BY WENDY HUENUL-VALDES
The fourth annual draw-a-thon at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery was host to those who wanted to have a free friendly day out on Oct. 15.
The full day drawing marathon featured two workshops with two different local artists. Isabella Stefanescu held an Exquisite Corpse Workshop, which was a collaborative drawing activity used by artists where one person drew one part of a piece while the next person followed without seeing what the person before drew.
The second workshop of the day was led by Soheila Esfahani. The focus was for participants to use her work, which is a mix of Arabic calligraphy and different mark-making, to make their own pieces.
This year one of the newest additions to the draw-a-thon was the availability of beer or wine during Esfahani’s workshop.
Perfect for date night, family time and everything in between, the draw-a-thon started at 11 a.m. and ran until 11 p.m. accommodating everyone’s schedules.
Tables were set up around the main entrance of the gallery which had all types of supplies for people to use. Clipboards holding bunches of paper with little instructions for inspiration could also be found. In the middle of all the tables were separate instructions for different types of art one could do which correlated with the exhibition taking place in the gallery itself.
This event provided a safe and fun environment for people who want to create art but Kate Carder-Thompson, the school programs co-ordinator, says it strives to be so much more. By it being free it is possible for everyone to be able to learn from and work alongside their community’s artists. The draw-a-thon is an event that aims to promote the importance of being able to express the creative self if even for only an hour in a day.
“It’s important for us in terms of accessibility that people can come in and feel comfortable in the space and just explore and not have to pay out of pocket for it because we know sometimes that’s a barrier. It’s a barrier to the arts in particular,” said Carder-Thompson.
The gallery hopes to be able to keep hosting the draw-a-thon each year and to also bring light to all the different types of cultures and arts in the city. To learn more and keep up with events at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, visit www.kwag.ca
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