Shopping centre to be turned into giant art canvas

Later this month, hundreds of people will be invited to turn a shopping centre into one giant canvas to help celebrate their city.

The Mander Centre in Wolverhampton will host a three-day celebration of drawing between 27 and 29 October as part of a collaboration between the University of Wolverhampton and The Big Draw.

The Big Draw is an annual international celebration that has reached more than five million people, in more than 35 countries, since launching in 2000.

Led by practitioners from Fine Art and Illustration within the university's School of Creative Industries, people will work together to create an evolving large-scale drawing inspired by Wolverhampton.

Participants will be encouraged to respond to the people, architecture, stories and experiences that help shape the city.

Organisers said the artwork would grow and evolve over the three days as more people added their own ideas, memories and perspectives.

The project is inspired by psychogeography, a concept that explores people's connections with places and how they experience their surroundings.

Lindsey Chambers, head of School of Social Science, Humanities and Creative Industries at the university, said: "Over three days, we hope to see the artwork grow and evolve as more people add their own ideas and perspectives.

"You don't need any previous drawing experience to get involved. We want everyone to feel welcome to come along, have a go and make their mark."

This year's Big Draw theme is "Make a Mark", which celebrates drawing as a form of exploration and expression.

The University of Wolverhampton is one of the festival's partners for 2026, alongside organisations including the National Trust, St Paul's Cathedral, the Wallace Collection, the Courtauld Gallery and the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration.

Matilda Barratt, director of The Big Draw, said organisers were grateful to the organisations helping deliver events around the world as part of the festival.

The event is free to attend, with all materials provided and opportunities to take part through both scheduled activities and informal drop-in sessions.

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