Art students from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) are arming themselves with pens and paintbrushes to take part in a 24 hour Big Draw in a bid to raise money for their end of year show.
The Third Year Fine Art students plan to take over the Campus Centre steps from 10am on Thursday morning and paint, draw, photograph and sculpt their way through to 10am on Friday.
They will have large boards measuring up to eight feet and students or staff can make offers to buy artwork created on the day as well as other works the artists have created during their course. People can also pay £1 to join in painting and drawing sessions.
The students are aiming to raise £4,000 to cover the costs of their end of year show, the majority of which will go towards a catalogue illustrating their work. The show is the climax of their three year course and many potential employers as well as academics, friends and family attend.
The students are calling on people from the university to visit them during the event on Thursday and Friday and help them reach their fundraising target.
Student Amy Packham came up with the idea for the 24-hour Big Draw and is organising the event with her Fine Art colleague Sally Zelenczuk, who specialises in photography.
Amy, who is currently working on large-scale and highly detailed reproductions of microscopic organisms, said: “We obviously want to raise a lot of money but at the same time we hope this unique event will give us the chance to show everyone in the university what it is that we do.
“Not a lot of people know what Fine Art is and do not realise how diverse it is. We hope it creates some interest in art and the process of making art.”
Sally, who will be at the event for the full 24 hours, added: “It will be a great experience for us and it will be great that people can join in and the public get to see our work. We are also hoping to sell the art works we create. How much will they cost? We are open to any offers.”
Benedict Carpenter, DMU’s head of Fine Art, said: “It is great to see the Fine Art students being so creative and entrepreneurial, not to mention committed seeing as the weather is taking a turn for the worse!
“It is typical of students on this course that they show such commitment and enthusiasm in their creative endeavours. I am sure it will be a successful event. Good luck to them all.”
- Follow the Big Draw event on Twitter and see some of the students' work.
Posted on Tuesday 20 January 2015