In the Fall of 2018, New Harmony High School students applied a new layer of paper to the boat. It became a blank canvas for the crowds of artists, illustrators, and writers who flock every year to Draw-a-Thon, a 13-year-running, beloved mess of a creative tradition in New Orleans.

24 Hour Draw-a-Thon is a free, all ages arts extravaganza that happens annually in November beginning at 6:30 am on a Saturday morning and continuing until 6:30 am the next morning. Visitors can come and go at any time, draw on the walls and floor which are covered with paper and cardboard or participate in one of the many artist led workshops held throughout the day. Draw-a-Thon’s drawing-centered workshops are designed for participants of any skill level and include bookmaking, mailable art, recycled paper making, screen printing, interactive sculptures created from repurposed materials, a live figure drawing workshop, animation, drawing game shows, drawing karaoke, and the signature Draw-a-Tron 3000, a machine that can draw anything you want. Draw-a-Thon attracts about 1,500 participants each year. In addition to the annual event, Antenna has recently piloted an in-school program in which Draw-a-Thon artists transform a school’s cafeteria or gym into an arts funhouse and provide a field day for students full of art workshops.

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