We are proud to announce that Derwent is the official art material partner for The 2022 Big Draw Festival, ‘Come Back to Colour’. Derwent and The Big Draw will work together over the course of the annual celebration of drawing festival, collaborating on a variety of events and initiatives.
The Big Draw is a pioneering visual literacy charity, founded in 2000, dedicated to raising the profile of drawing as a tool for wellbeing, thought, creativity, social and cultural engagement. They believe drawing is an essential human skill important in all walks of life, and our work has won support from leading practitioners within the arts, sciences and education.
The charity supports professional and emerging artists through its national contemporary art prize, The John Ruskin Prize and exhibition, and through events, awards, and competitions, creating platforms for each and everyone who wants to draw.
At Derwent, we are hugely honoured and excited to be partnering with The Big Draw, ‘Come Back to Colour’. We share The Big Draw’s message and purpose that, whether used in a profession, as a hobby or even to relax, drawing is both essential and enjoyable. We believe that everyone can elevate their drawing experience with good quality art supplies that enable them to achieve their best results.
We look forward to partnering with The Big Draw to deliver art education, artist grade materials and exciting events.
Commenting on the announcement, Kate Mason, Director of The Big Draw said:
“The Big Draw is so excited to welcome Derwent as official art material partner and sponsor to The Big Draw Festival 2022, ‘Come Back to Colour’.
Derwent have an illustrious heritage and track record of supporting artists and being passionate supporters of arts education and the value of high quality, arts materials.
The Big Draw and Derwent share aligned beliefs and core values around the importance of the role of artists in society, quality materials, and the right for everyone to be able to express their own creativity.
Synergies between Derwent and the #KeepDiscovering campaign, alongside The Big Draw’s theme for 2022, #ComeBackToColour are strong. We look forward to a fruitful partnership full of colour, creativity and one that celebrates the everyday joy all around us.”
Kate Mason, Director, The Big Draw
Commenting on the announcement, Charlotte Watson, Global Brand Manager, Derwent said:
“We at Derwent are hugely honoured and excited to be partnering with The Big Draw, ‘Come Back to Colour’. Raising awareness of how art can be used as a tool for wellbeing is incredibly important to us, and working with this pioneering charity enables us to lever this sentiment.
Our mission is to delight artists and inspire them to keep discovering. Our partnership with The Big Draw will be an effective vessel to support this mission. The Big Draw aligns closely with our own brand values; being proud to have a rich heritage, while also looking to the future, being excited by the possibilities of art material innovation, taking great pride in what we do and being authentic and true.
We look forward to joining to deliver art education, artist grade materials and engaging and accessible events.”
Charlotte Watson, Global Brand Manager, Derwent
Together with Derwent, The 2022 Big Draw Festival theme, ‘Come Back to Colour‘, is set to lead the way in encouraging a rediscovery of the vitality, health and vibrancy in everyone’s lives after the recent challenging years. As families and friends reconnect, ‘Come Back to Colour‘ encourages people to slow down and rediscover the colour in our lives and the world around us, as it dazzles in its richness and diversity.
The Big Draw Festival subscriptions are open, and The Big Draw is ready to equip and support art spaces around the world – museums, galleries, civic centres, retail shops, businesses, universities, schools, community centres, zoos, wetlands, gardens, individual artists and more – to take on the 2022 theme and bring colour back worldwide. Various subscription tiers are available for organisations large and small.
For the third year running, the fee for independent artists and individual event organisers has been waived in an effort to ensure continued support and opportunity for freelance and self-employed creatives, helping them take full advantage of the opportunity The 2022 Big Draw Festival presents. Organisers and artists can use festival events to attract new audiences, test market creative ideas, projects and workshops, increase exposure to an international audience and be part of an established and recognised festival celebrating the universal language of drawing.
Schools are invited to take advantage of the Early Bird Subscription Discount for non-fee-paying schools. All eligible schools that sign up before 30 April 2022 will receive 20% off their 2021 Big Draw Subscription.
For more information, please visit https://thebigdraw.org/derwent–the-big-draw-festival-2022.
To keep up to date with this partnership or to share your artwork from The Big Draw Festival with us, please use #TheBigDrawxDerwent.