Drawing and Art History at Sullivan Correctional Facility
Facilitated by Patrick Costello, Nicholas Weist
Inspired by Paolo Freire’s belief that teachers and students educate one another, and that education can be a tool for liberation, Shandaken Projects' Drawing and Art History course prioritizes peer-led conversation and skill sharing to cultivate participants' critical thinking and drawing skills. Participants learn beginner and intermediate art techniques including perspective, shading, figure-drawing, cartooning, and more. Each complete a series of technical drawings to illustrate these techniques, as well as open-ended personal artworks as a final project. Complementing the skills-based instruction, participants also discuss visual culture and art history, learning about, observing, and critiquing one to two major artworks each week.