National Drawing Day 2024

Saturday 18th May 12.00pm - 4.00pm

Free drop-in events

Butler Gallery invites you to join us for National Drawing Day for a series of free family friendly events with activities for all ages and artistic abilities.

National Drawing Day is an annual celebration of drawing and creativity which is an initiative of the National Gallery of Ireland and is co-hosted by dozens of partner venues around the island of Ireland.

Enjoy experimenting with various art techniques to create your own fun art works on the day, guided by our talented artists and facilitators.

This year our theme for National Drawing Day is Drawing From Nature and we will be hosting a variety of activities in our galleries, Learning Centre and gardens for all ages. Please see list below for details of our free drop-in workshops.

Drop-in Workshops (No sign-up required):

Bird Making Workshop – Location: Learning Centre at Butler Gallery. Time: 12pm-4pm

• Learn about common garden birds and make your own flying paper bird with artist Paul Bokslag as he skilfully guides participants through the various possibilities of paper-making. Suitable for all age groups - no booking required

Drawing From Nature – Location: Gallery 3 and 4 at Butler Gallery. Time 12pm-4pm

• Drawings based around a woodland ecosystem where children create drawings based on Irish flora and fauna. Participants will create nature-inspired artwork using dry art materials that depict Irish biodiversity.

Early Years Sensory Play and Making – Location: Gardens at Butler Gallery. Time 12pm-4pm

• a drop in workshop geared towards an Early Years audience. Working with the theme of biodiversity the workshop will focus on play and making using natural materials.

Giant Collaborative Chalk Drawing Workshop- Location: Front Plaza at Butler Gallery. Time 12pm-4pm

• Following the theme of biodiversity we invite all visitors to take part in a large scale drawing exercise in the Front Plaza of the Butler Gallery where participants will collaborate to create a monumental drawing using chalk.

Self-Directed Drawing Workshop – Location: Reception at Butler Gallery. Time 12PM-4PM

• Drawing materials will be available for participants at the Butler Gallery reception to engage in drawing throughout the day with prompts to guide them to a drawing exercise.

This project is funded by the Kilkenny Creative Ireland Programme 2024.