Published: 14.03.08

The University of Brighton yesterday received an award from the National Campaign for Drawing in recognition of its innovative drawing project, the BigDraw@Brighton.

The Big Draw, sponsored by the university's LearnHigher Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, used numerous drawing activities to give staff the chance to get a different perspective on drawing, experiment with new technology and have fun with their colleagues.

Over 1,000 staff and students across the university's five campuses, in subjects including engineering, health, education, sociology, art and architecture, were encouraged to rediscover drawing and explore its role in developing observation, communication and research skills.

Visiting artists ran drawing workshops and teams competed in a lunchtime drawing challenge. Pictures and reports were uploaded to Community@Brighton, the university's social networking site, which also hosted The Big Scribble, an online drawing competition with weekly themes and prizes.

Lisa Howard, project coordinator for the National Campaign for Drawing, said: "We were really impressed by the University of Brighton's effort to get staff and students on board with its events. They used a mix of drawing games and online activities to make the Big Draw accessible to all. Events are still ongoing and are now being adopted by other universities."

Pauline Ridley, visual practices coordinator for LearnHigher, said: "The BigDraw@Brighton raised awareness of drawing as a tool for learning and research in higher education. All children love drawing, but many people have given up by the time they come to university – in many cases due to lack of confidence."

"Our ambition is to encourage everyone to rediscover drawing and to explore and share the role it can play in their own subject areas. Drawing improves observational skills, reinforces memory, generates and communicates ideas. It can map structures as a research tool or give a different perspective."

Further workshops, research projects and an exhibition are planned during the year to promote the potential of drawing in every academic discipline. For more information see www.campaignfordrawing.org.