Drawn Together: A Celebration of Sketching at the Museum

If you’ve come across this sight in one of your visits to the museum, you’ve probably stumbled upon our monthly Drop-In Sketching. This popular art-making program takes place on the first Thursday of the month and rotates to a different gallery each time, giving participants the chance to take inspiration from art from various time periods and geographies. The sketchers themselves are similarly disparate—adults of various ages, experience levels, and backgrounds—but all are equipped with the same basic materials (supplied by the museum): drawing papers clipped to a Masonite board, graphite pencils, an eraser, and a lightweight folding stool to sit on. A special exhibition in our Ryan Learning Center—“A Celebration of Drop-In Sketching”—showcases the creativity, talent, and personal expression of program participants and runs through February 2, 2026. 

Drop-In Sketching

Programs take part in galleries throughout the museum.

There is something timeless about the process of making a drawing. When I see a gallery full of people sketching, I sometimes picture the black-and-white photos of sketch classes at the Art Institute dating back to the museum’s earliest days on Michigan Avenue. The style of clothing in the 1890s is visibly different with men in suits and women in full-length dresses at their easels. Another difference that may not be self-evident is that, a century ago, the students were sketching plaster casts of artworks (deaccessioned long ago) whereas now we sketch from the original works of art.

Compared to the early days, I suspect the drawing process itself has not changed much. As then, every sketch begins with a blank piece of paper. The first lines on the paper don’t look good; they don’t look like anything. It’s necessary to quiet down the part of the brain that criticizes these humble beginnings and courageously press on. One sketch participant described hitting their stride during an ideal sketching session: “I enjoy becoming so engrossed in sketching that time and all my other cares seem to disappear while I’m drawing.” After a spell of diligence and effort, and perhaps a bit of good luck as well, there is a particular feeling of satisfaction when one looks at the paper and sees form and style looking back.

Drawing is a constant learning process. Drawing consumes my mind, and time seems to stand still.

—Jackie Kim, participant since 2015

As with any other skill worth having in life, it takes a great deal of time and practice to hone one’s drawing abilities. I wager that anyone reading this who has sketched would agree that beholding in front of your own eyes a drawing that you made and are proud of is among life’s great pleasures. 

a sample of participant sketches

No single description would fully characterize the visitors who have taken part in Drop-In Sketching, but after having many conversations with participants, the following commonalities have come to light: The majority do not identify as professional artists. Many recall a fondness or aptitude for drawing that traces back to childhood. The time and energy for art making became de-prioritized for years, or even decades, as other priorities took precedence. Nonetheless, like a flame that cooled to a quiet ember, the appetite for creative expression never completely disappeared. By returning to drawing––a skill that is foundational to all art making––these sketchers are nurturing or renewing their creative practice.

Sketching in the galleries

In all our sketching programs, an instructor is always on hand to answer questions and offer advice.

While the work of making a sketch always depends on individual concentration and execution, there is an invaluable aspect to the social element of sketching side by side with dozens of other people doing the same work. Even if one sketches individually and hardly speaks to another person the entire time, the implicit camaraderie of the group has a way of energizing and giving focus to everyone in the space. One of my favorite interactions to observe is when visitors who were sketching the same artwork end up looking at each other’s sketches and striking up a friendly discussion about their efforts.

It is especially rewarding to speak to our participants and come away with the sense that the Art Institute is a space that actively inspires art making and fosters a sense of creative community. And you are unlikely to run out of compelling subjects to sketch. To quote one participant who became a Drop-In Sketching regular this year, the program embodies a “generosity of spirit” on the part of the artist instructors, the participants, and the museum space as a whole. I deeply appreciate this vision of the museum as a space that generously gives (drawing materials, stools to sit on, as well as inspiration, joy, community) to its visitors, and I see this generosity reciprocated in the fact that the galleries are never more alive than when filled with people sketching.

–Nancy Chen, associate director of gallery activation, Interpretation

With gratitude to all the artists who have taught in Drop-In Sketching in recent years and contributed to its success: Cameron Mankin, Annie Lee, Leslie Baum, Nate Suggs, d. Wright, Evelyn Hernandez, Ione Sanders, Alana Ferguson, and Salim Moore.

Learn more

“A Celebration of Drop-In Sketching,” is on view in the Ryan Learning Center through February 2, 2026, and features drawings by Cynthia Borman, Elizabeth Buckley-Geer, Maria Céspedes Chapa, Michelle Cronin, Lan Dang, Lynn Dee, Jenny Donohue, Dow Edgerton, Iona Hart, Charlotte Hong, Vincent Kelly, Jackie Kim, Tom Maver, Neiva Mulhern, Kathryn Powell, Nabeela Rehman, Don Ryan, Nancy Trock, Jeri Vosseller, and instructors Annie Lee and Nancy Chen.

The Ryan Learning Center is open 11:00–3:00 every day except Tuesday.

Visit our events calendar to find the next Drop-In Sketching program, which meets the first Thursday of each month, 12:00–2:00.

Topics

• Collection
• Perspectives
• Arts of Asia
• Arts of Ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Worlds
• Arts of Africa