While many museums throughout the United Kingdom hold remarkable graphic collections, for a variety of reasons these are often less studied and shown than similar collections of painting and sculpture. This Study Day aims to consider how drawings collections can be opened up and made more visible and accessible to artists and art students, to complement curricula at art schools and to generate audience and community engagement around the UK.

Over the past three years the Bridget Riley Art Foundation project has seen over a thousand students from art schools around London visit the Prints and Drawings collection at the British Museum. This was part of a wider project to encourage art students to draw, including a touring exhibition shaped by discussions with students during these workshops. Examining the nature of drawing as a thinking medium, "Lines of thought: Drawing from Michelangelo to Now" toured to three UK partner venues in 2016-17: Poole Museum, Hull University Art Collection and Ulster Museum. More than 1,500 students visited the exhibition at workshops held in these partner venues.

Using the rich graphic holdings of the British Museum, and calling on outside collaborators who worked on "Lines of thought," this Study Day will provide both an opportunity for discussion and a practical introduction for curators who wish to develop the use of their collections according to their specific institution’s aims, needs and resources.

Key aspects of the Study Day will include:
o Frameworks for trans-historical research and interpretation of works on paper
o How to connect drawings collections with local artists and educators
o The relevance of drawing to contemporary arts education
o Insights on documenting and digitisation
o Displaying drawings within the framework of your institution
o Networking with other curators of drawings collections
o Discussion of contemporary drawing: themes, material and practice

To request a place on this Study Day, please email UK Partnerships Co-ordinator, Georgia Mallin, at gmallin@britishmuseum.org by 24 May 2017. Please include a brief paragraph describing your role, the nature of your organisation’s drawings collection, and how you might wish to develop its study and use. Places will be confirmed by 31 May.

There are limited travel bursaries available for delegates for whom travel costs would prevent them from attending. Please state if you would like to apply for a bursary when requesting your place. If you are interested in the Study Day but are unable to make this particular date, please consider sending an application to register your interest, as there is the possibility of additional Study Days in the future.