Dubuque's "Great Draw" Helps the Artists of Today and Tomorrow

In a world that continues to embrace mathematics, sciences, and engineering (for good reason), I truly hope that we don't lose sight of all the arts does for individuals and people as a whole. Without art, and mediums such as painting, drawing, film, music, and more, life would be considerably less enjoyable.

Thankfully, "The Great Draw" returns to Dubuque on Saturday, September 17th after a two-year pandemic-induced hiatus. Established in 2011 by Outside the Lines Art Gallery co-owners, Connie Twining and Stormy Mochal, the multi-layered event serves as a fundraiser for the annual Great Draw Visual Art Scholarships and helps the community appreciate local, fledgling artists.

Mochal was kind enough to stop by the radio station to chat about the event, and remind people of its importance as it provides students aspiring to have careers in the arts an opportunity at some financial gain.

Stormy Mochal, one of the co-owners of Outside the Lines Art Gallery. Photo Credit: Steve Pulaski

The Great Draw is a street art competition, so says Mochal, who was quick to note how significant this event is for helping students pursue their education in the arts:

[Artists] use chalk pastels to create really vivid, large-scale drawings on the street. Also, the event is a scholarship fundraiser for visual arts for the Dubuque high schools [as well as] one Jo Daviess County high school. That's for students who are going on to study visual arts for their secondary education.

The competition is slated to take place from 8am to 4pm on September 17th. Don't mistake this for one of those stuffy, silent art galleries either — pictures are encouraged as well as open dialogs/questions with the artists.

Photo Credit: Arseniy45, Getty Stock

Since its inception, The Great Draw has helped award over $7,700 in scholarships. This year looks to be no different. The 2022 scholarships will be awarded to one student from each of the following schools: Dubuque Senior High School, Hempstead High School, and Wahlert Catholic High School. One scholarship will be awarded to a student attending a high school in Jo Daviess County as well.

There is still time to get your application in! You can also visit The Great Draw's website for more information!