DRAWING
Attention
The official zine of Urban Sketchers SEPTEMBER 2020
Drawing Attention Mandate Drawing Attention, the official monthly zine of the Urban Sketchers organization, communicates and promotes official USk workshops, symposiums, sketchcrawls, news and events; shares news about USk chapters; and educates readers about the practice of on-location sketching. Thanks to this month’s Drawing Attention contributors: Managing Editor: Patricia Chow Mailchimp layout: Jane Wingfield Issuu layout: Anne Taylor Social Media Designer: Suzala, Frieda Christofides Writers: Mark Alan Anderson, Cathy Gutterman, Rosario Muñoz Gajardo French copy editor: Sophie Navas Spanish copy editor: Rosario Muñoz Gajardo Proofreader: Leslie Akchurin Contributors: Parka, Richard Alomar, Rosemary Connelly, Brigitte Lannaud Levy, Javier Mas Pinturas cover image: Brigitte Lannaud Levy Subscribe to Drawing Attention. Read the August edition of Drawing Attention. Circulation: 13k+ Readership: 16k+ Web: urbansketchers.org Urban Sketchers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering the art of on-location drawing. Click here to make your tax-deductible contribution via Paypal. © 2020 Urban Sketchers. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this publication, including accompanying artwork, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Urban Sketchers organization.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Dear USk Community, It’s encouraging to see so many USk sketchers, groups and chapters out and about, showing the world one drawing at a time. Stay safe, healthy and enjoy! The USk community has demonstrated character, strength and resilience over the past 6 months. You have all met the challenge and been able to continue your practice, share your stories and have reached
across the globe to provide kind words of encouragement and support. As the end of the year approaches we hope you all will continue to sketch, share and help each other in any way you can. Please stay safe, engaged and sketching! Sketching together (one way or another), Richard Alomar USk President
MANAGING EDITOR’S MESSAGE Greetings, Sketchers! I hope you are all keeping well. In this month’s issue we bear witness to a social inclusion project that USk Paris has been engaged in inside a prison; hear the inspiring story of how Robert Reed has overcome mobility challenges to sketch on location with an iPad; catch up with USk Delaware, one of the only statewide chapters in the United States, and sketch with the entire family in Chile (in English and Spanish). In addition, we learn more about the process of becoming an official USk chapter (available in English and Spanish) and hear what the process was like for two of our newest chapters: USk Segamat
(Malaysia) and USk Springfield (USA). Also, don’t forget to send in your reportage proposals for a chance to be featured on USk Talks next season! More information is available here or by emailing usktalks@urbansketchers.org. I would like to express my deep appreciation to the exemplary Drawing Attention team who has worked tirelessly to put out this publication month after month during the extended global pandemic. If you’d like to join our team, send me an email at drawingattention@urbansketchers.org! Enjoy our latest issue! Patricia Chow, Managing Editor, Drawing Attention
CONTENTS 4
10
16
BECOMING AN OFFICIAL USK CHAPTER
USK DELAWARE
USK CHILE
22
30
43
ROBERT REED
‘NOS PRISONS IMAGINAIRES’
ENDNOTES | REVIEWS
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SEPTEMBER 2020 3
Becoming an official USk Chapter
BECOMING AN OFFICIAL USK CHAPTER
PLACE YOUR AD HERE
BY CATHY GUTTERMAN A USk Regional Chapter is a community that wants to meet, sketch, and share, and that promotes the USk Mission and Manifesto. There are over 300 official Urban Sketchers Chapters worldwide and we are growing! Do you know what it takes to be recognized as an official USk Chapter?
WHAT YOU NEED:
and reach
16,000+
artists & art lovers For more information about ad placement, sizes and costs for corporate sponsors, email Raylie at raylie@verizon.net
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• A geographical group that has been sketching together on location and creating work in the spirit of the USk Manifesto as well as posting sketches on social media for 6 months or more. • A free online platform (blog, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram) where members share sketches, interact with each other and learn about group events. • Three local administrators who are committed to the USk Manifesto and Mission. • Contact the nearest official USk Chapter or Regional Leader. • Note: See the sidebar for instructions on how to use the USk Membership site’s Chapter Finder to find your nearest chapter. • The group cannot be affiliated with a private or public business enterprise.
THE PROCESS:
Stage 1 – First contact After reviewing the USk Membership page and confirming that all requirements have been met, email Javier Mas Pinturas, USk Membership Coordinator at membership@urbansketchers.org). Stage 2 – Membership Team confirms all criteria are met: • Group uses a free online platform for sharing sketches and announcing events. • New chapter is not within one hour travel time of another official chapter. • Group’s main platform displays USk Manifesto and shares sketches publicly. Stage 3 – Chapter completes Club Express Form Stage 4 – Chapter presented for USk Board review
USk News & Events
The USk Executive Board reviews applications quarterly. The next chapter submission deadline is November 15, 2020. Stage 5 – Group is notified of new official USk Chapter status
A CHAPTER’S OFFICIAL START DATE DOESN’T ALWAYS TELL THE WHOLE STORY. TWO RECENTLY APPROVED CHAPTERS SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCE. Urban Sketchers Segamat (Malaysia) became an official USk Chapter in May 2020. According to administrator Ng Poh Yong, it took about 14 months for the group to be approved. For more than a year, the group held monthly sketching events, no matter how busy they were. This was not an easy task, but the strong integrity of the members enabled them to continue. They held their first local art exhibition in January 2020. In addition to introducing the group to the local people, the exhibition provided an affirmation to the team and boosted their confidence. The exhibited artworks not only recorded their local historical buildings, but also showcased their team spirit and passion for art. Poh Yong and her group
feel fortunate and honored to be members of the USk organization because it has offered them an opportunity to introduce and share their local culture with the outside world. Poh Yong also feels that being a part of the Urban Sketchers community stimulates the local art market and economic development by bringing recognition to the art of the local people. At the same time, it is a great platform for communicating with fellow urban sketchers all over the world. CONNECT WITH USK SEGAMAT
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Becoming an official USk Chapter
CONNECT WITH USK SPRINGFIELD
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Urban Sketchers Springfield (USA) was also recognized as an official USk Chapter in May 2020. Co-founder Ann Kynion first became aware of Urban Sketchers when visiting her niece, who was part of a small group in Upstate New York. Ann met and drew with them and found it so interesting and enjoyable that she thought other artists from her city would also enjoy it. Springfield did not have any group; the closest USk Chapter was three hours away in Kansas City or four hours away in St. Louis. The artist community in Springfield has pleinair and life drawing groups, but not a group that specifically sketches and records the community. As a retired art teacher, Ann enlisted Rhonda Baldwin, another retired art teacher, and together they started the Springfield group. Various connections to different art groups helped their members add up quickly ... and now their group has just under 100 members. 6 DRAWING ATTENTION
It took about 18 months for USk Springfield to be recognized as an official USk Chapter. One problem arose because, in wanting to be a welcoming group, they allowed people to post drawings which were unrelated to the idea of urban sketching. This was the reason they were at first turned down. By explaining to members when their posts did not fit the Urban Sketchers Manifesto, the problem was solved and they were able to go forward. They asked their members if the purpose for joining their group was to become a part of the USk international group. The response was a unanimous yes and they reapplied for membership. Ann’s advice to prospective groups is to start up your group with the USk Manifesto and as it grows, make sure that the group members want to be a part of the international community. Once that is established, ask questions, work with other groups and connect with the international community.
USk News & Events
HOW TO USE THE USK MEMBERSHIP SITE (CLUB EXPRESS) https://uskmem.clubexpress.com/ This site has information on the requirements to become an official USk chapter, as well as a Chapter Finder with contact information. Navigate the Chapter Finder by clicking on the “+” and “-” buttons (crosshairs) on the
left. Keep clicking on the crosshairs until there are no more, and then click on the name of the chapter and you will see the contact’s name and email, and the chapter’s website.
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Becoming an official USk Chapter CONNECT WITH GENINE
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JAVIER MAS PINTURAS EXPLICA LAS FUNCIONES DEL EQUIPO DE MEMBERSHIP Y LAS VENTAJAS DE CONVERTIRSE EN UN GRUPO OFICIAL USK (CHAPTER) El equipo de Membership se ocupa de apoyar y dar el visto bueno a todos aquellos grupos de dibujantes que deseen unirse de forma oficial a la Comunidad Global Urban Sketchers. Se encarga de la supervisión, apoyo y seguimiento tanto de los más de 300 grupos oficiales existentes y de los que estén interesados en serlo. Cuentan con un gran equipo multicultural de voluntarios repartidos por todo el mundo, según el siguiente organigrama:
COMITÉ MEMBERSHIP USK
i. Directora Membership y Vicepresidenta USk (Genine Carvalheira) ii. Coordinador Membership USk (Javier Mas Pinturas) 1. Líderes Regionales USk: a. Oceanía (Chantal Vincent) b. Asia (Patrick Ng, Alvin Wong y Flora Wang) c. Europa (Javier Mas Pinturas, Inma Lazo y Lolo Wagner para Francia) d. América Central y Sudamérica (William Cordero, Para Brasil: Ivan Jerônimo y Ronaldo Kurita. Un Chapter o grupo oficial sigue el Manifiesto USk y ayuda a promover la misión de USk en su comunidad. Los grupos oficiales poseen administradores que organizan actividades de dibujo, eventos educativos y brindan liderazgo a la comunidad global de dibujantes. Los requisitos para que un grupo de dibujantes forme parte de la Comunidad Urban Sketchers son los siguientes: 1. El grupo ha estado dibujando juntos y publicando los dibujos de sus miembros (no solo de los administradores) regularmente en la red social del grupo durante más de 6 meses y posee una rutina de encuentros para dibujar.
USk News & Events
2. El grupo posee un administrador principal y dos administradores secundarios. 3. El administrador principal se ha puesto en contacto con el grupo oficial más cercano o con un líder regional USk. 4. El grupo no está afiliado a una empresa comercial privada o personal.
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Si su grupo reúne estos requisitos estará listo para iniciar el proceso de oficialización. Para ello el administrador principal deberá registrarse en al Plataforma USk Club Express. Posteriormente uno de nuestros voluntarios le contactará y se ocupará de su solicitud. No hay que olvidar que este proceso puede durar hasta varios meses, dependiendo de la disponibilidad del tiempo libre de nuestros voluntarios y sobre todo de la complejidad de cada grupo a verificar. En algunos casos hay que esperar varios años hasta que el grupo esté preparado para darle la bienvenida. Algunas de las ventajas de que su grupo pertenezca de forma oficial a la Comunidad Global Urban Sketchers, son las siguientes: – Poder comunicarse con el resto de administradores de los más de 300 grupos oficiales existentes en todo el mundo. – Tener el apoyo de la Comunidad USk. – Posibilidad de organizar Workshops USk 10x10 en su grupo, con la difusión y el reconocimiento de la comunidad. – Posibilidad de celebrar el Simposio USk anual en su ciudad. – Apoyo de la organización a través de publicaciones de su grupo o miembros en Drawing Attention y en las Redes Sociales Urban Sketchers. – Autorización para el uso del logo oficial y nombre de la organización en su grupo. Si tiene alguna duda o sugerencia, el Equipo de Membership está a su disposición en: membership@urbansketchers.org.
SEPTEMBER 2020 9
Urban Sketchers DELAWARE ROSEMARY CONNELLY INTRODUCES US TO HER FELLOW SKECTHERS IN USK DELAWARE, WHICH BECAME AN OFFICIAL CHAPTER IN 2017. 10 DRAWING ATTENTION
USk Delaware
I
had long kept “watercolor journals” when I discovered and joined Urban Sketchers, enjoying the concept of old-fashioned sketching married to social media to connect with sketchers throughout the world. In the summer of 2016, I put a call out on Facebook for artists interested in helping me form a chapter of USk in Delaware, and the response was gratifying! Vivienne Cameron, Rebecca Howell, Niki Rose Chester, Morgan Golladay and Jan Crumpley stepped up and the first sketch crawl took place on The Green, a public space in the heart of Dover on September 11, 2016. 13 artists turned out from all over the state!
We had to petition to have our chapter represent the entire state, not one of our cities, since it is so small. Delaware is 96 miles (154 km) long and 9 to 35 miles (14 to 56 km) across, totaling 1,954 square miles (5,060 km2), making it the second-smallest state in the United States after Rhode Island. It did not make sense for any of our small cities to form its own chapter. Since Delaware has only three counties – New Castle in the north, Kent in the center, and Sussex in the south – we decided to alternate locations to reach artists throughout the state interested in sketching on location. We meet once a month on the second Sunday from noon to 3pm and have never had a no-show. Participation ranges anywhere from 3 to 25+ and we have only had to cancel once due to a severe snowstorm. We have had a turnover in admins, but we divide up the counties and it works out really well, with Vivienne and Rebecca in the north, Greer in the south, and me in the center. The admin responsible secures permission to be
ROSEMARY CONNELLY
on the site, makes certain that parking is available, and verifies that there is an alternative indoor location if the weather is inclement, as we sketch year-round. We were honored to have Urban Sketcher extraordinaire Pat Southern Pearce come to my little town of Milford, Delaware in March – shortly before the lockdown – to teach a workshop and join us in a sketch crawl as well! On March 23, 2020, Delaware was put on lockdown due to Covid-19, but that didn’t stop Urban Sketchers from organizing events. In April and May, our sketch crawls were virtual. In June, July and August we organized a combination of live and virtual events, and while the numbers were small in attendance, sketchers contributed to our page with sketches they had done at home as well. SEPTEMBER 2020 11
Featured Chapter
Our last sketch crawl in August brought out five adult sketchers, a preschool age “budding urban sketcher” and an infant! We wear masks and social distance and enjoy the ability to forget about the pandemic for a few hours, as we focus on our subject, getting lost in the process. We will continue to offer both live and virtual events, look-
ing forward to the end of this pandemic when we can gather again as before but until then, we are grateful for Urban Sketchers and the opportunity to share our world, one sketch at a time! What a great organization this is! If you are ever in the neighborhood, look us up!
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THE ‘LITTLEST SKETCHER’ 12 DRAWING ATTENTION
USk Delaware
LEFT: JANE DEANS SKETCH AT APEX MEDICAL CENTRE BELOW: ROSEMARY CONNELLY SKETCH AT DOGFISH HEAD
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Featured Chapter
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SKETCHBOOKS AT CAPE MAY LEWES FERRY
USk Delaware
PARSON THORNE SKETCHBOOKS
SEPTEMBER 2020 15
Featured Chapter
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USk Chile
Drawing with Your Family THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC HAS SEEN USK CHILE MEMBERS RECONNECTING WITH THE PLEASURE OF SKETCHING AT HOME WITH THE FAMILY. BY ROSARIO MUÑOZ GAJARDO
ABOVE: BEATRIZ NOVOA LEFT: VALERIA Y CRISTIÁN DZIEKONSKI SEPTEMBER 2020 17
Featured Chapter
T
he pandemic has taken something from us all, and urban sketchers have undoubtedly been affected at the heart of what we like to do. In Urban Sketchers Chile, after complaining about not being able to go out to draw in the field like many other chapters, we began to try virtual meetings. Although we cannot compare the online mode with sketching in the city itself, these meetings have helped us to appease our nostalgia for the streets and parks. In addition, we have discovered beautiful things, and one of them has been to include the family. Here I share with you some thoughts from our members about drawing with the family. Some sketch with their young daughters, adolescent or adult children, with their partner, or all together. Victoria, age 6, is the daughter of Daniela Monterrosa, one of USk Chile’s admins. She has come several times with her mother to our “real” outings in Santiago and during these months of lockdown, we have seen her together with Daniela on Zoom. “What motivates her the most is doing things with me. She knows that it is something that only the two of us do at home,” says Daniela, “so it is our time together and our superpower. It is also an opportunity to explore her creativity, explaining to her that every result is incredible.” Matías Dziekonski draws together with his wife Valeria and their grown son Cristián. “I really don’t know how it happened,” Matías assures me, “but we liked the idea,
since we found ourselves with a very welcoming and diverse group, where it was possible to display one’s skills without modesty.” For Valeria, the value of this experience has to do with the fact that “each other’s opinions enhance everyone’s work.” Cristián, for his part, told me that drawing with his parents has been an opportunity to generate “a more intimate and personal space, where each person concentrates on their own way of doing it. So we share and express our opinions about the work of others, but in our very own space. That is what I love about drawing as a family, in addition to seeing the different styles, which reflect the character of each one of us.” Beatriz and her father Omer Novoa have also left a space on Sundays to draw with the group. She always liked to see her father’s drawings, and was very enthusiastic about what he did, until she finally dared to try herself: “I really like that you can express yourself in the way you want and in many different ways. I saw that there were people who drew the same image, but each one made it totally different and that captures my attention.” Although the motivations and results may be different, drawing as a family is always stimulating and rewarding. For those who are fortunate enough to be able to share this interest with a member of their family, the best advice is to make the most of it, enjoy, and let go. CONNECT WITH USK CHILE
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USk Chile
SEPTEMBER 2020 19
Featured Chapter
La belleza de dibujar en familia POR ROSARIO MUÑOZ GAJARDO
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a pandemia nos ha quitado algo a todos, y los dibujantes urbanos, indudablemente, hemos sido afectados en el corazón de lo que nos gusta hacer. En Urban Sketchers Chile luego de lamentarnos por no poder salir a dibujar en terreno, como muchos otros capítulos, comenzamos a probar salidas virtuales. Si bien el modo online no se compara con recorrer la ciudad, estas instancias nos han ayudado a aplacar la nostalgia por las calles y parques. Además, hemos descubierto cosas bonitas y una de ellas ha sido poder hacer parte a la familia. Aquí quiero contar un poco de lo que mis compañeros y compañeras del grupo me han expresado qué es para ellos dibujar en familia. Algunos con hijas pequeñas, adolescentes o adultos, o con la pareja, o todos juntos.
MUSEO ARTEQUIN BY 20 DRAWING ATTENTION
VICTORIA ROSALES
Victoria (6) es hija de Daniela Monterrosa, una de las coordinadoras de USK Chile. Fue varias veces con su mamá a nuestras salidas “reales” por Santiago. Y en estos meses de pandemia, la hemos visto junto a Daniela: “Lo que más la motiva es hacer cosas conmigo, ella sabe
que es algo que en la casa solo hacemos las dos, dice Daniela, entonces es nuestro momento juntas y nuestro superpoder. También es una oportunidad para explorar su creatividad, explicándole que todo resultado es increíble”. Matías Dziekonski dibuja al lado de su esposa Valeria y su hijo Cristián. “En realidad no sé cómo sucedió –asegura Matías – pero nos gustó la idea, ya que nos fuimos encontrando con un grupo muy acogedor y diverso, donde era posible desplegar sin pudores las habilidades que uno tuviera. Para Valeria el valor de esta experiencia tiene que ver con que ”las opiniones de unos y otros potencian el trabajo de todos”. Cristián, por su parte, me contó que dibujar con sus padres ha sido la oportunidad para generar “un espacio más íntimo y personal, en donde cada uno se concentra en su forma propia de hacerlo. Entonces compartimos y opinamos de los trabajos de los otros, pero en un espacio muy propio. Eso es lo que me encanta de dibujar en familia, además de ver las distintas miradas, que reflejan las características de la forma de ser de cada uno de nosotros”. Beatriz y su papá Omer Novoa también han dejado un espacio los domingo para juntarse a dibujar con el grupo. A ella siempre le gustó ver los dibujos de su papá y le entusiasmaba mucho lo que él hacía, hasta que se atrevió a probar: “Me gusta mucho esto que uno se puede expresar de la forma que uno quiera y de muchas maneras diferentes. Vi que había gente que hacía la misma imagen, pero cada uno la hacía totalmente diferente y eso me llama mucho la atención”. Si bien las motivaciones y los resultados pueden ser distintos, dibujar en familia siempre es algo que estimula y hace bien. Los que tienen la fortuna de compartir este interés con algún miembro de su familia, el mejor consejo es aprovecharlo al máximo, disfrutar y dejarse llevar.
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o que más la motiva es hacer cosas conmigo, ella sabe que es algo que en la casa solo hacemos las dos, dice Daniela, entonces es nuestro momento juntas y nuestro superpoder. También es una oportunidad para explorar su creatividad, explicándole que todo resultado es increíble” – Daniela Monterrosa
ABOVE: ACUARELA BY CRISTIÁN DZIEKONSKI, JULY 2020 SEPTEMBER 2020 21
Sketcher Spotlight
Art on My Terms USING PROCREATE, AN APPLE PENCIL, AND AN IPAD, ROBERT REED HASN’T ALLOWED MOBILITY TO HAMPER DEVELOPMENT OF A UNIQUE APPROACH TO DRAWING ON LOCATION. BY MARK ALAN ANDERSON.
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efore Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) changed his life and took away his mobility, Robert Reed worked as a chef in and around Kansas City, Washington DC, New York, and Charleston, South Carolina. PLS is a type of motor neuron disease that causes nerves within the brain to slowly breakdown. This makes the nerves unable to activate the motor neurons in the spinal cord, which control muscles. “I started drawing at around 10 years old and honestly didn’t enjoy it very much,” Reed says. “I would occasionally draw for my family, but never for enjoyment.” The limitations of mobility led him to reevaluate the role drawing and painting was to have in his life. “One thing that makes my on-location work difficult now is sometimes I cannot get to the location, and I can’t be alone for long periods – my physicality demands I have help.” The day Reed drew the Nichols fountain was also the day he was diagnosed. After his diagnosis, he was struck by the idea that there would be places he eventually would be unable to visit and things he wouldn’t be able to do. He wanted to see the fountain on his terms one last time, so
he took his iPad with him and drew it as he saw it. That seminal event was a starting point for him. He uses Procreate to sketch and create digital art. Reed feels Procreate is more forgiving than paper and ink, and has developed a style that allows him to capture the scene of his subject without using precise lines and shapes. He uses layers to manipulate color and line to render a scene that – up close – looks almost as if it is “melting,” but remains recognizable from afar. “Most of what I draw, I draw because it’s aesthetically pleasing to my eye. But there are exceptions; I see places I can no longer access in my wheelchair, and I want to be a part of them, and drawing them is the only way I know to participate and be present. My art allows me accessibility. It allows me to be anywhere and do anything I want.” Reed draws things he knows and places he loves – places he can no longer visit and enjoy as he once did. He may no longer be able to lift a foot into a fountain, walk up a path, or climb stairs, but sketching on location means SEPTEMBER 2020 23
Sketcher Spotlight
he can still be a part of things. “I will continue to draw and create as long as I’m able. Eventually, I will illustrate with just my eyes moving the cursor and nothing else.” He currently uses an Apple Pencil to draw much of his work but is gravitating towards a full-time eye gaze machine with Procreate to move the cursor using only eye-movements. “So, where to from here?” He shares that his iPad helps to make everything accessible. His favorite place in Kansas City is the NelsonAtkins Museum of Art, and when the pandemic is over he plans to spend several days there drawing the grounds. “A Mary Cassatt is hanging in the museum about eye-level to my chair... She used colors present but often overlooked to create a painting of the female subject. The piece inspired me to create what I see, not what I think other people see. I will visit her and then go and draw what I see in the grounds.”
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Robert Reed
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Sketcher Spotlight
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Robert Reed
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Sketcher Spotlight
“I
see places I can no longer access in my wheelchair, and I want to be a part of them, and drawing them is the only way I know to participate and be present” – Robert Reed
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Robert Reed
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Featured Chapter – USk Paris
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OUR IMAGINARY
PRISONS
‘NOS PRISONS IMAGINAIRES’ (OUR IMAGINARY PRISONS) IS A SOULFUL STATEMENT USING PAINTING AND SKETCHING TO CONVEY WHAT IT MEANS TO BE INCARCERATED. BY MARK ALAN ANDERSON
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Featured Chapter – USk Paris
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arisian Urban Sketcher Brigitte Lannaud Levy (right) is a painter and illustrator with a particular interest in “solidarity projects” – group social justice projects that give voice to the disenfranchised within their community. During an exhibition of drawings by children from Secours Populaire that they organized at the Panthéon, Levy and Marion Rivolier were approached by a curator from the Conciergerie in charge of the event ‘Nos Prisons Imaginaires’. “(He) suggested that we participate in this event which takes place during the ‘Month of Drawing’ in Paris,” says Levy. “The idea was to install surfaces to be painted the size of a prisoner’s cell, i.e., nine square meters, and that three artists representing the average number of prisoners per cell create a work on the theme of ‘our imaginary prisons.’” Levy and Rivolier formed a team of Parisian Urban Sketchers. The group decided to build a work based upon observations of La Santé, a prison located in Paris. They were granted permission to organize morning inmate workshops, and were able to take advantage of afternoons to draw different areas of the prison itself, including the walking yards, the cells, and corridors. Self-expression often comes with unexpected challenges, but discovering the reality of a prison shocked them to the core. “An inmate spends an average of 22 hours out of 24 locked up with two fellow inmates in a nine square meter cell,” Levy shares. “The prospect of being exposed as artists in their own right made them feel a great sense of pride…for our sketchers, it was an extraordinary human and artistic adventure.”
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PHOTO BY CAROLE CARBONNIER
Nos Prisons Imaginaires
“T
he prospect of being exposed as artists in their own right made them feel a great sense of pride…for our sketchers, it was an extraordinary human and artistic adventure” – Brigitte Lannaud Levy
PRISONERS IN THE WALKING COURTYARD OF THE PENITENTIARY CENTRE, PARIS LA SANTÉ BY BRIGITTE LANNAUD LEVY
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Featured Chapter – USk Paris
In a poignant twist of fate, the sketchers themselves experienced months of confinement during the early days of the pandemic. This small taste of what those incarcerated undergo everyday touched them all. Cut off from the world, their eventual reunion was described as very intense. The work produced by Levy’s group was itself quite challenging: painting on nine square meters involved a great deal of physicality. Fortunately, efforts were tempered by the meticulous preparation of Marion Rivolier, who is a scenographer. Incarceration carries with it the responsibility of rehabilitation. “It is a question of not simply monitoring and punishing convicts, but also of awakening their conscience, revealing them to the best of their ability to reintegrate as well as possible. Artistic practice is a benefit in this sense. To better endure the sentence, but also to reveal oneself to oneself.” Prison is a dark place where
the muse never leaves; perhaps, as Levy points out, artmaking provides some welcome self-esteem. The group is working on a possible continued exhibition of the huge art piece, to be titled “Voyage autour de ma cellule” (Journey around my cell) inside the prison, so that inmates can see it in person. The USk Paris team includes Brigitte Lannaud Levy, Marion Rivolier, Claire Archenault, Mat Let, Marielle Durand, Tula Moraes, photographer Carole Charbonnier, and videographer David Rivolier. Drawing supplies were provided by Canson and Faber-Castell. “We want to thank very warmly the sketchers from the prison La Santé who allowed us to present their sketches at the Conciergerie Museum: BM, JF, Balti, Maicky, Burn-Man, Jay, Pedja, Salim, Guillaume, Sergio, Lyx. They can be as proud as we are to have shared the artistic performance with them. Thank you for your trust.”
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Nos Prisons Imaginaires
TULA MORALES WITH SKETCH BY JR WORKSHOP WITH PRISONERS IN THE WALKING COURTYARD LED BY MARIELLE DURAND AND TULA MORAES. PHOTO BY CAROLE CHARBONNIER
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Featured Chapter – USk Paris
‘NOS PRISONS IMAGINAIRES’ PAR MARK ALAN ANDERSON TRADUIT PAR SOPHIE NAVAS
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os Prison Imaginaires’ est une déclaration pleine de tendresse, pour évoquer la vie en incarcération, par le biais du dessin et de la
Santé, à Paris. L’autorisation leur est donnée d’organiser des ateliers avec les détenus, et le groupe peut profiter des après-midis pour dessiner à l’intérieur du centre de détention, y compris les cours, les cellules et les corridors.
Membre des Urban Sketchers Paris, Brigitte Lannaud Levy est une artiste peintre et illustratrice qui porte beaucoup d’intérêt dans les “projets solidaires”, c’est-àdire des projets de justice sociale de groupe qui donnent la parole aux personnes privées de leurs droits au sein de leur communauté.
La libre expression artistique surgit souvent des défis inattendus, mais découvrir le monde de la prison a profondément touché le groupe de dessinateurs “Un détenu passe en moyenne 22 heures sur 24 enfermé avec deux co-détenus dans une pièce de 9 m²” raconte l’illustratrice “La perspective d’être exposés comme artistes leur a procuré une grande fierté… et pour nos sketchers c’était une expérience humaine et artistique hors du commun.”
peinture.
C’est lors d’une exposition de dessins d’enfants que le groupe organisait avec le Secours Populaire au Panthéon, que Brigitte Lannaud Levy et Marion Rivolier furent approchées par le conservateur de la Conciergerie, en charge de l’événement ‘Nos Prisons Imaginaires’. “Il a suggéré que nous participions à cet événement qui se tient pendant le Mois du Dessin à Paris” raconte Brigitte Lannaud Levy “L’idée était d’installer des toiles de la taille d’une cellule de prison, c’est à dire 9m², et que trois artistes, représentant la population moyenne par cellule en France, créent une oeuvre sur le thème des “prisons imaginaires”.” Brigitte Lannaud Levy et Marion Rivolier forment donc une équipe constituée de membres du groupe Urban Sketchers de Paris. Le groupe décide alors de proposer un travail basé sur leurs observations à la prison de la 36 DRAWING ATTENTION
Par un subit retournement de situation, les dessinateurs ont eux-mêmes expérimenté une période de plusieurs mois de confinement au début de la pandémie. Cet aperçu de ce que les détenus subissent tout au long de l’année les a tous marqués. Après avoir été coupés de tout contact avec le monde, leurs retrouvailles à la sortie furent riches en émotions. Le travail fourni par le groupe de Brigitte Lannaud Levy était en soi un vrai défi: peindre sur des toiles de 9m² implique un vrai investissement physique. Heureusement, tous ces efforts ont été coordonnés grâce à une préparation méticuleuse de Marion Rivolier, également scénographe. L’incarcération porte avec elle la responsabilité de la
Nos Prisons Imaginaires
PRISON CELL, PARIS LA SANTÉ BY BRIGITTE LANNAUD LEVY SEPTEMBER 2020 37
Featured Chapter – USk Paris
réhabilitation: “Ce n’est pas une question de simplement surveiller et punir, mais aussi de réveiller leurs consciences, pour leur permettre de révéler le meilleur d’eux-mêmes pour se réinsérer. La pratique artistique peut être bénéfique. Pour mieux endurer la pein de prison, mais aussi pour se révéler à soi-même”. La prison est un endroit sombre où les pensées ne partent jamais tout à fait, comme le souligne Brigitte Lannaud Levy; la création artistique peut alors procurer une nouvelle estime de soi. Le groupe travaille à présent sur une extension possible de l’exposition de cette énorme oeuvre d’art, intitulée “Voyage autour de ma cellule” à l’intérieur même de la prison, afin que les détenus puissent la voir de leurs propres yeux. Le groupe USk Paris est composé de Brigitte Lannaud Levy, Marion Rivolier, Claire Archenault, Mat Let, Marielle Durand, Tula Moraes, la photographe Carole Charbonnier, et le vidéaste David Rivolier. Le matériel de dessin a été fourni par Canson et Faber-Castell. “Nous voulons remercier très chaleureusement les dessinateurs de la prison de la Santé qui nous ont permis de présenter leurs croquis au Musée de la Conciergerie: BM, JF, Balti, Maicky, Burn-Man, Jay, Pedja, Salim, Guillaume, Sergio, Lyx. Ils peuvent être aussi fiers que nous d’avoir partagé cette performance artistique. Merci pour votre confiance.”
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Nos Prisons Imaginaires
SKETCH BY BRIGITTE LANNAUD LEVY
SE CONNECTER AVEC BRIGITTE LANNAUD LEVY
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SE CONNECTER AVEC LE GROUPE URBAN SKETCHERS PARIS
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Featured Chapter – USk Paris
SKETCH BY JF
40 DRAWING ATTENTION
SKETCH BY BRIGITT
TE LANNAUD LEVY
Nos Prisons Imaginaires
THE CONCIERGERIE PHOTO BY CAROLE CHARBONNIER
SEPTEMBER 2020 41
Sketcher Spotlight
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PARKA REVIEWS
BY TEOH YI CHIE
Teoh Yi Chie is an infographics journalist who joined Urban Sketchers Singapore in 2009. He’s probably better known as Parka from Parkablogs.com, a website that reviews art books and art products. This month Parka video reviews Koval Sketchbook with Cotton Watercolour Paper. Check it out!
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Our Manifesto • We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation • Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel • Our drawings are a record of time and place • We are truthful to the scenes we witness • We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles • We support each other and draw together • We share our drawings online • We show the world, one drawing at a time.
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