Participatory Drawing – Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA
For this Participatory Project we worked on several large-scale collaborative drawings simultaneously, catering to a diverse community of various ages and physical abilities. In addition to several ink drawings we also offered a colored drawing where children collaborated with adults. All drawings adhered to the same principle of small pen gestures to create a mesh of large patterns. In a fun process of contemplation participants found smaller compositions within the large drawing, which were cut out and could be taken home.
Participatory Drawing, Olafsfjordur, Iceland, 2017
This Participatory Drawing was created during a weekend art festival in a small fishing town in Northern Iceland. The project engaged community members of all ages. We used black ink pens as well as fine-tip colored markers.
Participatory Drawing – Abrams Claghorn Gallery, Albany, CA, 2016
This participatory drawing was created on the gallery floor at Abram Claghorn gallery. Compared to other pieces of this series it was a slightly smaller scale drawing that was created by 2 participants and myself. We worked on this piece for approximately 3.5 hours, and then carefully selected compositions of the piece to cut smaller drawings of various formats.
Particpatory Drawing – Blue Mountain Center, NY, fall 2016
I conducted this collaborative drawing project with a group of writers and social activists during an artist residency at the Blue Mountain Center in the Adirondacks (NY state). The drawing was created in several sessions over the course of a week in fall 2016. The drawing meetings also served as a platform for discussion about pressing topics, such as the upcoming 2016 presidential elections.
This was the first Participatory Drawing that was cut up to create smaller drawings. An empty picture frame and rulers helped us frame compelling pieces. This “framing process” was engaging and fun for the entire group.
Participatory Drawing – ArtSeed, San Francisco, summer 2016
This drawing was created in summer 2016 with the participants of ArtSeed’s children’s art program. The students were very diverse and their various ages and skill levels contributed to achieve a highly interesting and beautiful artwork. The resulting drawing was shown in an exhibition at the Thoreau Center for Sustainability in San Francisco’s Presidio Park. We were able to hang this large drawing from a beam on the ceiling, which allowed it to sway freely off the wall, lightly touching the floor. It was a great pleasure to work with this group of talented young artists.
Participatory Drawing – Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, CA, 2016
This Participatory Drawing Project was started during “Dance Anywhere”, a worldwide dance and movement event held each year during one specific day in March. The drawing was left on the wall at the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley for an extended period of time, inviting Kala’s artist community to participate. The drawing progressed slowly but steadily, and I finally finished it, picking up on the various pattern ideas that had been started by other artists.
Participatory Drawing – Shelburne Museum, Vermont, 2016
This was my first Participatory Drawing Project. It was executed in two sessions: one in an open workshop with the general museum public at the Shelburne Museum, and the second with a group of middle school students. We agreed to a simple circular pen gesture and focused on patterns and texture rather than form and object. While this keeps the drawing cohesive, the individual hand assures liveliness and adds to the success of the drawing.