatherings soon morphed into impromptu salons, but space in our urban dwellings was often at a premium. When one of our members got word that a friend's apartment was in-between tenants, we jumped at the opportunity to turn her empty apartment into a temporary exhibition space — and an idea was born. We now host regular shows informed by the uninhabited spaces we briefly occupy.

Whether you're an artist or not, throwing an art party is a fun way to bring friends together, raise money for a cause, create buzz for a property, or obtain affordable art for a new space. You can organize a show around a theme as we do, or simply fill a room with supplies and let your creative accomplices go wild.

Image: Derek Bisbing