The Big Titanic Draw Event
On Saturday 31st October, we opened the doors of the Harland & Wolff Drawing Offices to host the ‘Big Titanic Draw’ event. This was part of the nationwide campaign to get everyone drawing again, and this year’s theme was ‘Every Drawing Tells a Story’.
Sixty little artists (5 years plus) along with more than 40 parents & carers joined us to help draw the biggest picture possible. Local artist Julie Douglas welcomed everyone and kicked off the event by reading a poem by East Belfast writer Robert Semple, entitled “The Day of The Cranes”. Everyone then got the opportunity to become Titanic inspired artists for the morning and created their own mini masterpieces on long rolls of paper.
Julie highlighted, ‘As an artist, I love the drama of many of the buildings in Belfast, both inside and out. Titanic Quarter has a wealth of subjects, from the chunky machinery in the Pump-House, to the contained feeling of SS Nomadic to the modern sleek lines of the PRONI building. But my favourite is The Drawing Offices. This special place has a wonderful atmosphere which is over and above the light. I have drawn here many times, and it’s stillness is engaging. Not only did the children illustrate the story, but all the Mums and Dads were required to join in too. And while many were reluctant at first, once they got going with their pens, there was no stopping them, especially the Dads. At the end of the morning everyone was so HAPPY! 100 people, 100 drawings. A really Big Draw. I really appreciate Maritime Belfast’s generosity and their vision – it is a pleasure to work with them.’
Once again another fantastic community initiative delivered by the Maritime Belfast Team in partnership with Julie Douglas. RMS Titanic and thousands of other Harland & Wolff ships were designed in these very drawing offices, and we couldn’t think of a better venue to inspire the next generation!
