Urban Sketchers; Ghost Stories, Live in the Galleries; a Manifesto

Urban Sketchers is an international group of self-starters committed to documenting their surroundings through the two dimensional "essence". Put it this way: They have a manifesto. Somewhere between the Dogme 95 film-making collective and plein air painters, lies Urban Sketchers.

USK Manifesto:

1. We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation.

2. Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel.

3. Our drawings are a record of time and place.

4. We are truthful to the scenes we witness.

5. We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles.

6. We support each other and draw together.

7. We share our drawings online.

8. We show the world, one drawing at a time.

The collective is composed of one hundred official artists, plus innumerable grassroots groups that converge online, together spanning over 30 countries worldwide. Naturally, art-obsessed Memphis has a particularly loud contingent; in fact, the ringleader of Urban Sketchers Memphis, Elizabeth Alley, is on the International Board of Directors!

This not-so sketchy group stopped by the Brooks last week to sit-in on our first (of two) Live in the Galleries ghost story sessions, as told by Backbeat Tours. The responses above, top down, appear courtesy of Elizabeth Alley and Mary K. VanGiesen.