Drawn In
February 21 – March 22, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 21, 5–7 pm
Juried by Sarah Hardesty and Amanda Jirón-Murphy
 
Yerkezhan Abuova, Alvaro Alvarez, Jenny Hope Antes, Helen Becker, Valerie Carrigan, Philippe Dwyer, Kate Elkins, Ian Etter, Adric Giles, Victoria Guerina, Kevin Jacobs, DJ Kolodziej Stawasz, Sara Kramer, Rylie Paull, Linda Pearlman Karlsberg, R. Wayne Reynolds, CW Roelle, Katy Scudieri, Mark Wholey, Melissa Wilkinson, Vivian Zoe

The Rhode Island Art League presents Drawn In, an international juried exhibition on view from February 21 through March 22, 2026. Juried by Sarah Hardesty and Amanda Jirón-Murphy, Drawn In explores drawing in its most expansive and inclusive sense—embracing the medium not only as a finished object, but as a process, an impulse, and a way of thinking.

Drawing is often one of the first ways we learn to make sense of the world. As children, we draw with whatever is at hand: a stick in the dirt, a crayon on paper, a finger tracing condensation on glass. Long before written language, drawing served as a means of communication, problem-solving, and documentation. That instinct—to mark, trace, outline, and record—remains foundational to artistic practice.

In the spirit of that impulse, Drawn In invites a broad definition of drawing. The exhibition includes fully realized works alongside sketches, fragments, and experimental approaches. Media vary widely, as do scale and degree of finish. Some works emerge from sketchbooks; others record bodily movement, performance, or spatial presence. Drawing here is made with paint, unconventional materials, and methods that challenge traditional expectations as well as more traditional drawing materials.

By bringing together artists who push the boundaries of what drawing can be, Drawn In expands our understanding of the medium—how it is made, what it can look like, and what it can be made of. The exhibition foregrounds drawing as both an intimate act and a conceptual tool, equally capable of immediacy and complexity.

Sarah Hardesty is an artist, curator, and educator based in Pawtucket, RI. She is Exhibition and Program Director at Art League RI, teaches at Rhode Island College and Bryant University, and has exhibited and curated work nationally at venues including the WaterFire Arts Center, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Arlington, and the Tucson Museum of Art. She held roles at Marymount University and Morgan Lehman Gallery, NYC. She has been awarded residencies at MacDowell, Wassaic Project, and Vermont Studio Center. Amanda Jirón-Murphy is Curator and Resident Artist/Collector Liaison at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Arlington, Virginia, where she oversees exhibitions and artist residencies. She has served as a guest speaker and panel moderator at cultural institutions and schools around the Washington, DC area. She has previously held roles at Hamiltonian and the Phillips Collection and has written for many publications on contemporary art and collecting, including The Rib and DIRT DMV.