Press Release – Urban Sketchers London

Urban Sketchers London: Capturing the City – A Major Exhibition at The Art Pavilion, Mile End

📅 22–30 March 2025
📍 The Art Pavilion, Mile End Park, London
🎟 Free Entry – No Booking Required

London, February 2025 – The Urban Sketchers London Chapter is proud to announce its highly anticipated 2025 Open Exhibition, a vibrant showcase of over 300 sketches capturing the essence of London, all drawn on location by more than 80 artists. Taking place at the stunning Art Pavilion in Mile End Park, this week-long event is free to visit and invites the public to immerse themselves in the unique art of urban sketching.

A Celebration of London Through Sketching

Urban Sketchers (USk) is a global community of artists dedicated to drawing the cities they live in and travel to. With local chapters in major cities worldwide, the movement encourages artists to share their observations through direct, on-location sketching. The London chapter, one of the most active in the world, has been documenting the city’s streets, landmarks, and everyday life for over a decade.

This exhibition is a visual diary of London, capturing its iconic architecture, lively markets, quiet streets, and diverse communities through the eyes of dedicated sketchers. From detailed ink drawings to expressive watercolours, the artworks reflect the unique perspectives of artists who sketch on-site, braving the elements to record the ever-changing city.

More Than an Exhibition – A Week of Creative Activities

In addition to the exhibition, visitors can experience urban sketching first-hand through a dynamic programme of events, including:

Live Demonstrations – Watch talented artists at work and learn about different sketching techniques.
Sketch Walks – Join group walks and sketch alongside fellow artists, whether you’re a seasoned sketcher or a complete beginner.
Community Drawing Activities – Participate in interactive group sketches and discover the joy of drawing on location.

Supporting Creativity & Community Engagement

The 2025 exhibition is supported by the Urban Sketchers Regional Events Grant, awarded to only five global chapters this year. This grant enables the London chapter to expand its outreach, welcome diverse communities, and create more opportunities for people to engage with urban sketching.

Event Details

📍 The Art Pavilion, Mile End Park
Clinton Road, London, E3 4QY
Open Daily: 11 AM – 6 PM (Closing at 3 PM on 30 March)

Sketch Walks & Live Demonstrations: Various dates – Full programme available at www.urbansketcherslondon.co.uk

📩 For press inquiries, group bookings, or interviews, contact: [email protected]

What Made This Possible?

We are grateful to Urban Sketchers for selecting USk London Chapter as one of the 5 recepients of the 2024/2025 grant, which has enabled us to revisit the beautiful Art Pavillion as our exhibition venue in 2025.

The objectives of the Regional Events Grant Program are to support USk Chapters to host bigger events than their regular sketch walks; build a stronger regional sketching community, empower Chapters to organise and create new types of events and activities, find ways to use urban sketching to reach out to communities beyond USk and, finally, create a more accessible, sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative for those who cannot attend the USk Symposia. This allows sketchers from nearby communities who are not part of a chapter to sketch together with the USk community at large.

Join us in celebrating London through the eyes of its sketchers—a unique and inspiring perspective on the city we love!

Thanks to those who helped make this exhibition possible: