Drawn Together art project has put Big Issue vendors on the map

Two Big Issue vendors have been pencilled in for a new exhibition after contributing their art to a hand-drawn map of Wales.

The Drawn Together project tasked people throughout the country to break out their pencils to draw absolutely anything in the country ,with the end goal of creating a sketch of the land mass.

Almost 5,000 doodles have been delivered so far, including two by Big Issue vendors after organisers joined them on pitches across the country, including in Swansea, Cardiff and Caernarfon.

Vendors Polly Baggott and Pete O’Day impressed so much with their sketching skills that their efforts were included on the map, which will go on display on October 1 at Cardiff’s National Museum Wales.

Polly impressed Drawn Together’s Lizzy Stonhold with her portrayal of St John the Baptist Church near her Royal Arcade pitch in the Welsh capital while Pete’s sketch of a clock on his own pitch also caught the eye of Drawn Together.

Pete, who sells the magazine at Park Place in Cardiff, quipped that he likes to keep his eye on the clock – despite the fact it has long since stopped.

Pete said: “I haven’t had any artwork put on display before but there is a first time for everything.

“I didn’t think much about it at the time – it was just a quick drawing of the clock and I haven’t really drawn anything since I was a kid.

“The clock has been stopped at five to one for a while but at least it is right twice a day! I’ll definitely be heading down the museum to see the map on show.”

The criteria for entries to the project was diverse, explains Lizzy, with the final piece featuring people, planes and wildlife from across the country.

Preparing the #DrawnTogetherWales exhibition in @AmgueddfaCymrupic.twitter.com/1O9PC4b5xU

— Voluntary Arts Wales (@volartswales) September 24, 2018

“It doesn’t matter what you draw, if you can see it and its in Wales, its important and we invite you to include on the map,” said Lizzy.

“Drawing helps you to value your surroundings, not for an aesthetic, or narrative, but purely for its line, shape, form or texture and can be a grounding experience. When seeing all of the drawings together, there is no bias over who’s drawn what, you value the drawings for the process and the participation in a shared creative activity. Many people can feel overlooked, disconnected or unvalued, and art can often be a way of encouraging people to have a purpose.”

Images: Drawn Together