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The Big Draw Japan-UK 2018 Event Recap

4th November 2018 By divyamariekato

Otsukaresamadeshita!  Thank you to all the Big Drawers who joined us to bring the world’s largest drawing festival back to Japan – we did it!!

On Sunday October 28th 2018, on a bright and sunny autumn afternoon, we gathered at Yoyogi Park Tokyo to celebrate The Big Draw Festival.  On the other side of the world, in the UK, our fellow Big Drawers and partners for this year’s Big Draw, gathered at Ruskin Land in Bewdley:

Our Partners & Fellow Big Drawers In Ruskin Land, Bewdley
Our Partners & Fellow Big Drawers In Ruskin Land, Bewdley
Our Big Draw 2018 Video!

The Big Draw Japan – UK Event Recap

This year’s Big Draw theme is PLAY and, through a combination of three activities, we set about doing just that – couldn’t have hoped for a better place to play in or people to play with – thank you for bringing energy and enthusiasm!

So What’s The Big Draw & What Toys Have We Got To Play With?
Our toys for today: boxes of handmade charcoal made in the woods of Ruskin Land in the UK
Our toys for today: boxes of handmade charcoal made in the woods of Ruskin Land in the UK
“Drawing To Learn. Not Learning To Draw.”

The Big Draw is the world’s largest drawing festival, with events taking place all over the globe. We have a dream to put Japan on the map and to grow this event slowly year by year, connecting with other countries through the power of a line.

Championing visual literacy, creativity and expression, The Big Draw Festival is an annual celebration of the power of drawing as a universal language, which we can all ‘speak’ in our different ways.

You don’t have to be an artist to draw!

The Big Draw believes everyone can draw and everyone should have access to the benefits of drawing.  This is something I’ve always believed in too!  Drawing is a truly universal tool that can build bridges, communicate across oceans and make dreams a reality.

Drawing is a vital tool in many professions:  From mathematicians, to surgeons, architects to engineers, therapists, political commentators to graphic designers. The humble pencil has built many a pioneer within every profession you can imagine.

Drawing is a means of understanding the world, how it looks, and how it works. It nurtures imagination and the power of invention. Drawing is also a transferable skill which can be integrated into the entire curriculum.

For more on championing drawing at home and at work, head to The Big Draw website for ideas and resources and to hear from patrons spanning all professions!

The Big Draw Japan-UK Exchange
The Exchange: Japan-UK Big Draw 2018
The Exchange: Japan-UK Big Draw 2018
Charcoal From The UK
Japanese Materials
Bewdley Big Draw
Tokyo Big Draw
Hilary In Bewdley
Divya In Tokyo
Activity One:  Roots
Back To Our Roots: Sketching Tree Roots With Charcoal
Back To Our Roots: Sketching Tree Roots With Charcoal
The Need To Make A Mark

Since our earliest ancestors began drawing on cave walls, we’ve been wired to express ourselves visually.

We continue to wonder about the meanings behind these, but what is clear is that these messages speak to us of something bigger.  The human desire to express, create and communicate.  

As children, we reach for a crayon with as much excitement as a tree branch or a swing.

So what happens to us along the way?

The World Economic Forum forecasts that creativity will be in the top three most sought after skills by employers in 2020: the future of work is changing.

Drawing provides an invaluable opportunity for reflection and encouraging independent enquiry in changing times.

An opportunity all too often ignored in the age of the attention economy, with serious consequences on our mental health.

As we move into a new era, perhaps the most innovative thing we can do is draw on our best technology:  our imagination.

And so, to kick off our Big Draw event, I encouraged everyone to throw away the words good, bad, art and artist and instead try to channel our ancestors and the instinct to make a mark.  Let’s not forget, today’s all about one thing… play!

Exploring Our Roots: Drawing Tree Roots

Exploring Our Roots: Our Tree Root Drawings

Activity 2:  A Tree In A Leaf
Do you see the tree in the leaf?
Do you see the tree in the leaf?
To me, drawing’s not about making great art:  it’s about connecting with yourself, with others and with your place in a bigger picture.

To foster a sense of belonging, I often draw (see what I did there?!) attention to the organic lines found in the natural world.

By sketching these lines – found on leaves, the bark of trees – and observing them closely through the process, you begin to connect to your environment in a different way.

One of the biggest discoveries here is to realise that you’re very much a part of nature – after all, the organic lines found on your own body are not very different from those found on a leaf!

If You Can Paint One Leaf
John Ruskin 1819-1900
Activity 3: Mural Play
Mural Play
Mural Play
Come together!

One of the best things about drawing, is that while it can be a reflective activity that you can do on your own, it can also be enjoyed with friends!

Connecting through a collaborative mural sparks even more ideas as your lines criss cross and converse – plus you can see the many ways others see things!

I usually make time for the reflective stage and individual drawing at the start, so that each person can have their own time to connect with what they’re drawing and have a think.

I then follow this up with pair work or group work – and this is the beauty of drawing – because you’ve had time to reflect, you feel better prepared to express your thoughts and ideas to others.

Time To See How Our Friends In The UK Are Doing!
Party & Skype Time: Big Draw Japan - UK 2018
Party & Skype Time: Big Draw Japan – UK 2018
A fantastic way to celebrate our Big Draw 2018 event

We raised our glasses (and our group mural!) as we Skyped with our Big Draw partners in Ruskin Land in Bewdley.

It was also a very special day for one of our Big Drawers – happy birthday Helen!

Thank you all SO much and especially a big thank you to:

Jes Kalled who was working hard on a future article about our event – thank you Jes!

Artist Hilary Baker, our partner in the UK, who I’ve been collaborating with to make this event possible.

Thank you for inviting us to partner with you Hilary and we look forward to seeing you here in Japan in 2019!

Music Together teacher and wonderful human being, Anneliese Nakahara-Knight, and daughter, Rosa, who helped me on the day picking up boards and transporting our mural!

“Drawing is important because it teaches you how to see.
It sounds crazy, but it does; by drawing something you really see it and that’s the most important thing.”

– Hilary Baker

Artist Hilary Baker Skyping With Us From Ruskin Land, Bewdley!
Artist Hilary Baker Skyping With Us From Ruskin Land, Bewdley!
May The Drawing & Cultural Collaborations Continue!
Ruskin Land, UK
Thank you all for taking part in The Big Draw 2018!

Providing these cross-cultural, art education opportunities – outside the classroom and work place – for the community is something we’ll continue to grow, alongside expanding The Big Draw in Japan, year by year.

Thank you to all those who spread the word, helped us promote the event and provided helping hands on the day!

Big thank you also to our fairy godmother sponsor!  (I’ll leave you guessing a little longer…)

3 Ways To Help

To help us on our mission to encourage more people back to the drawing board and help put Japan on the Big Draw map – how could we not have been on it before?! – you can:

  • Volunteer to be on Our Japan Big Draw Team.  Email: info@divyamariekato.com
  • Write about us or share information on The Big Draw & promoting art education. Use the #’s: #thebigdraw , #play2018 , #bdf18 , #visualliteracy 
  • You can also…
Vote!  Your Votes Will Help Us Grow Events In The Future

For our Big Draw event on the Big Draw website: link here

You get two votes! So you can vote for The Big Draw Japan & The Big Draw Bewdley (they’re connected!)

Links & Resources

Next Tokyo Drawing Event (*free) November 15th 2018 Lakeland University: Why Draw (Even if you’re no Da Vinci)

The Big Draw Website:  Information, Resources, Meet The Big Draw Patrons & More!

Our Big Draw 2018 Partners:

Ruskin Land Website

Artist Hilary Baker Website

Drawing For Work, Life & Play

Drawing Classes In Person, Atelier Kato, Yoyogi, Tokyo | INFO

Drawing Classes Online, Divya’s Online Drawing School | INFO

Drawing Workshops | INFO

info@divyamariekato.com
Divya Marie Kato: Drawing For Work, Life & Play
Divya Marie Kato: Drawing For Work, Life & Play
info@divyamariekato.com

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Filed Under: news Tagged With: art, art blog, art classes, art education, art therapy, artist, bdf2018, bewdley, creativity, drawing, drawing classes, education, japan, play 2018, ruskin land, the big draw, the big draw japan, the big draw japan 2018, Tokyo, uk, visual literacy, when in doubt draw

Art Is The Highest Form Of Hope

13th August 2018 By divyamariekato

“Art is the highest form of hope.”  – Gerhard Richter

Art As A Diary Divya Marie Kato August 2018

“Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.”  – Picasso

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This summer, I’m taking care of a new friend called Modjo (pictured left) and collecting resources for my latest project.

Measuring Human Expression

My current art work is focused on the value of human expression in the age of AI.

How will AI help us humans, how will we help it and what are the pros and cons?

In researching how to calculate human expression vs. AI capabilities, I’ve come across links, articles and all round goodies (being added to all the time so check back often).

Family and friends have shared some with me too.  If you’ve found a good one, let me know!

Here’s a selection of powerful pieces, and powerful champions, on:

The importance of the arts

The joy of drawing

What art is for

And the intangible value of human expression. 

Get them all by clicking the Art For Hope link below and, if you’d like to join us in person soon, you’ll also find details of upcoming events below, including:

The Big Draw 2018:  The world’s largest drawing festival comes back to Japan!
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Upcoming Events:

Tokyo September 2nd 2018 1:30-3:30pm  The Great British Weekend, Roppongi Hills Art Event

Tokyo September 9th 2018 3pm  Drawing At Work:  JALT BizCom SIG Conference, Toyo University, Hakusan

Worldwide October 10th 2018  Webinar:  Drawing Q & A Call In

Tokyo September 27th 2018 7pm  Ruskin Calling (click here):  A collaborative event with RSA JFN, STOCK Takanawa

Tokyo October 28th 2018 3:30-6:30pm  Big Draw Japan (click here):  A bilateral, UK-Japan art event for the world’s biggest drawing festival

Tokyo November 15th 2018 7pm  Drawing Changes Lives:  Lakeland University, Shinjuku

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Art For Hope

“This was it. This was what he’d been searching for.”

Art For Hope:  Click Here For More Inspiration

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info@divyamariekato.com

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Divya Marie Kato, When In Doubt, Draw

Artist | Drawing | Workshops

Online:
Divya’s Online Drawing School

In Person:
Atelier Kato Tokyo

Commissions & Workshops:
info@divyamariekato.com

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Filed Under: news Tagged With: art, art blog, art classes, art therapy, artist, artist motivation, creativity, divya marie kato, drawing, drawing classes, hope, how to draw, inspiration, motivation, online business, rsa, the big draw, the big draw japan, the big draw japan 2018, when in doubt draw

The Big Draw Japan 2017: We Did It!

9th October 2017 By divyamariekato

The Big Draw Japan 2017
The Big Draw Japan 2017: We Did It!

A big thank you to all the trailblazers who braved the typhoon and joined us for the very first Big Draw in Japan!

We celebrated the world’s largest drawing festival at the beautiful Toriizaka Art Gallery this October.  Where will we be in 2018?  Stay tuned to find out!

Details & Enquiries:  info@divyamariekato.com

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“I have drawn things since I was six. All that I made before the age of sixty-five is not worth counting. At seventy-three I began to understand the true construction of animals, plants, trees, birds, fishes, and insects. At ninety I will enter into the secret of things. At a hundred and ten, everything–every dot, every dash–will live.”  ― Hokusai Katsushika

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The Big Draw is the world’s biggest drawing festival and this year…

we’re bringing it to Japan!

Two of Tokyo’s female entrepreneurs, Divya Marie Kato of When In Doubt, Draw and Karen Thomas of Toriizaka Art are coming together to host The Big Draw Japan 2017 as part of the International Animated Big Draw Festival this October, called Living Lines.

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The Big Draw Festival

The Big Draw Festival takes place for 31 days from 1-31 October 2017.  Since 2000, the annual, international celebration of drawing, which brings people together under the banner drawing is a universal language, regularly takes place in over 25 countries, involves over 1000 events and has encouraged over 4 million people back to the drawing board.

It has notched up two world records – for the longest drawing in the world (one kilometre) and the greatest number of people drawing simultaneously (over 7,000).

Arts education charity, The Big Draw, believes that everyone can draw. They promote drawing as a universal language that has the power to change lives and unite people of any age, background, race, or religion from around the globe. Anyone can register or attend an event as part of the festival.

The first Big Draw Festival in 2000 attracted 180 partner organisations. Since then, the number has risen to over 1,000, with over 400,000 people participating each year. What began as a one day celebration of drawing in October 2000 in the UK, is now an annual month long festival of drawing across the world.

Patrons include Quentin Blake, Andrew Marr, Bob & Roberta Smith RA, Lord Foster of Thames Bank, David Hockney OM CH, Sir Roger Penrose OM, Gerald Scarfe CBE, Posy Simmonds MBE and Children’s Laureate, Chris Riddell.

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The Big Draw Japan 2017

Sunday October 22nd 2-4pm 2017

Venue:  Toriizaka Art

Fee:  ¥1000*

Toriizaka Art | Homat Monarch #105 | 2-20-13 Hiroo | Shibuya-ku | Tokyo 150-0012

*exact change please

Schools: Want to get involved or have a drawing event at your school in October?
Contact: info@divyamariekato.com to get Divya to come and facilitate a workshop at your school!

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Kate Mason, Director of The Big Draw:
“As always, The Big Draw Festival is for anyone who loves to draw, as well as those who think they can’t! For 31 days in over 25 countries, Living Lines: An Animated Big Draw Festival will bring together hundreds of thousands of people to learn, experiment and bring ideas to life through drawing and animation.

Whether organising or participating, Living Lines is an opportunity for individuals, organisations and even countries to join a global community in celebration of the universal language of drawing.”

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To find out more about the Big Draw Festival and The Big Draw Japan 2017 visit:

Link to event listing on www.thebigdraw.org

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For further information about The Big Draw Japan 2017 contact organisers:

Divya Marie Kato (English) info@divyamariekato.com
Masahiro Kato (Japanese) info@divyamariekato.com

The Big Draw Japan 2017 will be hosted by artist and founder of When In Doubt, Draw, Divya Marie Kato and founder of Toriizaka Art, Karen Thomas, in Tokyo Sunday October 22nd at Toriizaka Art 2-4pm ¥1000* (*exact change please)

Toriizaka Art | Homat Monarch #105 | 2-20-13 Hiroo | Shibuya-ku | Tokyo 150-0012

For further information about The Big Draw Festival, contact:
Amy Clancy, Press and Communications Manager, The Big Draw
Tel. 0203 758 4118  |  Email: amy@thebigdraw.org  |  Website: www.thebigdraw.org

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Notes To Editors:

The Big Draw Japan 2017
Sunday October 22nd 2-4pm ¥1000 (exact change please) at Toriizaka Art, Hiro-o
Hosted by Divya Marie Kato of When In Doubt, Draw & Karen Thomas of Toriizaka Art

Toriizaka Art | Homat Monarch #105 | 2-20-13 Hiroo | Shibuya-ku | Tokyo 150-0012

Booking: Email info@divyamariekato.com

Link to event listing on The Big Draw Website

Artist and Founder of When In Doubt, Draw, Divya Marie Kato FRSA, brings the world’s biggest drawing festival to Japan! Divya has been sharing drawing through classes and events for over 11 years in Japan and is a passionate advocate for elevating the role of art in education and making it accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Karen Thomas, Founder of Toriizaka Art, our venue for The Big Draw Japan 2017, started her gallery our of her passion to share art with others. Since opening its doors in 2006, Toriizaka Art has welcomed thousands of guests into its modest gallery space in central Tokyo.

The gallery, featuring a diverse selection of exceptional art, primarily from Vietnam, is a stunning testament to how living with art transforms your whole life and is the perfect place for us to gather for The Big Draw Japan 2017! The event is open to anyone who loves to draw, as well as those who think they can’t! It’s an opportunity to join a global community in celebration of the universal language of drawing. Bring nothing but a willingness to create, connect and celebrate!

 

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Always wanted to draw, but think you’re not good enough?

Draw when you were a kid, but left it behind?

Heard all these great things about creativity…

But don’t know where to start or it’s been a while?

Our Dream: Getting The World Drawing

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Drawing Classes, Workshops & Training 2017-2018

**2017 Group Classes Booked. Limited Private Classes:  October-November 2017**

Email For Availability & Booking For 2018:  info@divyamariekato.com

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