In 2018, scientists working in a cave outside Capetown, South Africa discovered red crayon markings on a stone believed to be the earliest known drawing, about 73,000 years old. Fast forward to the 1980s and we find prolific Pop artist Keith Haring embellishing blank surfaces in the New York City subway with what would amount to over 5,000 chalk drawings. Ancient and modern, this impulse to draw seems to be hard-wired into all Homo sapiens as what author D.B. Dowd calls a personal capacity for visual thinking.
The practice of drawing invites the brain to engage concepts and objects in new ways: mapping, problem-solving, observing, remembering, inventing— a process that unfolds dynamically across all spheres of human activity from engineering to illustration.
The art of drawing is the flourishing of this human capacity. Join us as we think through the many forms and functions of drawing, exploring examples from the museum collection and the community.
Community artists include Abbey Elaine Rosko, Afiwa Afandalo, Agnes den Hartogh, Alexia Drey, Alyssa Klinger, Andrea Jones, Andrew Bulman, Andrew Hutchinson, Angela Melchionne, Anna Kuo, Anthony Smith Jr., Anthony Viscardi, Audrey Yerrington, Brandon H Nguyen, Brenda Gadow, Carly Friend, Caroline Falowski, Carolyn Brior, Christopher William Haga, Ciara Gallagher, Colleen Campbell, Corianne Thompson, Craig D Newick, Davon Providence, Ed Courrier, Elena Yerrington, Elizabeth Hutchinson, Emma Cook, Emma Kaiser, Erica Fischer, Erin Firestone, Frederick Wright Jones, Jacqueline Thomas, Jaime Bloss, Jason Travers, Jeff Koopman, Jeff Waterhouse, Ji Ho Choi, Joanna Yerrington, Joanne Mazzeo, Joe Ciardiello, Judith Fritchman, Juliette Tenebruso, Katharine Shelly, Kathi Ember, Kathy Ford, Kathy Lund, Katie Arnold, Kayla C Trusk, Kelly McCallister, Kimberly Tanzos, Kristen T. Woodward, Larkin Deal, Lauren Kuhn, Lee Levin-Friend, Les Fletcher, Lila Hewitt, Linda Ganus, Lucy Gans, Maciek Albrecht, Mackenzie Campbell, Marcella Blancato, Maria Kazakia, Martha Lubow, Mary Newbegin, Maryann Riker, MaryJo M Rosania-Harvie, Mateo Perez, Matt David Snyder, Matt Halm, Melanie Reim, Melina G. Mitsogiorgakis, Melyssa Brazzero, Monica D. Salazar, Nicole Gencarelli, Paige Zimmerman, Pat Delluva, Pat Southern-Pearce, Paul M Nicholson, Philip Kain, Philip Schilling, Polette A. Dorman, Preethy Jayant, Rachel Houck, Rokia Whitehouse, Rosanne B. McGinn, Rose Murphy, Ruby Grace Romero, S. J. Buffington, Samantha Livingston, Sammy Wendland, Sawyer Hewitt, Sharon M Gross, Stacy Creyer, Tara M Santoro, Tessa Laverty, Thania Inoa De Jesus, Tony Sienzant, Veronica Lawlor, Winnie Deal, Zach Boop, Zena Meighan, Zoey Sobrinski, Xiaolong Wang, Lindsay Woodruff, and Sampson Woodruff.
View the entire exhibition by clicking on the PDF below and/or by watching the video below.
Exhibition and programs supported by The Breen Foundation
Free education programs and events will invite everyone to make their mark--no prior training or experience required. Join us throughout the year for opportunities to hear from experts from a variety of fields of inquiry, participate in hands-on activities, attend community events, and more.
