The Big Draw LA: Month-Long Celebration of Drawing Returns
Ryman Arts Invites Angelenos to "Make Your Mark in Exposition Park"
LOS ANGELES, Sep. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The second annual The Big Draw LA event will be held during the month of October as a citywide celebration of drawing that creates opportunities for people of all ages to discover that drawing can enhance how they see, think and invent. In 2010, The Big Draw LA—inspired by the highly popular United Kingdom program launched in 2000—became the first event of its kind on the West Coast. The Big Draw LA is presented by Ryman Arts, an arts education program that fosters the education of gifted young artists in Southern California.
"Drawing is universal. It connects generations, cultures and communities," says Diane Brigham, Executive Director of Ryman Arts. "While children readily embrace drawing as a means of self-expression, many adults claim they've lost all ability to draw. The Big Draw LA seeks to eliminate these barriers by engaging all Angelenos—those who love to draw and those who think they can't—to embrace the joy of creative expression."
Make Your Mark in Exposition Park on October 16
The Ryman Arts' Big Draw LA event, "Make Your Mark in Exposition Park," takes place Sunday, October 16 at noon in Exposition Park. The event is in collaboration with Exposition Park and its offering of world-class museums. Ryman Arts' students and teaching artists will help the public create a continuous, half-mile-long drawing on paper that rolls out and winds its way around the park, from the California African American Museum, through the Rose Garden and around the Natural History Museum. The continuous drawing project will be photographed and ultimately showcased as a "scrolling panorama" online.
In addition to the Ryman Arts' event, numerous other Los Angeles area organizations will be participating with their own The Big Draw LA activities including: The Huntington Library, Art Collection and Botanical Gardens; Fowler Museum at UCLA; Goldwyn Hollywood Public Library; The Original Drink and Draw Social Club; Lincoln Heights Branch Public Library; Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences (VAAS); Craft and Folk Art Museum; J. Paul Getty Museum; KCET Departures and NELAartwalk; Iridescent Learning; Fowler Museum at UCLA; Getty Villa; USC Fisher Museum of Art; Craftswoman House; Skirball Cultural Center; El Retiro Library; Teen'Scape, Central Library; Pop tArt Gallery; Ortega High School; JACC; North Torrance Library; Katy Geissert Civic Center Library; and John Muir High School, Pasadena.
The Big Draw LA is supported by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation.
The Big Draw LA is committed to promoting inclusiveness and offering a diversity of drawing experiences. Presenting organizations may register events that are open to the public at www.thebigdrawla.org. Following The Big Draw LA, presenting organizations may apply for one of several special awards that honor outstanding The Big Draw LA activities, big and small.
About The Big Draw and The Campaign for Drawing The Big Draw was started by the Guild of St. George, a nonprofit organization founded by 19th century critic and educator John Ruskin. Now led by the Campaign for Drawing in London, the aim is to raise awareness of drawing's power as a tool for learning, observation, creativity, and social and cultural engagement. In 2010, more than 1,300 Big Draw events took place across the United Kingdom and internationally.
About Ryman Arts
Ryman Arts, a leading art education program in Southern California, is a national model for transforming the lives and futures of young artists. Meeting a vital need to foster the artistic and personal growth of talented high school students, the program provides rigorous sequential instruction in foundational drawing and painting skills, free of charge. Ryman Arts students also build self-discipline and confidence, and receive college/career guidance, helping position them for future success.
Since its inception in 1990, Ryman Arts has grown from a single class for 12 students, to 20 classes year round for 300+ talented high school students, most from low-income neighborhoods. To date, the program has engaged more than 4,000 Southern California teens in its core 18-month program, and provides outreach activities to thousands more students from inner-city schools, ensuring access for students with the greatest need. The program began in honor of legendary Disney artist and mentor Herbert D. Ryman. For more information visit www.ryman.org or call 213-629-2787.
Contact:
Susan Dunn
Dunn Communications
818-762-4708
Photos available upon request.
SOURCE Ryman Arts
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