The drawing shed was an Arts Council funded project in collaboration with artist Sally Labern, running BIG drawing days in an area of Walthamstow, East London, Part of the Be Creative Be Well initiative.
In 2009 artist Sally Labern and I were commissioned by Arts Council England, to develop a project we called “the drawing shed”, as part of their Be Creative Be Well strand. Together with architect Mark Parsons from studio polpo, we designed and constructed a mobile drawing studio, which we wheeled around the streets of Walthamstow, inviting people to join us in drawing guerilla style, en route to venues. On arrival, the shed folds out, ramps down and is used as a base for drawing, in all its forms. We papered out whole rooms, leading group and individual drawing sessions, some started with a yoga trainer, stretching and drawing with the whole body, using graphite sticks to make marks.
Based at the local YMCA, we worked with many different groups using drawing as a form of communication and social cohesion – we had amazing outcomes. An outdoor drawing day on the estate brought residents together with ymca residents over tea and drawing. We papered an adventure play area for some physical action with a group of young adults with learning and physical disabilities. A whole year 6 group drew together. We took the drawing shed to the Green Fair and led a mass drawing event in the park, using paper from all the projects, the paper almost taking off with a gust of wind, and then turned into a bed! Finally we ran a hugely successful drawing day (for The Big Draw) at an abandoned Woolies building in Leytonstone, with 400 people dropping in and 100 square meters of paper. The drawing shed has been given further funding by The Arts Council.
The Campaign for Drawing features it as a case study:
http://www.campaignfordrawing.net/the-big-draw/critical-mass-draw
The project was also highly commended by the Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust
There is a video of the shed and interviews for the Well London website here:
http://www.london.gov.uk/welllondon/casestudies/drawingShed.jsp
Since I disappeared and moved up North, I’m happy to report the drawing shed continues and grows without me! Sally Labern now collaborates with Bobby Lloyd on 2 new projects Print Bike and ClayOven.
Go to : http://www.thedrawingshed.org
I continue to independently run body drawing days.