One can find ink-smudged pages, notebooks flipped to water-stained pen strokes and boisterous conversation across several First Saturday Art Events hosted by Evanston Made.
The nonprofit arts organization hosts programming on the first Saturday of every month to showcase the city’s diverse art scene. Attendees can reference a map on Evanston Made’s website to access that month’s events and their locations.
Among March’s 19 events, local artists Bob Kiolbassa and Hilda Raisner hosted a lively sketching workshop featuring drawing tips and free materials at Sketchbook Brewing Company.
Some participants watched as Kiolbassa demonstrated how to illustrate a chair and a cup, highlighting the importance of grounding the objects in their environment. Others illustrated people and objects in the surrounding bar.
At the end of the event, there was a “throwdown,” Kiolbassa said, where everyone put their sketches on the stage to appreciate them. The pieces ranged from watercolor sketches to shape patterns to everyday objects.
Kiolbassa said attendees often range from restaurant regulars and seasoned artists to newcomers who have never drawn before.
“We all try to welcome everyone that comes in because we want to promote this, and there (are) people here that come in here who’ve never drawn before,” Kiolbassa said. “It’s a low-pressure way of doing it.”
Evanston-based artist Sherry Smith said this was her fourth year participating in First Saturday events.
Smith hosted First Saturday at Sketchbook Brewing Company in the past and added she has been “looking for opportunities to sketch” since retiring.
“Over time, you see some of the same people, so it starts to feel like a community,” Smith said.
Ceramist Maggie Drouillard held an open studio at Third Culture Ceramics as her event. Drouillard said she is one of three artists to work in the studio space and sold her hand-built ceramics during the event.
The open studio allows residents passing by to stop by and explore the store as Drouillard works on her pieces, she explained. Drouillard said First Saturday is an opportunity for people to “experience art” and see that artists are “a part of a community.”
“It’s valuable being able to see the maker one-on-one instead of going to an art gallery and seeing a piece that’s already made,” Drouillard said.
Attendees also had an opportunity to try book-binding at the Hive Center for the Book Arts on the Main-Dempster Mile, where Director Jamie Thome offered an introductory workshop.
The store also sold art by local artists Leah Mayers and Jeanine Coupe Ryding. Typically sold for thousands of dollars, the art on display at Hive was priced much cheaper.
“Another thing that is really great about First Saturday is that it allows you (a) once-a-month opportunity to buy local art made by your neighbors — by Evanston, for everyone,” Thome said.
Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled Hilda Raisner’s name and mischaracterized the sketching workshop’s “throwdown.” The Daily regrets these errors.
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