Grab a mask, your paints or pencils, and a sketchbook! 

Earlier this month The Cedars Union, a nonprofit art incubator, launched Look Club, a four-part program that invited the public to draw observationally, focusing on a chosen subject each week. Two topics remain – Figure Drawing and Architecture – featuring a local artist who incorporates those subjects or themes in his or her work. The session begins with an artist talk, followed by two-and-a-half open hours of drawing or painting from life, whether chosen by the participant or constructed by The Cedars Union.

This Saturday and next (Oct. 24), art aficionados will have two more chances to bring a chair, blanket, easel or any desired art materials and draw from life. The events run from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., with artist talks running from approximately from 11:15-11:30 a.m. The cost to participate is $5, which includes discounted admission to Dallas Heritage Village, located at 1515 S. Harwood St. in Dallas.

“I know we’re all getting a little tired of our screens,” said Cedars Union Marketing and Program Manager Adrienne Lichliter-Hines. “We hope Look Club will allow people to reconnect to physical space and action. Observational drawing is a core piece of art education, and whether you’re a novice or working artist, it’s a meditative act to slow down and force yourself to look carefully – ‘art push-ups,’ as a friend of mine once called it.”

The program also pairs classic drawing subjects with local and contemporary artists to underline how these practices live on today. Local artists participating include Francisco Moreno, Erica Huddleston, Danielle Georgiou Dance Group (DGDG), and Peter Ligdon.

Look Club is open to all levels but does not offer deliberate instruction. Below are the remaining events. (See end of release for additional background info on the artists.):

• The Oct. 17 session features Figure Drawing with an artist talk by Danielle Georgiou, a Dallas-based dancer, choreographer and video artist, plus posing and performance by the Danielle Georgiou Dance Group.
• The Oct. 24 event features Architectural Drawing with an artist talk by Peter Ligdon, a Dallas-based artist and university instructor.

 Dallas Heritage Village (DHV) is a living history museum located across from The Cedars Union on Ervay Street, set within Old City Park, Dallas’ first city park created in 1874. The grounds feature turn-of-the-century buildings and houses, green lawns and shady live oaks. In open air and expansive grounds this gathering offers participants the ability to meet safely, with drawing areas being spread out to enable social distancing. 

Visit cedarsunion.org for the latest information about Look Club dates and programs.

MORE ABOUT LOOK CLUB ARTISTS

DANIELLE GEORGIOU. Danielle Georgiou will open the session on figure drawing discussing how she considers and uses the human body when producing art and choreography. Figure models for the drawing session will be dancers from Danielle Georgiou Dance Group (DGDG), a dance group that engages contemporary dance and physical theater. Dancers will pose for drawing and transition into the performance of a new work, Under/Foot, exploring Dallas Heritage Village’s grounds and architecture, the history of public space, and narratives that occur between human and landscape. Georgiou further describes the pieces saying, “the work reflects ritual and habitual actions of movement, drawing inspiration from the pulsing rhythms in nature, eventually blending the performers into the organic setting.”

PETER LIGDON. Peter Ligdon’s small paintings, also done on-site, are often done in one sitting focusing on architecture and the built environment.

MORE ABOUT THE CEDARS UNION. The Cedars Union is a nonprofit art incubator that supports local artists through communal and private studio space, shared tools, and educational programming.

In 2015 the organization was formed to create community work space and training opportunities for artists, featuring private and shared studio spaces with state-of-the-art facilities and tools. The Boedeker, a historic 50,000 square foot building, was purchased for the project, but due to its large scale, a proof-of-concept model was built in the space next door. This 7,000 sf test space, the Annex, opened in August 2018 and began fulfilling the CU mission of providing tools and studio space for 15 studios artists, along with public programming. In 2019, The CU expanded its offerings by creating a Community Membership to serve artists unable to obtain a private workspace in the Annex. We welcomed a second cohort of studio artists into the Annex in Spring 2020, and our list of Community Members is ever-growing.

The CU is continually working towards an expansion in the Boedeker, and is both eager and patient to announce more information on this project. Today the building houses its administrative offices and is used for special events and pop-up exhibitions. 

The CU has a comprehensive approach to helping emerging artists become financially successful. We have a team of experienced professionals with skills that are unique to this concept of arts, entrepreneurship, and business. Our programs equip emerging creatives with the business skills and acumen to thrive as working artists. Learn more at cedarsunion.org.