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The Dennos Museum Center

It's Our World: Artists Inspired by Children's Visions of the Future

The Big DrawNovember 1, 2014 - January 4, 2015

As the closing celebration for The Big Draw - Grand Traverse, the Dennos Museum Center hosts an exhibition featuring five local artists inspired by a child’s artwork. Each artist will choose one or more drawings created by a young visitor during Big Draw Day, October 4, 2014, to incorporate and recreate in the medium of their choice while keeping the child’s original concept and line drawing in place. Children ages 4-12 will be drawing in response to questions about keeping Earth clean, as part of this year’s Big Draw theme, It’s Our World. The exhibition will feature the artists’ interpretations, the original drawings from the children, and a digital slideshow of various drawings and events that take place as part of The Big Draw - Grand Traverse. Each child chosen for the exhibition will receive a high-resolution reproduction of the artist’s rendition.

The exhibition is supported by The Linda O’Meara Fund for Arts Education.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

Dewey Blocksma - "Growing up overseas where I had to make my own toys, I now use drawing and sculpture to process and better understand the world around me with an emphasis on movement and play. For many years, the world around me included work in the Emergency Room. Collecting the work of others has also added to these conversations: serious work but also energetic, light-hearted, fun."

Nancy Crisp - "Thanks to my mom I have been drawing and painting since I can remember. Art was so much fun for me I even decided to be an art teacher. Now I hope that I will draw and paint forever."

Nancy Nash - "A Traverse City native, I draw, paint, and love the natural world, which needs our protection. I especially love birds, and they often make their way into the pictures."

Joyce Petrakovitz - "It all started with a box of crayons; then art school at CCS in Detroit. I spent 30 years playing in clay, and now play with paints."

Glenn Wolff - "I grew up drawing big and small things in Traverse City. After studying at NMC, and receiving my BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, I moved to New York City, working as an illustrator drawing big and small things for The New York Times, Central Park Conservancy, New York Zoological Society, and numerous book publishers. I now live and work back in Traverse City, and teach drawing and watercolor at NMC."