Located in Railroad Square, 621 Gallery will host its monthly figure drawing event on Sunday, Sept. 12. It is designed to be beginner-friendly and used as a tool to allow people to positively bond with members of the community whether or not they have experience in art.
“The main goal, I think, is to cultivate an environment where people feel comfortable exploring new ways of art-making,” said Sophia Ballesteros, vice president of the board of directors at 621 Gallery. “We advertise the Second Sunday Figure Drawing sessions to be beginner-friendly. A lot of people come into the gallery and say, ‘I can’t even draw a stick figure, I don’t know if I would be any good.’ But it’s really not about being good, it’s about trying new things and meeting people with similar interests.”
Using a model and a background, attendees draw the subjects in their own way free from any restraint. Attendees are provided with everything they need to execute their artwork.
Kenya Winston, who attended July’s figure drawing event, said: “I thought the figure drawing event was very successful and innovative. I’ve never been to one before and I thought the way it was done was very smart. The model, lighting, and backdrops were imaginative. I’ve never seen anything like this in Tallahassee.”
The idea of hosting a figure drawing event came about in 2019 and has grown since then. However, the start of the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt in operations at the gallery.
“My first taste of figure drawing was at an event 621 hosted back in December of 2019 that had a small figure drawing component,” said Ballesteros. “People really enjoyed it so we decided to have a proper figure drawing session for Valentine’s Day 2020, which was also really successful. But then of course the pandemic happened, so it was put on hold for a while. Fast forward to Valentine’s Day 2021, when the gallery was open to the public again since COVID, we had another session and since then we have made it a monthly event.”
Ciara Tucker, a former intern at the gallery, has high hopes for the next figure drawing event which will be the first one since the opening of FSU, FAMU, and TCC this fall.
“I think this pandemic has caused so much stress and uncertainty for students who are already stressed out due to life as a college student,” said Tucker. “But with events like figure drawing, students can enjoy down time with the comfort of their friends and worry less about the hardships they face in such uncertain times. I know many new students will enjoy the next event.”
The figure drawing event takes place every second Sunday of the month. Updates about 621 Gallery and future events can be found on Instagram @621_gallery.