For art's sake -- Come and create at casual new drawing club

People who love to draw - from amateurs to professionals and in between - are encouraged to create and mingle with other artists at the Drawing Club from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on the first Friday of every month.

The club, located at 124/128 Bruce Street, was launched in Sept. 2022 with the help of a Sault Ste. Marie Arts and Culture grant by artists Matt Langdon and Casey McGlynn.

Attendees are asked to bring their own sketchbook, canvases, paints, and pens and create art in a casual group environment.

“We just said bring your supplies, your art tools, and we can make art in a group environment and it just snowballed from there,” Langdon told SooToday.

Awareness of the club has grown through word of mouth, Instagram and Facebook.

“It’s art for the sake of creating art. We’re not here to make money. It’s partly about getting people out of their houses, especially post-pandemic. We think a lot of people are feeling isolated so this is a way to get them out of their homes and into a different place to create art,” Langdon said.

“It’s a community of people who just want to get together and draw. Some of them sculpt. We had one girl doing paper dolls of herself, we’ve had people doing beadwork. Any type of art is encouraged.”

That includes comics and anime, street art and graffiti, abstract and Dada.

“Bring it down here and create with us,” Langdon said.

There is no registration required.

There are no club membership fees but donations are accepted.

Attendance at the Drawing Club’s meetings fluctuates due to its informal nature.

Approximately 65 people have passed through the club’s doors but there is a core group of approximately 10 artists, Langdon said.

“Some people are not so good at art and you can see it, others are professional and you can see it. There’s a wide range. We’re not here to bash each other or critique. It’s all about the creation of art. It’s not about how much it's worth and where we can display it. It’s all about moving your hands and creating something tangible,” Langdon said.

“It’s almost too relaxed,” he said with a chuckle.

“It’s very chill. Sometimes we have music playing, sometimes there’s pizza, people can come and go, some come early, some come late. It’s very loose knit. People have come and said ‘this is so nice and different.’ There are no expectations. Just be yourself and create.”

Langdon said he feels the Drawing Club has filled a need within the Sault’s arts community.

“We felt that some of the other local art programs are for newcomers to the Sault, people suffering from trauma, there are prerequisites to get into them - including money - whereas our approach is if you don’t have money, that’s okay, just come on down.”

Though all ages are welcome, Langdon said club meetings would be best for people no younger than 16.

Club members range in age from their 20s to their 40s.

“Bringing these people together has been great for them, and us,” Langdon said.

Artist Langdon - who has a full-time job at Arauco Wood Products - is also an events producer and DJ.

He has exhibited work at the student gallery at Ontario College of Art & Design University - commonly known as OCAD - and the Niagara Artists Centre, and has thrown numerous music events through his company Disco Magic.

Artist Casey McGlynn, Langdon’s professional partner, is a full-time artist who resides in an apartment at the Drawing Club’s building on Bruce Street.

He has exhibited his work at carnivals in the southern U.S. and at art galleries in Vancouver, Seattle, Toronto and Berlin, having made a living from his paintings for almost half a century.

Both artists are southern Ontarians who have relocated to the Sault.

The Drawing Club’s future goals include an art show, murals, events, and field trips to paint outdoors.

The club still plans to meet on Friday, April 7 beginning at 7 p.m.

More information about the Drawing Club is available by contacting Matt Langdon by email.