The return of the Big Draw

Rugby Art Gallery and Museum won the prestigious National Campaign for Drawing Award last year for its Big Draw event, which included prize funds to spend on workshops for this year.

The 2014 Big Draw event will be linked to the October exhibition ‘It’s a Wrap: Japanese furoshiki past and present.’ Furoshiki textile wrapping cloths are used to carry different types of everyday goods. They are steeped in history and beautifully adorned with print, drawing and symbolism, a perfect starting point for our Big Draw event.

The event will involve six large fabric cloths, each with a different theme linking to the exhibition, hanging throughout the building with an artist or member of staff. The public will be encouraged to create different drawings, stencils, embellishings and wrapping using a wealth of materials. The themes will include brush painting, manga and contemporary Japanese comic design, traditional Japanese drawings, textile stencilling and  local art group ‘ArtLab’ will be creating a new art piece. Participants will also explore tea leaf and light box animations, playing with pattern and mark making and you can try your hand at making an origami box.

Finally a special guest will make an appearance in the foyer of the building. Akemi Solloway will be in full Japanese costume and demonstrating Japanese brush painting and wrapping objects with furoshiki cloths.

Jessica Hartshorn, Rugby Borough Council learning and outreach officer for the art gallery, said: "The Big Draw is always a fun event and this year we have a great selection of activities for all ages. The aim of the day is to encourage all sorts of people to become creative, from the experienced to totally novices and therefore the activities range from easy to challenging.

Cllr Heather Timms, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for culture, said: "We're delighted that artists Akemi Solloway, Trevor Woolery and ‘ArtLab’ are  joining us on the day, and I encourage everyone to come along and join in."

The Big Draw at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum runs from 10.30am to 3.30pm. For more information, call (01788) 533201 or visit www.ragm.co.uk