Isle of Man Drawing Club finds new home
The island’s oldest life drawing club has secured a new home, 13 months after members last met.
Founded in June 2017, the Isle of Man Drawing Club has run regular sessions for artists to draw from live models for the past eight years.
Over that time, the group has moved between several Douglas venues, including the former Noa Bakehouse on Fort Street, the Sayle Gallery, Peggy’s nightclub and the Basement Sports Bar. All of those venues have since closed.
From October 2019, the group was based at 1886 in Douglas. But in June 2024, organisers were told the venue could no longer cater for them. Less than a year later, 1886 reopened as a Wetherspoons, leaving the club without a suitable home.
Organiser Kim Graziano runs the club in her spare time alongside working at Media Isle of Man as Head of Brand and Creative. She said the club searched for other venue options in Douglas but none met its specific requirements.
‘Our events are both an artistic activity and a social evening, and require a large, private space that can accommodate 30 to 50 artists, with tables, chairs and drinks available, which has made it difficult to secure a permanent base,’ she said.
‘Drawing Club has always been about creating a relaxed and welcoming space where people of all abilities can enjoy drawing together, but after seven years of running the sessions and 17 venue changes, it felt like an uphill battle to keep the club operating despite the huge interest from regular attendees.’
The search is now over after the club partnered with Artreach Studios in Peel, which has made its workshop and gallery space available for future sessions.
The first evening at the new venue sold out within five days, which organisers say shows demand has not diminished during the break.
Life drawing is the practice of drawing the human figure from a live model, focusing on anatomy, posture, proportions and expression.
Plans are in place to continue running monthly life drawing sessions at Artreach, alongside sculpture workshops and social nights.
Ms Graziano, who is originally from New York but has lived in the island for the last decade, said: ‘After a year away, the response to our first session back has been such a relief. There’s a real appetite for accessible, casual arts events on the island, and we can’t wait to welcome back both familiar faces and new club members.
‘It wasn’t necessarily my plan to pause sessions over the last year, but I think the break was needed to find a sustainable way forward, and now we’re so excited to be back.’
Their September event has sold out, but the next event will take place on Tuesday October 21 from 7-9pm at Artreach Studios. Attendees of all skill levels are welcome and will need to bring their own paper and art supplies. Details of future events are available on the Isle of Man Drawing Club’s Facebook and Instagram pages, @isleofmandrawingclub. Tickets can be purchased at kimgeestudio.com/shop.
Appeared originally in the Manx Independent and on iomtoday.co.im