NEWS
Dream big and draw at art festival
Cayman Compass
4 Oct. 2013
It’s time to get into drawing - in a big way.
No talent? No matter.
The family friendly Big Draw KY festival puts on a series of events all month long that are meant to make you laugh, think, dream - and draw.
Local illustrator and children’s author Lady Rabia Abdul-Hakim, the event’s patron, said, “We are aiming to make this festival the largest and longest family festival in the region, positioning Cayman as a premier family destination, contributing to tourism and ultimately to national economic recovery.”
Last year the Cayman Islands joined the worldwide Big Draw campaign, becoming the first Caribbean country to join the international Campaign for Drawing. In the 2011 Big Draw, more than 2,000 people partificpated in 11 events in Grand Cayman held by the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands, Camana Bay, Books & Books, the Cayman Islands Medical School and Open Canvas.
This year, more than 15 Big Draw KY events are registered.
“Drawing is a fundamental part of communication, self-expression, creativity and learning. It connects us socially and culturally ...” Abdul-Hakim said.
The first event, Big Draw Day Camana Bay at 3 p.m. on Oct. 19, will feature public performances and many participatory drawing activities, with Camana Bay transformed into a huge experimental drawing studio. Abdul-Hakim will host the event and volunteers and local vendors will be on hand to lead the drawing efforts. Activities will be photographed and showcased online at the Big Draw KY website.
The second event, at the National Gallery on Oct. 26, features a full day of drawing activities and a host of workshops offering guests a chance to learn new skills.
Local organizations, including clubs, schools, museums, and corporate teams, are encouraged to plan and register their drawing event.
“We encourage businesses to host their own Big Draw KY events in-house because art improves employee morale,” Abdul-Hakim said. “It also contributes to social capital, connecting employees with similar interest and connecting them to their community at large.”
Educators are also encouraged to attend the events to learn how art is promoting literacy. An award-winning documentary, Comic Book Literacy, will also be shown during the month. Most activities and events are free.
Cayman Compass
4 Oct. 2013
It’s time to get into drawing - in a big way.
No talent? No matter.
The family friendly Big Draw KY festival puts on a series of events all month long that are meant to make you laugh, think, dream - and draw.
Local illustrator and children’s author Lady Rabia Abdul-Hakim, the event’s patron, said, “We are aiming to make this festival the largest and longest family festival in the region, positioning Cayman as a premier family destination, contributing to tourism and ultimately to national economic recovery.”
Last year the Cayman Islands joined the worldwide Big Draw campaign, becoming the first Caribbean country to join the international Campaign for Drawing. In the 2011 Big Draw, more than 2,000 people partificpated in 11 events in Grand Cayman held by the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands, Camana Bay, Books & Books, the Cayman Islands Medical School and Open Canvas.
This year, more than 15 Big Draw KY events are registered.
“Drawing is a fundamental part of communication, self-expression, creativity and learning. It connects us socially and culturally ...” Abdul-Hakim said.
The first event, Big Draw Day Camana Bay at 3 p.m. on Oct. 19, will feature public performances and many participatory drawing activities, with Camana Bay transformed into a huge experimental drawing studio. Abdul-Hakim will host the event and volunteers and local vendors will be on hand to lead the drawing efforts. Activities will be photographed and showcased online at the Big Draw KY website.
The second event, at the National Gallery on Oct. 26, features a full day of drawing activities and a host of workshops offering guests a chance to learn new skills.
Local organizations, including clubs, schools, museums, and corporate teams, are encouraged to plan and register their drawing event.
“We encourage businesses to host their own Big Draw KY events in-house because art improves employee morale,” Abdul-Hakim said. “It also contributes to social capital, connecting employees with similar interest and connecting them to their community at large.”
Educators are also encouraged to attend the events to learn how art is promoting literacy. An award-winning documentary, Comic Book Literacy, will also be shown during the month. Most activities and events are free.
PRESS & MEDIA
The Big Draw KY is committed to promoting a diversity of drawing experiences and getting people drawing throughout the Cayman Islands.Following The Big Draw KY, presenting organizations may apply for one of several special awards that honor outstanding Big Draw KY activities.
Press Inquiries, please contact:
Lady Rabia Abdul Hakim
ContessaBlack Entertainment
345-326-6626
Press Inquiries, please contact:
Lady Rabia Abdul Hakim
ContessaBlack Entertainment
345-326-6626
About The Big Draw & The Campaign for Drawing
The Big Draw was started by the Guild of St. George, a nonprofit organization founded by 19th century critic and educator John Ruskin. Now led by the Campaign for Drawing in London, the aim is to raise awareness of drawing’s power as a tool for learning, observation, creativity, and social and cultural engagement. In 2010, more than 1,300 Big Draw events took place across the United Kingdom and internationally.
The Big Draw Cayman Islands: A Month-Long Festival of Drawing Launched
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Grand Cayman - Tuesday, 18 September 2012) – Big fun will be coming to the Cayman Islands this October with the launch of the first Big Draw Cayman Islands (KY), a month-long festival of exciting drawing events, competitions and workshops for people of all ages. The Big Draw KY is a community engagement project designed to bring Cayman’s multicultural community together to draw, think, laugh and dream and is part of the global Big Draw initiative celebrated in 22 countries internationally. The Cayman Islands is the 23rd country to join. Presented under the Patronage of well-known illustrator and children’s author, Lady Rabia Abdul-Hakim, in partnership with the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands, the Big Draw KY will launch with a unique cartoon art exhibit at the National Gallery on Monday, 1st October at 6pm followed by numerous activities all month, which are sure to “draw” young audiences to the Gallery.
On October 13, the official Big Draw KY Day, thousands of participants will be invited to “make their mark” on a huge ream of paper. The continuous drawing project will be photographed and showcased as a "scrolling panorama" online at the Big Draw KY website by the end of the month.
“Drawing is a great way to make art accessible to the youth and it is a fundamental part of creativity and intelligence. Great thinkers are openly acknowledging the contribution of creative professionals. In fact, many of today’s most innovative products combine technology, creativity and design and more young people are opting for creative careers. Therefore, it is vital that we nurture creative skills in our future gamers, fashion designers, architects, illustrators, animators and producers,” says Big Draw KY Patron, Lady Rabia. “The Big Draw KY is also a great opportunity to unite our diverse community and drawing is the perfect medium to do that. Drawing is a universal mode of communication, transcending language barriers, cultural divides, classes and ages.”
More than 30 Big Draw KY events will take place during October throughout the Islands, including those presented by the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands on the Sister Islands. “The importance of drawing cannot be under-estimated,” says NGCI Education Manager, Eme Paschalides. “Drawing is critical to early educational development and remains an important tool of creative expression throughout our lives. In addition, virtually all of the objects we use in day-to-day life begin on a drawing board. We are therefore delighted to participate in this global project and bring attention to this form of creativity. It is a skill that can be practised by everyone and to demonstrate this we are inviting all members of the public to our ‘open door’ studio day on October 20th. There will be free walk-in workshops for everyone all day long.”
Young audiences will be thrilled by other activities like the numerous cartoon drawing workshops; the Draw Off; the Urban/Graffiti Art competition; the Celebrity Come Draw With Me classes; the Night Lines event, where photographers capture amazing images drawn with fire and light; and All Drawn Out, a chilling Halloween event drawing body parts and a costume competition. There will also be Nail Art events for girls.
Local organizations, schools and businesses are encouraged to participate by organising their own Big Draw KY activities and registering their events on the Big Draw KY website at: www.bigdrawcaymanislands.weebly.com.
The Big Draw KY also offers a great opportunity for sponsors who want to engage the youth, and families, and do something innovative. Sponsors should contact Big Draw KY at: [email protected] with the subject “Sponsor.”
The Big Draw was started by the Guild of St. George, a non-profit organization founded by 19th century critic and educator John Ruskin. Now led by the Campaign for Drawing in London, the aim is to raise awareness of drawing’s power as a tool for learning, observation, creativity, and social and cultural engagement. In 2011, more than 1,300 Big Draw events took place across the United Kingdom and internationally.
Lady Rabia Abdul-Hakim is a visionary Caymanian illustrator, children's author, entrepreneur and poet. She is best known as the creator, writer and illustrator of Cayman's first children's media property, Kaa Kaa & Tokyo. She is the CEO of ContessaBlack Entertainment, which develops signature multicultural characters for the Caribbean and Middle East markets. A member of the prominent Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI), Lady Rabia is the Patron of the Big Draw Cayman Islands, which promotes the importance of drawing throughout the Cayman Islands. An international speaker, and empowerment activist, Lady Rabia is also the Founder of Phenom, a company created to empower women and the youth to live fearless, phenomenal lives.
Established in 1996, the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (NGCI) is a vibrant arts organisation that seeks to fulfil its mission through exhibitions, artist residencies, education/outreach programmes and research projects. The NGCI operates in both a local and global arena. As part of its mission to “promote and encourage the appreciation and practice of the visual arts, of and in the Cayman Islands” Caymanian art, and artists, are shown abroad and international artists are encouraged to visit, exhibit and work in the Cayman Islands.
Contact:
Lady Rabia Abdul Hakim
Tel: (345)326-6636
Email: [email protected]