Art education freshman, Jules Wells, draws a deer during the annual Drawing Marathon at Michigan State University’s Kresge Art Center in East Lansing, Mich., on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026.
For eight hours, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 30, the Kresge Art Center became a hub of nonstop creativity. Packed into its hallways, away from the rain, participants of MSU’s annual Drawing Marathon tried everything from sculpture and button making to stamps and live figure drawing.
The free, all-day event, hosted by the Department of Art, Art History and Design was planned to be held in the Summer Circle Courtyard but moved indoors when the weather turned; it is the second year in a row the event had to shelter from the rain. Even so, participants were welcome to drop in at any point and enjoy a variety of art related activities.
“I think that (the Drawing Marathon) is really special because it allows students who maybe don’t normally have access to the arts or have the ability to make art with their peers the opportunity to do so at no cost,” said Candice Chovanec, an assistant professor in the department and this year’s event organizer.
The department has hosted the marathon since 2007, which began with department chair Robert McCann when he was a professor. Since then, the organizer role has rotated among faculty every few years. In Chovanec’s seven years at MSU, this is her second year in charge of the marathon. For her, a large goal of the event is to bring people of all experience levels together.
“Many times artists are kind of locked away in their studios, and this is a chance for artists and non-artists to create together which I think is always a unique experience,” Chovanec said.
For many students, the day was a chance to experiment. Art education sophomore Grace Zokoe spent it moving between various stations where she painted, made stamps and even built a 3-D fish out of wire. As an art enthusiast, it was Zokoe’s ideal way to spend the afternoon.
“I love being able to hang out with other art majors and see what they’re making," Zokoe said. “I also love being able to experiment with new materials in a more laid back and loose setting.”
Campus groups ran many of the booths at the marathon including the Letter Press Club, IMPACT 88.9 FM and the MSU Surplus Store. Environmental plant biology and zoology senior Anjali Kapadia helped run the Surplus Store’s booth, which offered crafts using secondhand materials.
“I have always been really interested in art and sustainability and upcycling is a great way to combine them,” Kapadia said. “It’s really nice to be able to share that with people here today.”
Elsewhere in the hallways, Jacquelynn Sullivan Gould, a teaching specialist with the department, invited participants to help draw the human skeleton using fabric and thread. The project grew out of her desire to combine figure drawing and textiles. Sullivan-Gould started the project at last year’s marathon and has enjoyed its collaborative aspect.
“We have been doing (the Drawing Marathon) for about twenty years now,” Gould said. “It’s a great way to share what we do here and engage with the community.”
Even with the rain, the Drawing Marathon did what it set out to do. Throughout the day, the Kresge halls were filled with community members trying new things, making art and celebrating creativity.
