The Department of Regional Art Workers was conceived as an intergenerational, interdisciplinary arts community providing access to the arts, in midtown, Kingston, NY. Our project space offers a print studio, work, event and, meeting space. The D.R.A.W. community currently includes, P.U.G.G. alumni artists, work study students, local artists and, community members interested in providing access to the Arts and quality community arts education.

Steamroller Print Fest, September 2024

MKAD (Midtown Kingston Arts District) hosted the Steamroller Print Fest on September 21st and 22nd, where we closed off Iwo Jima Lane to celebrate our print studio and artist friends through printing huge linoleum blocks using a steamroller. Incredible banners of elaborate artworks were printed under beautiful autumn weather and music by The Binoculars.

During the fest, we also opened our Annual Teaching Artists Show with work from art educators and friends of the D.R.A.W. We also hosted the Adopt-A-Clay-Puggle event where people could come and adopt one of countless handmade clay sculptures by donating, the culmination of an ongoing community arts project started during the pandemic.

Draw-A-Thon, August 2024

The Draw-A-Thon returned in August of 2024, the 12-hour-long public drawing extravaganza, this time with an underwater theme, and even a mermaid model. The splash of oceanic color and subject matter was wildly popular, as the 2024 Draw-A-Thon had the largest turnout of guests so far. The Draw-A-Ton was a giant, spectacular octopus. It, and many other props and decorations, were all created and arranged by the members of PUGG themselves.

Fervornova, June 2024

The D.R.A.W. hosted the first ever exhibition that was fully curated by the members of PUGG. Inspired by a shared interest of color and energy between the PUGGs, it was named Fervornova. The artists and their individual artworks were hand-picked by the members of PUGG, then curated in D.R.A.W.’s gallery space at 22 Iwo Jima Lane. It was a big step for PUGG, which had up to that point was more of a helping hand to exhibitions. They had become fully equipped with creating an exhibition of their own, and Fervornova was a testament to the progress of PUGG and how far it had come.

Show & Tell, April 2024

D.R.A.W. collaborated with the Kingston Library to create Show & Tell, a journal of arts and literature built from the combined submissions of local artists. With the goal of highlighting the diversity of the artists and writers who live here in Kingston, the Kingston Library accepted free submissions of an enormous variety of artistic expression to be catalogued in the resulting journal, which can be received at no cost.

Guidelines and further information about the project can be found here.

Holding Space for Tenderness, Winter 2024

For several months, members of PUGG met up with members of different organizations in the area and photographed their hands tenderly holding one of their most prized possessions. We collected countless amounts of these pictures to create an incredible banner as part of a project started by artist Carmen Lizardo and carried out by members of PUGG. The resulting product is an overarching symbol of unity and connectivity between us as humans with sentimentality. The finished images are printed in cyanotype, framing each picture together in the same color and context that transcends the context and differences of the photographed people.

Jell-O Jamboree, February 2024

For D.R.A.W.’s second annual Jell-O Jamboree, we evolved from the first and built an even bigger party with more treats, more games, and more performances. Like last time we held a Jell-O sculpture contest between local artists, and our competitors came out with more inspired Jell-O sculpts than ever before. PUGG alumni Erin Dougherty won the first place prize for her iconic slug.

There was live music and belly dancing for performances, and for games we had a wobbly stacking game and a thrilling prize wheel. Every spin of the wheel came with a guaranteed prize, and winners of the stacking game would receive a special handmade trophy made of things stacked on top of each other. Complete with an array of food and especially sweet drinks, the Jell-O Jamboree was once again a spectacle to remember.

Draw-a-Thon, August 2023

In the third annual Draw-A-Thon, we embraced a monstrous theme and welcomed Drawzilla as our mascot, with a big mechanical version of her acting as that year’s Draw-A-Ton. One of our PUGGs, Vera Wilde, also created a coloring book for attendees. Also spotlighted was the use of a steamroller to print huge linocut blocks on huge pieces of paper. Local artists and friends of the D.R.A.W. were invited to cut their own linoleum designs to be utilized at the event. This Draw-A-Thon had a big outdoor presence, participants out in the sun drawing with chalk on the sidewalks. We utilized the newly formed Neighborhood Print Studio to its fullest potential.

Celebration of the Arts Expo, July 2023

MAD presented the Celebration of the Arts Expo, a day packed to the brim with art workshops and learning opportunities with the intent of letting people go through a full day of workshops they choose to attend. It’s hosted at SUNY Ulster’s Kingston location, utilizing several classrooms to occupy the many art educators who came out to teach the community. The Expo truly celebrates the arts, waving a spotlight over a vast amount of mediums and artistic outlets. From painting, to printing, to performance. There was undoubtedly something in this Expo for everyone. Look forward to our next annual Celebration of the Arts!

Neighborhood Print Studio opens, Summer 2023

After a long process of renovations, preparations, and moving, the D.R.A.W. proudly presents the Neighborhood Print Studio. Built in the name of affordable art education for all, this studio has acted as a source for countless opportunities to create and educate for those in our community. Not only do we offer classes in various forms of printmaking with our facilities as a print shop, but we’re also committed to hand-crafting our own merchandise.

Honoring Ben Wigfall and Communications Village in our efforts, we humbly accept a large printing press he used for his own work and utilize it to serve our community.

Geometric Stitchdom, April 2023

For a couple months, the members of PUGG met with Tara Foley to undergo the process of planning and putting together a show at the Woodstock Artists Association & Museum. PUGG also met with artist Sabine Reckewell and learned about her story and process when making her elaborate geometric pieces. The PUGGs would go on to make prints, and embroider them while being inspired and informed by Reckewell’s style and practice.

The PUGGs first made prints with geometric shapes and bright colors in mind. They then used embroidery to add to the print. The final products were highly expressive and handmade multi-media works. A few other PUGGs made art pieces of completely different subjects and media, showing off their individual styles and talents. An art show dedicated to the members of PUGG and their members is an important tribute.

Jell-O Jamboree, February 2023

For the D.R.A.W.’s first inaugural fundraiser, we held a Jell-O themed dance party and sculpture competition called the Jell-O Jamboree. It was held in the Fuller Building across from Kingston’s YMCA. It was a full house, and friends and family of the D.R.A.W. attended to make the event a huge success and a fun display of charity.

Present at the event was a wheel of prizes, various sweet treats, Jell-O shots, and Jell-O Jamboree shirts and buttons for sale. The sculptural talents of local artists was put to work and the Jell-O sculptures were all incredibly unique, colorful, and even fascinating. Decorations and merchandise were designed and created by members of PUGG, and the sculpture gallery was decorated by professional portraits of the PUGGs themselves.

Eco-Arts week, April 2023

The D.R.A.W. had it’s second Eco-Arts Week, headlined with an artist talk from sTo Len. Things that attendants could do include but are not limited to: Learn to repurpose clothing, make ink from nature, print with trash, make charcoal, make seed balls, make bee habitats, and even have an engraving done on a seed. During the entire week, a sculpture by Isobel Cotarelo and an ensemble of gnome sculptures made from recycled materials by Maxine Leu were on display at the D.R.A.W. space.

The participating artists include: sTo Len, Roberta Ziemba, Hudson Valley Bee Habitat, Aurora Brush, Luke Sarrantonio, Lisa B. Kelley, Sergey Jivetin, Michael Asbill, Karen Jaimes, Kelly McGrath, Isabel Cotarelo, PJ Flanagan, and Maxine Leu.