When I learned of this amazing interactive art project I had two reactions...first was - "how do I sign up?" and the next was actual tears! I know, I know...tears right?... I sound corny, overdramatic, all that good stuff. But I don't know...I just get emotional when I see things like this. Great creative ideas coming to fruition in a big way. It's called The Sketchbook Project and it's curated by the Brooklyn Art Library. If you take a look at that photo above, the shot of the interior of their storefront...that entire wall of bookcases on the right is filled with sketchbooks! And each individual sketchbook is filled up! By "filled up" I mean drawings, paintings, photos, stories, poems, stickers, stamps, doodles, masterpieces, laundry lists, maps, handprints, pawprints...everything and anything that the "artist" so desires to fill the pages with.
Together, thousands of creative people from around the world are forming a traveling library of artists' books.
You should definitely watch the video below and click the links and read up on it. Anyone can be a part of it. I think they had more than ten thousand participants last go round! The reason I put the word "artist" in quotes is because you do not need to be an "artist" to take part in this fabulous project. In fact, the participation of non-artists is one of the major motivations behind the project.
Here's the gist: you sign up, they send you a little 5" x 7" - 30 page sketchbook, you fill the sketchbook up with whatever you please, you send it back, and then get this...your sketchbook, along with ten thousand or so others, becomes part of a mobile art library that tours the country! People come to the mobile art library and get to browse the sketchbooks. While you're sitting at home and your sketchbook travels around you'll receive email updates and stuff, detailing it's whereabouts and all that.
I absolutely adore this entire concept!
Me and Aaron decided that we're going to collaborate on one sketchbook. At first I was thinking - I'll do page one, Aar does page two, etc...etc... But I think instead we're going to actually work together on each page...so where my brush strokes end and Aaron's begin, only he and I will be able to tell.
Ok, I really needed to spread the word about this and hopefully get a handful of you guys to join in. This is art and community and communication and travel and education and so many other wonderful things all rolled in one. I doff my hat to The Brooklyn Art Library for creating such an amazingly magical project!
xo Jenny