April Behnke
Among the picturesque homes on a quiet, tree-lined street in Evanston, Illinois is an extraordinary contemporary art project: The Davis Street Drawing Room. The endeavor launched in the fall of 2022, with artists Anne Wilson and Sofía Fernández Díaz – also its project manager – at the helm. Knowledge of and participation in the Drawing Room has grown organically through word of mouth, as community members have told colleagues and friends about its unique offering.
Guests including, as Wilson shares, “artists, writers, historians, students, educators, and members of the general public who have an interest in art and contemporary practices,” join in a session at her Victorian home, in the Drawing Room’s large, light-filled studio that houses a collection of historical textiles, a curated library, an archive of artist projects, drafting tables, and materials for artmaking.
Because the space itself is an important factor in the project, Wilson begins a session with a lecture on its architecture. The Drawing Room, she believes, may have functioned as a drawing room in the traditional sense in the years soon after the home’s construction – a space where visitors could gather for refreshments and conversation.
Today, the space’s relaxed, communal, and contemplative atmosphere continues in new form, as guests take time to soak in its history, Wilson’s textile collection, and the project’s Participant Archive before being invited to create works of their own, responsive to what they have learned. Participants are given two hours for this period of contemplation, meditation, and creation.
“The range of visual responses constantly inspires – from graphite drawings and rubbings to colored pencil and marker drawings, tracings, cyanotype prints, 3D prints on wood and acrylic, collage, photographs, and microscopic imaging,” said Wilson.
But the creations have not only been visual. “The writers’ contributions provided a new depth of response for me,” she continued. “A number of evocative stories activate the use function of these textile sources based on a writer’s own history and connection to textiles through their lived experience and unique cultural background.” Today, the Drawing Room holds over 460 participant responses.
“This project has become what it is today because of the people who have visited, leaving behind a response, and passing on the word, which has helped us expand our reach and attract a diverse audience,” said Fernández Díaz. “These collaborations foster a spirit of community and mutual support, enhancing the overall creative landscape.”
And it is in this spirit that the Drawing Room enters a new phase. The focus has shifted to now rest on visitors spending deeper time with the Participant Archive.
“We feel all these amazing creative works truly deserve more focus and attention,” Wilson and Fernández Díaz shared. “Phase Two supports the work of emerging and established artists and writers by offering possibilities of extending the voice of the visual and text responses. We will encourage writers to write about the work, curators to research for exhibitions, collectors to buy works, students to study, and other projects that serve both visitors and creators.”
To learn more about the Davis Street Drawing Room or to request a visiting session, email Fernández Díaz at sfernandezdiaz@saic.edu or reach out through Instagram at @davisstreetdrawingroom.
Additionally, should you be in the area, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City will be hosting an extension of the project as part of the upcoming exhibition, Anne Wilson: MAD Drawing Room, opening in April 2024. Visitors will have access to microscopes, drawing tools, project prompts, texts, and more.
Visit www.annewilsonartist.com/drawing-room-introduction to learn more.