Visitors are encouraged to channel their inner artist to help decorate a Victorian drawing room in this exciting Big Draw 2012 event hosted by the De Morgan Centre. The Drawing Room of Mr and Mrs De Morgan will run from October 2nd to October 20th 2012.

The Big Draw is a nationwide season of activities aimed at expanding the boundaries of art and engaging communities in creative activities; the theme for 2012 encourages people to explore the universality and power of the line.

For the De Morgan Centre’s first Big Draw event, the temporary exhibition space will be transformed into an Arts and Crafts home with a twist. Consisting entirely of drawn outlines and silhouettes, it is up to the visitors to decorate with detail and colour, bringing the room to life, with the help of local artists Susie Prus and Eileen Reed.

In this collaborative project, funded by a Wandsworth Council Arts Grant, participants will be encouraged to channel their creativity to draw designs on vases and tiles to decorate the mantel piece and fireplace, draw and colour in stained glass windows, and create curious creatures, beasts and fish to populate the garden and fish pond. The Centre will invite local schools to participate and adorn bird cages with three dimensional wire “drawn” birds.

Visitors can peruse the gallery and find inspiration from the works of Victorian artists William and Evelyn De Morgan, themselves masters of fantastical scenes and mythical creatures, and leading figures of the Arts and Crafts Movement. In the Drawing Room, visitors will have a chance to interact with the exhibition by adding their contribution, rearranging tiles and redecorating the room, and even fishing for sea creatures in the pond.

Curator Claire Longworth states:
“Over the course of the exhibition,we will see the space transform from a blank canvas into a vibrant display glowing with the artistic creativity of the Centre’s visitors.”

The Centre will hold a special drawing event on Sunday 7th October, with an artist providing participatory workshops for all visitors. People of all ages and drawing abilities will be encouraged to contribute their own designs or pieces inspired by the De Morgans, in this event which aims to discover the artist in everyone. Families and young children in particular are encouraged to participate in this exciting drawing event.

August 30, 2012