Life Drawing with The Marra Project

Hartlepool Art Gallery is teaming up with The Marra Project for a series of life drawing sessions with a live model, each one taking its cue from the gallery’s own collection.

Across four Wednesday evenings this autumn, every session has its own theme, drawn from the figures that run through Hartlepool’s collection: the sculpted, the painted and the sketched. You’ll work from a live model in poses that echo these works, encountering works from classical statuary to modern studies. It’s a chance to look closely at the collection, then pick up a pencil and respond with your own hand.

The Marra Project is a North East community organisation founded by artist Emory Southwick, built around warm, sober and inclusive spaces where people can come together and feel at ease. The name comes from the old pitmatic dialect of the region’s coalfield, where your “marra” is the one who always has your back. That spirit runs through the sessions: relaxed, alcohol-free and open to everyone, whether you’ve drawn from life for years or you’re just starting out.

Everyone is welcome. Come as you are, and just draw.