USK Instructor Interviews up on YouTube
November 24, 2016
This just in: my Urban Sketchers ‘Meet the Instructor” video just went up :)
It’s kind of fun to browse all these miniature interviews with your favorite Urban Sketchers!
Spend a little time getting to know us, and see what we might be teaching next year at the 2017 International Symposium in Chicago. (You know, assuming we get in! Everyone is encouraged to send in their own proposal, here’s the call for entry).
I hope some of you come and teach. If I make it in, 2017 will be my seventh year. It would be fantastic to see some new faces on this page.
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Citizen Sketcher 
Why is it so difficult to obtain admission to the Symposium? It seems as though there are many who want to attend (myself included), but I’ve heard that the number who can attend is very limited. This situation does not seem in the spirit of the urban sketching movement.
Well Sharon, I’m not on the Symposium team – so they would know more – but here’s the deal as I understand it: The problem is demand!
I’m sure you see why we can only take 15 or so students in a session. People have to have 1:1 time with instructors. And why it can only be a few hundred heads total at the event. (Just imagine the line for the washroom!). So limited numbers is just the way it has to be. I wish we could run it twice a year, but that would depend on even more hard working volunteers. I’m not sure the manpower is there yet.
Then there is the online registration process – I believe it was via EventBrite.com last year. Naturally the computer takes the entries in the order it gets them. It’s like buying concert tickets. So many people are clicking on the same link, all over the world, the first signal to get through gets in. Many others will get error messages or time-outs. As well, it’s always possible to have a communication failure before you complete the registration (that’s on your internet provider not us), so again, you can lose your spot.
It’s unfortunate it’s so tricky – but on the other hand it’s flattering to know, getting into my workshop is just as hard as getting front row for Lady Gaga.
Let me also say, many of us do what we can to help the fact not everyone can attend: by giving away our workshop notes for free. Here you can find all the classes I’ve taught fro USK events: !https://citizensketcher.com/downloads/
Yes, thanks for your generosity. I already have your workshop notes. What happens if a person can’t get tickets to the main event but shows up in Chicago, sketching on the street amidst registered Urban Sketchers? Would that be frowned upon? Also, when does the registration open?
I’m not sure when registration will happen, but they’ll announce it on the main USK(dot)org site in advance.
Now – as for ‘gatecrashing’ :) I personally think it’s totally fine. I’m not sure what anyone else thinks :) The street is public space, so why not just come and draw? And besides, we talk to anyone on the street, so it’s silly that we wouldn’t include a sketcher. There were some people at Manchester doing just that – showing up as ‘independent’ sketchers :)
It might be hard to know what was happening each day, but if you had someone ‘on the inside’ who could tweet you what was going on that would rock. Personally I think the event should have more free stuff to do – but again, I’m not a volunteer this year so can’t say for sure :)
~m
Oh, and a simple practical tip, sign up for email updates to hear immediately the date and time registration will open in your area: http://urbansketchers.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=dfc36f57fa5fee8d596b5391a&id=e68e24d1e0
I’m hoping to be there Marc and to get in your session.