On Saturday afternoon, children and adults alike bent over 25-foot-long pieces of blank paper on the floor of the Robert Crown Community Center. They drew circles and filled them with colored paint before adding petals, stems and leaves. A cheerful, whimsical design soon appeared.
The event was Evanston Paints, a workshop organized by local arts group Evanston Made to encourage people of all ages to be creative with a shared project. On Saturday afternoon, about 70 people drew six strips of paper, each bright with spirals, flowers and dots. Evanston Made plans to hold a similar workshop again in May and then display the artwork at the Evanston Art Center starting June 1.
Kathe Stoepel, a member of Evanston Made, proposed the event, inspired by the collaborative art project Ideal Exhibition with Hervé Tullet. Years ago, she did a similar event in Lake Forest, Ill., and wanted to bring something similar to the Evanston community, she said.
“Kids’ art is great — I just love how uninhibited they are,” Stoppel said. “We also emphasize that everyone is an artist. So anyone who wants to come and paint can do so.
Evanston Made member Sholo Beverly led the workshop. She took everyone through the activity step by step, instructing people to start with circles, switch places on the paper and add decorative elements.
Both she and Evanston did artist Liz Brent said they were excited to see how everyone turned Beverly’s instructions into works of art.
“It’s a very loose and free art where everyone works on circles and lines,” Brent said. “So it will be interesting to see how people create their own.”
For Delphine Declerc who turns 7 this week, adding her own shoots meant painting green sprigs and purple raindrops. She said her favorite part is turning her drawings into flowers.
Delphine’s mother, Evanston resident Ke Gong, said he found it meaningful to create a work of art with so many other people. The event, she said, is definitely for her family.
“(Dolphin) likes to draw,” Gong said. “We both paint at home, so I thought it would be a fun mother-daughter bonding experience.”
Elsewhere, Brian Bowen and Caroline Cairns brought three children – although the youngest, aged around six months, did not join the art. Maeve and Nell Bowen, ages 7 and 4, painted geometric and swirl designs in purple, blue and red.
Maeve Bowen, who likes to draw unicorns and emoticons at home, said she was “enjoying it all”. Her parents were happy to see her and Nell collaborate on an art project with other children, they said.
“We just like to expose our kids to new creative opportunities,” Brian Bowen said. “The sooner they have a chance to make art, the more excited they’ll be to make it for themselves.”
Volunteer Jamie Thom said she was delighted to see all the families, including the Bowen family, bringing young children to the event.
Although he had to stay at the check-in table to talk to the newcomers, Tom said he could peek in and feel the joy of the event.
“It’s fantastic that people came out on a beautiful day to make art together and create these wonderful paintings,” she said.
Lisa Deliantoni, co-director of Evanston Made and event producer for Saturday’s workshop, said he enjoys helping generate that excitement.
“We really think one of the most enjoyable parts of our job is when we can connect artists with the community in a way that makes everyone feel like an artist,” she said. “And that’s really fun at events like this because everyone feels like they contributed.”
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Twitter: @avivabechky
Related stories:
— Evanston Made exhibits “hardworking” photography, mixed media art
— Evanston organizations support, encourage emerging young artists
— Artists, volunteers reimagine downtown space at Evanston Made holiday pop-up
