What do a New York bar, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Victoria Baths all have in common?
They all have been, or are about to be venues for the world’s most popular cult drawing event. Dr Sketchy is a world wide phenomenon and has spread to over one hundred cities around the world and taken place in some of the world’s most prestigious venues.
The event is an original take on traditional life drawing classes and sees everyone from burlesque beauties to body builders invited along for students to draw. It is the brain child of New York artist Molly Crab Apple who posed the question in a life drawing class, ‘why can’t drawing naked people be sexy’?
Manchester’s Dr Sketchy has just been relaunched after it was started initially in 2008 by Prestwich based former journalist Faye Adams and her partner Ruari. The pair started the branch after they attended one in Auckland where they lived for a time. “It was such a different approach, life drawing but with totally inspired choice of models, no pressure, whilst listening to great music and having a beer, it totally altered my idea of how life drawing should be.
“When we returned to Manchester we realised it was exactly what the city needed.” – Faye.
The couple then set about running their own night in Manchester’s northern quarter but gave it up after a year after finding it difficult to secure the right venue. Faye added: “We’ve since had so many people asking us when we were going to start running it again we decided that we would give it another go and put on our first of many at the end of last year.”
The night, which features games and sketching challenges, takes place once a month at Madlab on Edge Street. However, not content to rest on their laurels the pair have decided to stage a Dr Sketchy at the BBC’s Restoration winner Victoria Baths. It will feature three burlesque performers and life models: Manchester’s very own bearded lady, the fabulous Fanny Divine, bathing beauty Ginger La Rouge and the Victorian gentleman Archibald Greaves.
“Victorian Baths is an absolutely beautiful venue and I think it will suit Dr Sketchy extremely well. It’s also a great way of supporting the baths and means hopefully people who haven’t been there will get to see it.
“We’ve got lots of ideas for different types of models and unusual venues so Victoria Baths is just the first of many exciting events we hope to stage.” – Faye.
Dr Sketchy at Victoria Baths takes place on Sunday, April 17. Tickets are £10.50 advance £12 on the doors.
For more information email drsketchymanchester@googlemail.com or visit www.drsketchy.com/branch/manchester
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