After sitting through office meetings do you check your notes later only to find a bunch of key words scribbled amongst hand-drawn butterflies, human eyes or pinwheels? Do you have notebooks full of cartoon faces? Perhaps you are a doodler, (like yours truly). Doodling is an under-appreciated but noble art form. Many of history's major players were noted doodlers. American presidents Thomas Jefferson, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton are known to have doodled during meetings in the Oval Office.
Comedian Larry David once proclaimed during his show Curb Your Enthusiasm, "I can't draw to save my life but yet I'm a very good doodler." There are many of us out there like him, draining our Bic's on inane mini-masterpieces. (Need help? Check out www.doodlersanonymous.com)
This summer the Toledo Museum of Art is giving all legal pad Picassos and sticky note Warhols a chance to display their work alongside the masterpieces in the museum's collection. The TMA’s upcoming community exhibition, Doodle, will feature visitor submitted doodles in the Community Gallery from Friday, July 27 through September 20.
How it works
The Doodle exhibit encourages the public to interact with the museum and provides an opportunity for novices and professionals alike to present their artistic expression in a friendly whimsical forum. The process is really simple. Doodle Stations are located throughout the TMA where linen-like napkins serve as blank canvasses for the doodler to explore. Handy little drawing kits can be picked up at the museum's information kiosks. Visitors are open to explore the galleries for inspiration or take the napkin home to complete their work. Once finished, participants submit their doodle into the boxes located at the Doodle Stations in the museum. Doodles will be selected throughout the run of the show so the exhibit is continuously flowing and expanding.
“The exhibit is a perfect fit for summer because it has a spontaneous feel.” says Jennifer Bandeen, Manager of the Community Gallery. “It’s not art as normal. It’s fresh.
It’s reactive.”
The first stroke of genius
Bandeen, herself a confessed doodle addict, said she came up with the idea for the exhibit one day while eating in the museum’s cafe. She spilled some ink on one of her napkins and decided to do a Japanese-style doodle. She thought this might be a great way to get the community involved with the museum since anyone from little kids to professionals can participate.
“We really want the collection to inspire visitors, so if they see a face or a pattern they like we want them to run with it.”
So fellow doodlers, stop in during your lunch break (there's a Doodle Station in the TMA cafeteria) or take a napkin back to work and practice your doodle skills during your next business meeting.
For for more details on how to submit your doodle visit
www.toledomuseum.org.
