“The Sketchbook Project” Opens at VCSU Arts Gallery

VALLEY CITY (VCSU) – Valley City State University’s Center for the Arts Gallery is honored to host The Sketchbook Project, the world’s largest collection of artist sketchbooks, from December 1 through January 16.

The exhibit is available for public viewing during regular gallery hours at the Larry J. Robinson Center for the Arts, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and by appointment. Visitors are encouraged to hold the books and flip through the pages to immerse themselves in these intimate works.

Started in 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia, by founders Steven Peterman and Shane Zucker, The Sketchbook Project began as a grassroots effort to connect artists and communities through the intimate medium of sketchbooks. In 2009, the project moved to its permanent home at the Brooklyn Art Library in New York City, where it grew into a global phenomenon.

Over the years, the collection amassed 28,000 sketchbooks created by thousands of artists representing nearly 100 countries. Each five-by-seven-inch, paper-bound book holds unique contributions—ranging from love letters and diary entries to graphic novels and intricately detailed masterpieces. Since its inception, the project has offered an unparalleled glimpse into the creative process and personal narratives of artists worldwide.

When the nonprofit closed in 2023, the collection was divided among four institutions to ensure its preservation and accessibility: The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures, Tucson, Arizona; Stove Works, Chattanooga, Tennessee; Wonder’neath Art Society, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; and the Taube Museum of Art, Minot, N.D.

The Taube Museum now curates this diverse representation of artistry in countless ways, making it available for communities to experience. Unlike most exhibitions, this exhibit invites touch. Visitors are encouraged to hold the books, flip through their pages, feel the textures, and immerse themselves in the thoughts, feelings, and life stories that artists have poured into these intimate works.