Education

USK EDUCATION DURING THE PANDEMIC

Early in the year, the USk Symposium, workshops, seminars, and other educational programs had to be canceled. The global pandemic struck at the heart of what we do as sketchers – draw on location, tell stories of our world, gather with our local chapters, and travel. This year put to the test the power of connection, community and creativity, and Urban Sketchers responded with unity, thirst for learning, and endurance.

BARCELONA ARTIST MARU GODAS SHARED THE GIANT SKETCHBOOKS SHE CREATED DURING LOCKDOWN IN EPISODE 1 OF USK TALKS

Right from the outset we saw how the community adapted quickly to the changing circumstances. A new hashtag #uskathome was born and social media was awash with sketches that inspired us to look for subjects to draw in our immediate environment.

SKETCH WITH HONG KONG In lieu of the canceled Symposium and out of appreciation for the work that USk Hong Kong had done in planning it, Education, Events, and Social Media teams put together a week long event where we encouraged our community to post drawings done on location and united under two themes:

• Sketches of Hong Kong done on location • “Aha” moments of sketching breakthroughs.

Sketchers were encouraged to post their drawings with the hashtags and a special watermark to make them stand out. The event culminated in a USk Talks episode where Hong Kong sketchers talked about what went into planning the Symposium, highlighting their city and the community of Urban Sketchers. Many participated, sharing their touching tributes to the local chapter and their breakthrough moments from previous Symposia. It really felt like the closest we could have gotten to having a Symposium without actually having one. USK TALKS A new USk program called USk Talks was born in March of 2020. The idea was initially suggested by the former Education Director Mário Linhares and developed by the current Education Director Rita Sabler, in close collaboration with Education Committee member Rob Sketcherman, and Social Media Director Noga Grosman. Our goal was simple – to inspire and uplift our community at this dark moment. Sketchers around the world have responded with great interest

and enthusiasm to our weekly live streams, posting numerous drawings of the show in response to weekly challenges presented by the guests. The feedback has been great so far, and every week our viewership grew. Adding segments to YouTube and IGTV has allowed us to archive the episodes, further expanding our reach.

The idea behind the show is simple. Bring the familiar faces of our beloved instructors, chapter leaders and sketchers to everyone’s living room. Our routines are disrupted and we can no longer gather safely to learn and sketch together physically, but we can continue to stay connected and learn by hearing inspiring ideas from those most respected in our field. The shows took the form of a short friendly interview with two speakers providing different takes on the same subject.

The birth of the USk Talks program during such a dark time will be a symbol of our community persevering in the face of obstacles. Right now it is a bright spot each weekend for sketchers to see familiar faces, beautiful sketches, and get inspired to try a new method, tool or subject. When things return to normal, this program can continue to be an accessible platform to spread our message of education and community.

EDUCATORS FORUM On June 4, 2020 we held our first Educators’ Forum inviting USk instructors to share their feelings and experiences related to the current situation and offer innovative solutions for teaching and learning remotely. Several instructors offered helpful tips ranging from recording demos, equipment, ensuring effective studentteacher interaction during distance learning, platforms, and technical aspects of Zoom. One of the important topics that was addressed was how technology could serve as a tool going forward in the post-pandemic world.

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH On May 21, 2020 Education Director Rita Sabler and USk Secretary Uma Kelkar presented a webinar titled Urban Sketchers: Community and Storytelling Live on by invitation from Tapas Mitra, the Head of the Department of Urban Design at the University of Bhopal. The webinar was attended by almost 200 participants – university students, urban sketchers, and community members – and featured a presentation about the forces of community and adaptation in the challenging climate of social distancing. Uma and Rita took questions after the presentation.

Rita Sabler, Education Director

Ethan Chan

Sophia Benitez I never thought about using sketches as a part of journalism and I really loved the way your sketches captured the feeling of a scene – Ethan Chan

Katie Ross

Anew crop of young high school students was inspired to take on urban sketching when Rita Sabler taught a class to Millburn High School in Millburn, NJ, USA, to help them understand the ideas behind the movement, the techniques, subjects, and urban sketching’s global reach.

Especially because of the pandemic, you have helped me to see a world I cannot see right now through such beautiful colours and amazing stories – Sophia Benitez

Caitlin Samson

I one day wish to travel and capture what I see in the cities and towns through art rather than photos – James Leff [This] made me feel inspired to draw everywhere I go – Tiffany Jia

Annabelle Huong