Field Drawings is a series of free workshops and a culminating exhibition of location-based drawings created by Lizzini and community participants. The goal of this project is to challenge preconceived notions of urban spaces while encouraging connections through the process of observational drawing. On-location workshops took place in six neighborhoods: University Circle, Midtown, Tremont, Slavic Village, Detroit Shoreway, and Ohio City. In total, 46 people attended the workshops and engaged in meaningful drawing and discussion about each neighborhood.
The exhibition title, Field Drawings, takes its inspiration from the traditional definition of field research, which is “the collection of raw data from outside a laboratory, library, or workplace setting.” Through neighborhood excursions, Lizzini and community participants collected “field data’’ and performed visual research that connected them more deeply with each space. Lizzini’s drawings are the result of extended research in each location- including interviews with residents, longer neighborhood walks, and archival investigations. The final exhibition allows the viewer to see a new vision of Cleveland through the eyes of all who participated.
This project strives to encourage creative placemaking and neighborhood reinvestment while solidifying drawing’s contemporary significance as a means for connection-both to place and others. Sketchbooks are available at several Cleveland Public Libraries for those interested in rediscovering their own neighborhood through the lens of drawing.
