The Drawing Hall: One Year of Celebrating Drawing in Grassobbio

The Drawing Hall (TDH), founded a year ago by artist Andrea Mastrovito with Walter Carrera and Marco Marcassoli in Grassobbio, near Bergamo, is a non-profit space dedicated to contemporary drawing. In its first year, TDH hosted five exhibitions featuring Stefano Arienti, Luisa Rabbia, Gian Maria Tosatti, and Ian Tweedy, plus an inaugural show by Mastrovito. Each exhibition is accompanied by a 'Quaderno' publication (80 pages, except the first at 64) and a video documentary. The Quadernos are designed by Walter Carrera and Maria Tassi, with critical texts by curators like Veronica Santi and Elisa Carollo. The space has attracted thousands of visitors, including many artists, and emphasizes drawing as a democratic medium. TDH is self-funded through crowdfunding and donations, but plans to apply for public grants, especially with Bergamo Brescia as Italian Capital of Culture in 2023. Future plans include making PDFs of Quadernos and video excerpts available online, and a collective project for the next season.