Mary Porterfield, Holding Out, Holding In, Oil on layered Dura-Lar film, 26 in. x 75 in.

 Mark Makers: An Exhibition on Contemporary Drawing 

January 10 – March 14, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 10, 2026, 4-6pm 

South Shore Arts is excited to announce, Mark Makers: An Exhibition on Contemporary Drawing. Mark Makers explores drawing as both a foundational act and a dynamic, standalone practice. Rooted in the earliest forms of human expression, long before written language, drawing has served as a primal tool for communication, reflection, and imagination. Near the village of Montignac, France, we find an interconnected network of caves containing over 600 wall paintings depicting all manner of herd animals, figures, and handprints. Now closed to the public, at one time visitors from all over the world would flock to these caves to see the haunting vestiges of what our primeral ancestors painted unto the cold cave walls a spark of life left encrusted on the dead bosom of the earth. These Lascaux cave paintings,  separated from us by twelve-thousand years reach back to us with a stunning immediacy as if to say, “I was here.” Perhaps it is this lasting desire to leave a mark, which strikes so clearly at the heart of artists, and has left such an indelible mark upon past and contemporaneous artists. Reportedly, when Pablo Picasso saw the cave paintings, he marveled and said, “We have learned nothing in 12,000 years.” 

Although the Lascaux cave paintings have long been upheld as an artistic miracle, both in their presentation and their preservation throughout the centuries, the act of drawing has been less favorably looked upon. Often maligned as a preparatory step alone, it was painting, sculpture and architecture that held sway over the artistic community for nearly the last 400 years. Not until the 19th and 20th century, did drawing begin to be looked upon more critically as an artform in and of itself. 

This exhibition brings together a diverse group of artists who embrace drawing not merely as a preliminary step, but as a vital and complete form of expression. Their works reveal drawing’s immediacy – its ability to respond to and reflect the world in ways that are both intimate and expansive. Organized into distinct yet interconnected sectional, the exhibition invites viewers to experience drawing through multiple lenses whether smudged, scratched, scrawled, or dotted. Each section showcases how the medium acts as a conduit for each artist’s memory, beliefs, transformations, and invention. 

Mark Makers: An Exhibition on Contemporary Drawing showcases over 60 captivating works fashioned by contemporary artists, alongside artists’ materials, sketchbook excerpts, and interactive art installations. Visitors will enjoy works by celebrated national and international artists such as Steven Assael, Adrian Barquero, Christopher Ganz, Tim Lowly, Mary Porterfield, and other all of whom push their use of the drawing medium into new directions. Ultimately, Mark Makers, celebrates the range and richness of drawing today. It affirms the medium’s continued relevance and its power to connect diverse practices, perspectives, and possibilities. This is drawing not as preparation, but as destination.