Draw Together Event Actually Draws Groups Together – in Every Way

On Saturday, May 8, local groups, families, artists and a host of others from literally around the world will DRAW together, even if they can’t draw TOGETHER as part of the annual Spring Benefit hosted by The Art Center Highland Park. People who are in Highland Park and who want to can reserve a sidewalk square at TAC, 1957 Sheridan Road. Those who are drawing at home can be included on social media or in a video to be shared during and after the event (instructions below).

“We have a heavy focus on expanding our community this year”, says The Art Center’s Executive Director James M. Lynch. “After such a challenging year of being apart we came up with this community-centered event for this year’s fundraiser not only to honor community, but to find a way that we could come together, or in this case draw together, literally and/or figuratively.”

The TAC team created Chalk Art Kits with support from Blick Art Materials, Bent Fork Bakery, and the generosity of the board of directors and the special event committee. Each Chalk Art Kit contains two masks with the new TAC logo, a 16-color box of sidewalk chalk, a pocket-sized hand sanitizer, and a cookie. The team also kept up with ‘stakeholders’, other not for profit groups that might want to participate in the art making, with bi-weekly updates and the reactions were hugely positive.

Highwood Library, The Highland Park Historical Society, Highland Park Library, the Nuestro Center, Keshet, Highland Park Community Nursery School & Day Care Center, The Museum of Childhood Ireland, plus friends and family in Australia, Israel, Italy, Switzerland and several US states will all be creating chalk art drawings and sharing their collaborations via social media.

The daytime event takes place on Saturday, May 8, from 12:30 – 3:00 PM, at The Art Center, 1957 Sheridan Road, Highland Park. Chalk Art Kits can be purchased for $35 and for just $10 more a group or family can reserve a sidewalk square outside of TAC. Arrival times will be staggered to assure social distancing and a safe environment for all. Finished artwork can be shared on social media using #TACHP and #drawtogetherTAC. To be included in the final video please also send pictures to ‘Media@theartcenterhp.org’.

There will also be a ticketed evening event and fundraiser on May 8 at TAC, under a tent on the lawn and with socially distanced tours of their new, breakthrough exhibit, Ephemera: The Power of Impermanence, which opens that same weekend. Featured artists Nate Baranowski and Victoria Fuller will be present.

For more information on either event, to purchase Chalk Art Kits, reserve sidewalk squares or to donate to The Art Center Highland Park, visit http://bidpal.net/drawtogether, or https://theartcenterhp.org/events/benefit-2021

The Art Center Highland Park is a 501C3 not for profit organization, serving as the North Shore’s home for artistic discovery and creative exploration for 61 years.

PR contact: James M. Lynch, 847-432-1888, ext. 4, Jlynch@theartcenterhp.org, theartcenterhp.org