The First United Methodist Church of Alexandria (FUMCA) Urban Sketching Art Ministry, led by Artist-in-Residence Rev. Jean Sanders, continues to invite the public to participate in free creative sketch gatherings throughout the Alexandria–Pineville area. Through partnerships with local community spaces, the ministry creates welcoming opportunities for people of all experience levels to draw, observe, and connect.

A special “Pop-Up” Urban Sketching meet-up will take place Tuesday, March 17 at 3 PM during the Alexandria Farmers Market, located on the FUMCA campus at 2727 Jackson Street. Sketchers will have the opportunity to capture the movement and atmosphere of the market while engaging with the surrounding community. The Alexandria Farmers Market is a weekly gathering that connects the community with farmers, ranchers, and agricultural artisans of Central Louisiana. The market strives to improve the physical, social, and economic well-being of the region by providing access to fresh, healthy, local food for residents, fostering community relationships, and serving as a business incubator for growers and producers.

Later in the month, the Urban Sketching group will meet on Saturday, March 28 at 10 AM at Tamp & Grind Coffee in downtown Alexandria. Participants will begin with coffee and fellowship before heading into the surrounding streets to sketch together. As with all FUMCA Urban Sketching events, participation is free and no prior experience is required.

The FUMCA Urban Sketchers group has been meeting regularly since October 2025, emphasizing presence, community, and creative engagement rather than established artistic skill. These gatherings encourage participants to slow down, observe their surroundings, and record what they see through drawing.

The April meet up will take place April 11 at 10 AM at the Alexandria Museum of Art. During that event, participants will have the opportunity to sketch downtown Alexandria and views of the Red River from the museum grounds and third-floor gallery. The morning will begin with an informative tour led by Gar Pickering, FUMCA Creative Engagement Director, exploring the museum’s medieval Spanish chapel reproduction from the 2003 Heart of Spain exhibition. The tour will discuss biblical themes represented in the chapel, the role of sacred imagery in Christian teaching, and its influence on the development of Western art. Sketchers may choose to study the chapel’s frescos or sketch nearby architecture and river views.

Admission to the museum on Second Saturdays is free, allowing participants to attend this sketching event at no additional cost as well.

Through partnerships with community spaces such as the Alexandria Farmers Market, Tamp & Grind Coffee, and the Alexandria Museum of Art, the FUMCA Urban Sketching Art Ministry continues to provide accessible spaces for creative expression while fostering connections between art, spirituality, and community life.

What is Urban Sketching?

At its core, urban sketching is the practice of drawing on location—indoors or outdoors—capturing what the artist sees through direct observation. It is about recording time and place: something happening, somewhere, at a specific moment.

Urban sketchers may use any medium, and the goal is not a polished, expertly executed finished piece. Instead, the focus is on capturing the essence of the moment. A drawing might be quick and loose with a short caption, or it may be developed more fully while remaining on site. As long as the drawing is created from firsthand observation and reflects lived experience, it qualifies as urban sketching.

While including the date or location is not required, written notes often help strengthen the storytelling aspect of the work. Unlike plein-air painting, which typically emphasizes aesthetic outcome, urban sketching prioritizes witnessing, documentation, and narrative.

Urban sketching also does not have to take place in a city. It can occur in urban, rural, or natural environments. The defining element is simply drawing on location to tell the story of a place in real time. In its narrative form, sometimes called reportage, urban sketching combines drawing with short written commentary to provide a visual account of events, culture, and everyday life.