The Drawing Studio, Inc.

The Drawing Studio, Inc. was founded in Tucson, Arizona by Andrew Rush and his wife Ann Woodin along with about 20 of their friends. The studio was made to be a place for artistic instruction and fellowship for artists and students who were turned away from traditional institutions. The Drawing Studio's history and ownership were out of their own hands. The Drawing Studio began as a small group of friends meeting to draw, but after a few weeks, they began drawing other artists in Tucson. The Drawing Studio rented a room in an Armory Park converted market a year later to hold open drawing sessions and classes. A newsletter and membership program were created to handle the demand. The Drawing Studio was incorporated in 2000 and granted 501(c3)3 status. We found a larger facility on 4th Avenue as attendance rose through expanded offerings and marketing. A gallery was added to allow exhibits all year round. Drawing Studio members and staff launched The Art of Summer Immersion program in 2003, which provided youth ages 9 – 17 with a place to draw. The Drawing Studio launched its first outreach program in 2005, an elderly service that could not afford or access our adult programs. There are now plans for two new satellite locations with three new programs, one on UA's campus and one on Mt. Lemmon. These will help meet the demands of more students even beyond Tucson. The Drawing Studio staff and members have plans for these new programs to run full-time. If all goes as planned, we will double our current space in downtown Tucson to meet the needs of all these new students and facilities. This includes community outreach and for the first time. The company now known as The Drawing Studio, Inc. began as a small gathering of friends coming together to draw in 2002. Andrew E. Rush, Ann S. Woodin, and other artists made up the original founders. The Drawing Studio took on operations as a small group of artists drawing together. The Drawing Studio started out as a small project between friends. It quickly took off and attracted other people who liked this idea of a new way to draw together in Tucson. A year later, The Drawing Studio met in a room in an Armory Park converted market and began to offer more expanded classes. In response to community demand, a newsletter and membership program was created. That was the first step in The Drawing Studio's evolution. Andrew Rush and Ann Woodin, one of the original artists, started working with a group of students who wanted to learn how to draw. The Drawing Studio's founders were building a community of artists. This was the time when we realized we could help the community even more by expanding our programs. The Drawing Studio was officially incorporated in 2000 and granted 501(c3)3 status. We quickly outgrew our rented room and moved to a larger facility on 4th Avenue, where attendance continued to rise. A new gallery was added. The Drawing Studio's communities continued to grow. Drawing Studio members and staff launched The Art of Summer Immersion program, a service-oriented youth immersion program, that eventually served youth from 9-17 years old. The Drawing Studio's first outreach program was launched in 2005 to help our beloved seniors who could not afford or access our adult programs. Due to the continued growth of new programs and the community, our downtown Tucson space was doubled. We also added production facilities and a lobby. Satellite sites were added to help establish a robust presence in metro Tucson. The Drawing Studio, in response to the participants' request for an accessible space at Tucson Boulevard and Glenn Street, purchased a new larger building with extra land. This new facility has allowed the TDS to grow its staff and serve more students both in-house and online. It also allows them to expand community programs across Tucson, with an emphasis on DEI. The Drawing Studio now serves over 1 million students across Tucson. The Drawing Studio Now