The Big Draw

The Museum of English Rural Life is hosting a drop-in session for The Big Draw on Thursday 29 October, from 10:00 to 15:00. It's a free session, and you don't need to book ahead—you can just turn up when you fancy it.

The activity is run by artists from The Jelly, and the idea is to make your own concertina book or zine. The starting point is the storytelling in the museum's Festival of Britain wall hanging, so you'll be drawing and folding your own little book around that. You don't need any experience or your own equipment to take part, and all the materials are provided on the day.

It's part of the museum's October half term family programme, so it works as a way to keep the kids occupied over the break, though it's open to anyone. The session itself is part of The Big Draw, which is a worldwide celebration of drawing run by an arts education and visual literacy charity that stages the world's biggest drawing festival, with events, exhibitions and workshops across the country.

Behind the scenes, the activity is funded by Arts Council England as part of Museums Partnership Reading, a project between Reading Museum and The MERL. The venue is wheelchair accessible, with parking, entrance and toilet facilities on site. The session runs from 10:00 to 15:00 at The Museum of English Rural Life, 6 Redlands Road, RG1 5EX, and it's free to drop in.