The Big Draw Festival 2019 is well underway and as Big Draw co-creators across the globe unite in their passion for the pencil, we catch up with the people behind the hundreds of #DrawnToLife projects coming your way this October...

This is Snite Museum of Art's second year taking part in The Big Draw Festival! After the huge successes of last year's events, we were excited to catch up with Sarah Martin - Curator of Education at Snite Museum of Art - to find out all about what the Museum has planned for The Big Draw Festival 2019 to satisfy your creative itch. We hope you enjoy the interview!

Hi Sarah! Thanks so much for talking to us today. Could you start by telling us a little bit about the Snite Museum of Art, it’s history and your work as Curator of Education?

The Snite Museum of Art is an art museum located on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in northern Indiana in the United States. Our collections are diverse ranging from works from ancient Mesoamerica to French Academic paintings to contemporary photographs to a sculpture park covering nine acres and home to 13 contemporary sculptures. The visual arts have been a core part of the University from its very beginning in 1842. The Museum as it exists today has been a part of the campus and larger community since the 1980s.

Founded on the principle that art is essential to understanding individual, shared, and diverse human experiences and beliefs, the museum encourages close looking and critical thinking. Experiences with significant, original works of art are intended to stimulate inquiry, dialogue and wonder for audiences across the academy, the community, and around the world—all in support of the University of Notre Dame’s Catholic mission. The museum's core values include: building, preserving, and providing access to collections for students, faculty, and the community; diverse cultures, ideas, and audiences; relevance and social responsibility; and collaborating with on- and off-campus communities.

I am one of two Curators of Education here in the Museum. Decades ago it was determined that as a Museum we had two audiences to serve who needed and wanted very different things—the on campus community (students, staff, faculty) and the off campus community (schools, families, adults)—and that we needed two different people to serve them. Out of this was created the Curator of Education, Public Programs (focusing on off-campus communities) and the Curator of Education, Academic Programs (focusing on on-campus communities). I am the Curator of Education, Public Programs and have the pleasure of working with people of all ages from our diverse surrounding community every day. Their insights and perspectives on the works in our collections and exhibitions inspire me every day!

This will be the Snite Museum of Art’s second year taking part in The Big Draw Festival! What initially motivated you to get involved in the Festival?

It was a happy accident, I think! I am always looking to develop programs that will both help people connect with works of art in our collection and will help them discover the creativity within themselves. I came across The Big Draw’s website as I was looking for inspiration online one day in early 2018 and was sold! We needed to be involved! 

We believe that every single person has creativity within them whether, they recognize it or not. They only need the encouragement and the chance to explore it. We hope that our programs for this year’s Big Draw Festival will provide that encouragement and opportunity to people of all ages.

Can you tell us a little bit about last year’s Big Draw events at the Snite Museum? Were there any particular highlights that you could point to, or challenges that you faced which influenced your programming for The Big Draw Festival 2019?

We loved participating in the 2018 festival! We started small with a program we’d done in the past with success (facilitated nude figure drawing sessions in the galleries) and added two new programs (workshops for teachers and the public on botanical drawing and “Snite Sketches”). Our communities were excited by each program and we saw many new faces mixed in with our “regulars.” The “Snite Sketches” program was the biggest surprise. For the month of October, we took a small hallway space and converted it into an area to encourage sketching in the galleries. We set out papers, pencils, drawing boards, and some basic drawing prompts to get people started. We then encouraged them to find a spot in a gallery and just sketch. They could take their works with them or leave them to share with others. To facilitate the sharing of sketches, we built a large frame on the wall so that people could tape up their sketches to share with other visitors. We also shared these sketches each week via social media. When we de-installed the space, we had visitors asking about it for weeks after. This has prompted us to think about having a more permanent space like this somewhere in the Museum. Until we can make that a reality we are again having “Snite Sketches” as part of our Big Draw programming this October.

For 2019 we have added a new, larger program to our Big Draw events—a Monster Drawing Rally! We are going to have 24 artists (half from campus and half from the community) drawing live in the Museum. Program attendees will have the chance to purchase completed works for a small donation to one of our partner schools. We will also have a DJ, food, a cash bar, and opportunities for those attending to do a little drawing of their own. We’re looking forward to a very fun, family-friendly, and funky Rally!

One of the main components of our work here at The Big Draw is promoting the influence of visual literacy. We believe that it is crucial to a multitude of industries and disciplines, not just within the visual arts sector. What are your views on the benefits of being ‘visually literate’ in one’s everyday life?

Visual literacy is everything for us as humans…today and in the past! As humans we have always needed to be visually literate, just in different environments. In the distant past we needed to be hyper aware of subtle changes in our surroundings that might suggest a predator approaching. It was a matter of survival to be visually literate. Today, we’re no longer in danger of being eaten by a wild animal but we are still in danger of being consumed by something - technology. We see thousands of images every day and as individuals we can now also create thousands of images a day. If we don’t have the skills to effectively process and responsibly create these images we are going to be in real trouble. I think this is where art museums can really step in and help people develop their visual literacy skills. It is by creating and having discussions about works of art that our visual literacy skills can be strengthened.  Art museums are an ideal place for this skill building to take place.

We believe that drawing is a universal language, with the ability to change lives. What are your views on the importance of drawing?

Drawing is so important! It is a form of seeing and is another way to take notes on things in the world around us. It is an important tool and does not always have to result in a work of art. As children we all draw but at some point in our lives that act (and the joy we take in it) seems to be pushed out of many of us. This is sad and I think at the end of the day, dangerous. If we can’t understand the world around us in multiple ways—through words and images—we are in danger of missing and mis-understanding large portions of our world.

Is there any advice or guidance you would give to someone considering organising their own Big Draw event?

My advice would be, “Just do it!” Drawing is something that doesn’t require special materials or technology. A pencil, a surface to draw on, and your eyes are all you need. We can all draw if given the chance and the challenge.

Thank you Sarah and the team at Snite Museum of Art!

Snite Museum of Art is one of our Big Draw Festival 2019 Sponsor Partners.

Have you been inspired by Sarah's interview and The Big Draw Festival 2019 theme: #DrawntoLife? Why not join our global Festival in 2019? Registration is now open! Find out more about the benefits of becoming an organiser here and other ways to support The Big Draw's mission here.