What if in a few hours you could boost creativity and fine motor skills, improve your memory and cognitive function, and release a little stress while increasing your social connection within the community? What if you could do all of this through drawing?
On Saturday, July 13, you’ll have an opportunity to do just that when Historical Savannah Foundation partners with artist Ivan Chow to present “Mindful Marks: Hand Sketching and Cognitive Wellness.” The four-hour class takes place at the Historic Kennedy Pharmacy, 323 E. Broughton St. and runs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Art materials and light refreshments are provided with $45 attendance fee for HSF members and $50 for non-members. Attendance capped at 16 registrants.
Mindful Marks is part of HSF’s latest community initiative, Artisan Spotlight, a series of workshops that celebrate local talent by providing artists and artisans a platform for sharing their creative processes with Hostess City residents.
‘Drawing is another modality for learning, encoding, and making multiple connections in the brain’
HSF first connected with Chow, retired international architect and former Dean of Building Arts at Savannah College of Art and Design, through an ariel drawing of Plant Riverside he created from a set of drone photos. From there the organization began selling his books of drawings that range from sketches of Savannah architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater in Pennsylvania to iconic travel destinations around the world.
“After we began carrying Ivan’s books, it made sense we’d team up with him to facilitate a spotlight event,” said Danielle Hodes, Davenport House Museum executive director. “I’m fascinated with this opportunity for museum visitors as it scaffolds experiences in alternative ways of forming connections with us at HSF and in connecting with history. Drawing is another modality for learning, encoding, and making multiple connections in the brain.”
The four-hour workshop, suitable for beginners and advanced artists, begins with Chow speaking for about an hour on the research and neuroscience linking hand drawing to improved cognition. Then, he shares a few drawing tips for rendering architectural scenes and different compositional elements. After a brief pause for refreshments, participants head outdoors to find locations to sketch. In case of inclement weather, the class may go to the Davenport House to draw indoor scenes.
Ivan Chow came up as an architect in the days before computer aided design (CAD) and is inspired by years of research indicating how the brain benefits from hand drawing. Most recently in January, Norwegian researchers found that human brains are most active—nearly 100%—either handwriting or drawing a word, while typing on a keyboard engages only a fraction of brain activity. Because of increased neural engagement, findings suggest that handwriting and drawing may assist in improving memory and overall cognitive function.
“Drawing acts as a stimulant to the brain’s activity,” emphasized Chow. “The region that responds more actively when drawing is the limbic system and the hippocampus within that system.”
The limbic system helps regulate emotions and behavior while the hippocampus is specifically involved in memory and learning and some management of emotion. The hippocampus, when functioning properly, also helps process anxiety and avoidance behaviors, which if this part of the brain is engaged while drawing, it may explain why putting pen or colored pencils to paper is stress relieving.
“I’m an urban sketcher, a travel sketcher, and there are things going on in a scene that you don’t see until you begin drawing,” considered Chow. “The smaller sensory details come through when you slow down to draw. And it’s not what we’re drawing but that we are drawing. For this class, experience isn’t necessary. It’s the process, not product, that is important.”
Chow is also quick to emphasize that anyone considering signing up, should “throw out all fear and just do it.” He maintains that drawing is for everyone, that it’s not magic, and anyone can learn to do it by diving into the process.
For Hodes, the new monthly Artisan Spotlight series is proving to be important and successful for the local community. Launched earlier this spring, the workshops have consistently attracted primarily Savannah residents, though some visitors also attend. Upcoming spotlights include “Bloom & Brush,” a watercolor experience in September with Amy Challis; “Aroma Alchemy,” a candle making workshop with Wild Root in October; and “Sustainable Sips,” a holiday cocktail-making extravaganza in December with Loni Lewis.
“For our second release of programs, we’re really trying to focus on a variety of art and artisans,” said Hodes. “It really is an exciting time to collaborate with the community’s creatives and shine a light on different forms of artistry. These workshops are a joy to experience, and Historic Savannah Foundation and the Davenport House Museum are very excited to be part and continue doing these in the community.”
If You Go >>
What: Artisan Spotlight: Mindful Marks, Hand Sketching & Cognitive Wellness with Ivan Chow
When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., July 13
Where: Murray C. Perlman & Wayne C. Spear Preservation Center, Historic Kennedy Pharmacy, 323 East Broughton St., Savannah
Cost: $45 for HSF members, $50 non-members.
