Overview

The National Building Museum will host the third annual THE BIG DRAW, a free, day-long festival celebrating drawing as a powerful way to explore and understand the world. Designed for visitors of all ages, the event invites families, students, artists, and educators to participate in hands-on activities, workshops, and creative demonstrations focused on visual storytelling and design thinking.

The festival complements the Museum’s long-term exhibition Building Stories, which explores architecture, engineering, construction, and design through children’s literature. It also marks the official launch of the Museum’s 2026 Building Readers Club, a program featuring curated books and monthly activities that encourage young audiences to engage with architecture, creativity, and their communities.

Drawing plays a fundamental role in architectural communication and creative exploration. Events like this highlight how sketching and visual thinking remain essential tools within fields such as architecture, architectural sketching, and design education.

Featured Guest: David Macaulay

A major highlight of the festival will be live demonstrations and workshops by David Macaulay, the Caldecott Medal-winning author and illustrator known for explaining complex ideas through engaging drawings. His book Rome Antics is featured in a special gallery within the Building Stories exhibition.

Macaulay is widely recognized for his illustrated nonfiction books—including The Way Things Work—which combine storytelling and visual diagrams to explain engineering, architecture, and mechanical systems. During the festival, he will share drawing techniques, sketches, and insights into the creative process through demonstrations and guided illustration workshops.

Festival Highlights

• A coloring book workshop led by multidisciplinary Washington, D.C. artist Trap Bob, including the chance to contribute to a four-foot-tall collaborative coloring book.
• A Virtual Reality drawing experience with artist Tomasz Wiktor exploring Polish influences on American architecture in collaboration with the Polish Embassy.
• Insights from architectural professionals discussing how drawing informs design practice.
• A community chalk mural created by Positive Chalk DC.
• Interactive storytime sessions and literacy activities for children and families.
• Sketching sessions led by Urban Sketchers exploring the museum from new visual perspectives.

Visitors are encouraged to bring their own sketchbooks, though art materials will also be provided by the museum throughout the day.

Featured Participants

The event brings together cultural and educational organizations including Turning the Page, DC Public Library, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the National Postal Museum, the Polish Embassy, Positive Chalk DC, and Urban Sketchers, all contributing activities that promote creativity, storytelling, and artistic exploration.

Schedule Highlights

• 10:00 – 11:30 AM: Illustrator Trap Bob Coloring Book Workshop
• 10:15 – 11:45 AM: Storytime sessions for children and families
• 11:00 – 11:45 AM: David Macaulay Live Drawing Demonstration
• 1:15 – 1:45 PM: Polish Embassy Storytime
• 1:15 – 4:45 PM: David Macaulay Guided Illustration Workshops (30-minute sessions)

Event Details

Additional Amenities

Food and refreshments will be available on site, including offerings from the museum café Konbini by Daikaya and a visiting food truck from Haute Dogs, allowing visitors to relax and recharge between creative activities.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The Big Draw Festival 2026 foregrounds drawing as a foundational tool for interpreting and communicating the built environment. By situating sketching, illustration, and visual storytelling within the context of architecture and design education, the event highlights how manual drawing remains relevant alongside digital tools. Workshops, demonstrations, and collaborative activities emphasize drawing as both an analytical and participatory medium that bridges professional practice and public engagement. From an architectural perspective, the festival underscores the role of visual thinking in developing spatial awareness, communicating ideas, and fostering early design literacy among broader audiences.

Conclusion

The Big Draw Festival transforms the National Building Museum into an interactive environment where drawing becomes a gateway to creativity, storytelling, and design learning. By combining workshops, demonstrations, and collaborative art experiences, the event highlights how visual thinking connects architecture, education, and community engagement in meaningful ways.

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