BROOKLYN, NY -- The Sketchbook Project, a global, crowd-sourced art project and interactive, traveling exhibition of handmade books, is coming to Knoxville on August 25, 2013. From 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, the project will be at the Knoxville Museum of Art.

The Sketchbook Project is a global, crowd-sourced art project and traveling exhibition. Since 2006, the Sketchbook Project has encouraged participants from all walks of life to fill the pages of a blank sketchbook. The results are cataloged in the Brooklyn Art Library and shared with the public in venues around the world. The collection currently includes more than 26,000 sketchbooks representing nearly 8,000 cities and 135 countries.

This summer, Steven Peterman, co-founder of the Sketchbook Project, and Sara Peterman, director of the Brooklyn Art Library, are hitting the road to share the stories behind the Sketchbook Project with communities across North America. The husband-and-wife duo will set out for adventure in the Mobile Library — their custom-built bookmobile — along with a selection of 4,500 sketchbooks from the permanent collection. Covering more than 10,000 miles and 32 cities in just four months, the Summer Tour is a unique opportunity to experience the Sketchbook Project firsthand and swap stories with the project’s organizers.

The Summer Tour includes stops in every corner of the country, from Portland, ME to Los Angeles. “We’re excited to collect stories from the people and places we encounter throughout the summer,” says Steven. “It’s an opportunity for us to share a pretty crazy experience — traveling across the country with thousands of sketchbooks and meeting thousands of people along the way.” The book will bring together stories from Steven and Sara’s escapades on the road with a behind-the-scenes look at the process of bringing a community art project to life.

The goal is to continue inspiring people from diverse backgrounds to make art. “Given all the ways that technology has integrated with our lives, it feels meaningful to meet new people over physical books,” says Steven. “This project is about people leaving their mark in the world.”

Participants from all walks of life are invited to fill the pages of a blank sketchbook and send it back for inclusion in our ever-growing library of inspiration.

Anyone, from anywhere in the world, can participate in the project. For more information, please visit www.sketchbookproject.com, follow on Twitter or on Facebook.

Published June 27, 2013