UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Every exhibit in the Robeson Gallery starts with blank walls. Usually, they’re filled with artwork by the time the exhibit opens. “Manual Labor,” however, did things a little bit differently. When “Manual Labor” opened on June 5, the walls of the Robeson Gallery were lined with the Finely-detailed works of Jo Margolis and Kate McGraw, two Harrisburg-area artists whose works focus on themes of land and agriculture. In the middle of the gallery sat three empty panels — though they didn’t stay empty for long.
“Make Your Mark” maker’s stations began popping up across the community, and a community-generated collage started to fill the panels.
At a "Make Your Mark" maker’s station, the general public is invited to explore a variety of common and not-so-common art-making materials, ranging from India ink and conté crayon to old toothbrushes and broken sticks. Using these materials, everyone is asked to create a drawing simply by making small marks in a repetitious pattern.
After each drawing is completed, participants can add their name to the list of contributors then return to the gallery at a later date to see their drawings added to the growing collage with the hundreds of other drawings.
By participating in "Make Your Mark," individuals are given the opportunity to play an active role in the exhibition, helping to determine how it changes over time and feeling what Margolis and McGraw may have experienced while creating their larger drawings using similar methods. “Make Your Mark” also offers the rare chance to see one’s work exhibited in a formal gallery setting alongside the works of professional artists.
“Make Your Mark” will be at Ag Progress Days in the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center:
- Aug. 14, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Aug. 15, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
- Aug. 16, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
“Make Your Mark” will be at the HUB Arts Crawl in the HUB-Robeson Center Robeson Gallery and Art Alley:
- Aug. 22, 6-8 p.m.
"Make Your Mark" is a community-collaborative project inspired by the works of Kate McGraw and Jo Margolis, and invites everyone from the least experienced to the most experienced to take part. The whole process takes less than 10 minutes. For more information, contact the HUB-Robeson Galleries at galleries@psu.edu.