On August 1, 2002 The Drawing Club held its first drawing session in Los Angeles. The concept was simple: bring together Los Angeles's best models, put them in elaborate sets and costumes and play music specifically selected for the theme. Artists were encouraged to draw however they wanted and with any media to try and interpret the theme. The models were encouraged to act and not simply pose. Poses would range from 5 to 15 minutes. The themes ranged from the nostalgic to the irreverant using as reference both history and pop culture. The result from this mixture is an environment based on a collective sense of sharing, improvisation and experimentation. Artists in animation, design, comic books, story boarding, film, video games and publishing as well as students participated over the last year. A growing sense of community has also developed.

Our challenge defined itself as trying to capture or create a fresh sense of story and invention in our drawings. These drawings document a reaction to a combination of theme, imagination and the moment. We call this form of working from life, story drawing.

This show commemorates our first anniversary with 540 pieces done by 23 different artists covering 43 different themes. Everyone who attended The Drawing Club was encouraged to contribute work for this show.