“What is Drawing 2017?” with artist Martina Galvin, was one of the three successful projects in the first year’s Docklands Arts Fund Small Grants Scheme (2016).

Martina Galvin is a professional artist whose major exhibition CUBUS took place at the Butler Gallery Kilkenny in Spring 2017. Martina is currently working on a large art piece for the UCD Sutherland School of Law Building, sponsored by the law firm McCann FitzGerald. Martina works and lives in Dublin & has worked with schools in Dublin’s docklands area for a number of years.

Read Martina Galvin’s statement about the Docklands Arts Fund:
“The Docklands Arts fund was a great opportunity to explore the project “What is drawing?” with the two schools. My own work is very much about drawing in space as well as about colour and light, so exploring what  we mean and understand by the term “drawing” with the children was very exciting. It is a process lead project, aimed at showing that we can all draw, when we understand that drawing is really about looking and expressing. The project will culminate with drawing events to celebrate
National Day in May 2017.”

What is drawing 2017? is a simple, exciting , educational, fun and explorative  drawing project with two girls schools in the docklands area – St. Patrick’s GNS, Dublin 4,
and  St. Laurence O’Toole GNS,Dublin 1.

The project is called “What is drawing- drawing is looking”.

Its about turning upside down the notion that drawing is with a pencil for the children and the teachers.

It is drawing with a scissors and white and coloured paper!

It is about drawing a daisy by looking at geometric shapes!

It is be looking at fruit to see mark making and colour not the fruit you want to eat!

Its looking at Leonardo Da Vinci and Van Gogh and how they make marks on paper to represent water.

Its about taking a trip to the National Gallery and looking at Caravaggio’s use of light and drama in his paintings then drawing roast chicken (like Caravaggio had to eat at his table with his friends) back in the class room the next week.

The work with the schools culminated with a drawing day out in CHQ and at the River Liffey for the girls from St Laurence O Toole’s Girls National School, and  a drawing trip to the local park for the girls from St.Patricks School. This all took place during drawing week in May 2017. At Drawing Day at the LAB on Saturday, 20th May 2017 Martina hosted a successful “What is drawing?” session titled  Dance and Draw  for a Family Workshop.

For more information on this project and the artist’s other work see  Martina’s website here.

Martina Galvin Kingfisher Canal Trip with St Laurence O’Toole NS