By Nancy O'Brien

Since its acclaimed re-opening, the Rijksmuseum has been at the forefront of shaping new approaches to the way we engage with art. From the digital innovation of the Rijksstudio to the Art is Therapy exhibition, the leading national museum of the Netherlands has brought audiences closer to its collections and taken a chronological approach to the display and presentation of art.

The education team behind The Big Draw Rijksmuseum have applied the same angle of detail to their weekend of events this Saturday and Sunday, which will be announced with a new take on The Big Draw logo designed by Irma Boom.

Thousands of postcards will be distributed to up to 20,000 visitors, inviting them to fill the blank space with a sketch, a drawing or a scribble, as they capture for a moment an impression of the collection, or the contour of part of the building they stand in.

Wim Pijbes, the Director of the Rijksmuseum said:

"I am proud that the entire Rijksmuseum can be an artist’s workshop for everyone during the weekend because life is too beautiful not to draw".

Easels will be erected in the atrium space, an extravagant picnic scene will be constructed; there will be life drawing, children’s workshops in the historic drawing school, and a lecture staged as a free event in-keeping with the ethos of The Big Draw.

Sue Grayson Ford, the Director of the Campaign for Drawing said: 

"It’s wonderful that the fast-growing international Big Draw family now embraces the Rijksmuseum, one of the world’s most inspiring and best loved museums, and that museum visitors will be able to add to their experiences by drawing in response to the collection."

The Big Draw Rijksmuseum will take place on Saturday 11 October and Sunday 12 October.