The Binghamton University department of art and design is presenting their Drawing Marathon, run by the Art and Design Student Advisory Committee. This event will be held from Friday, Feb. 16 at 10 a.m. to Saturday, Feb. 17 at 10 a.m. The Drawing Marathon will be located at the Fine Arts building, room 358 and will consist of 20 students completing charcoal drawings on 4ftx5ft surfaces. The event is sponsored by the Art Co-op, Celcius, Harpur’s Edge and the department of art and design.

The winners will be rewarded a first place prize of $500, second place of $250 and a third place prize of a gift basket filled with $100 worth of art supplies, sponsored by the BU Art Co-op. The judges selecting the winners of first and third place will be Sarah Nance, assistant professor of integrated practice for the department of art and design, DeCarlo Logan and Frank Change, both lecturers of art and design. The “popular vote” determines second place, meaning that the viewers who attend the marathon can decide who comes in second.

Samantha Ballin, an art and design student advisory committee member, Art Co-op representative and a senior double-majoring in art and design and English, will be helping to run this event. Ballin described her inspiration for the 24-hour Drawing Marathon.

“We were inspired by Professor [Blažo Kovačevič, former assistant professor of art and design]’s marathon (he left this past summer) and wanted to recreate a similar event,” Ballin wrote. “I participated in the marathon last year, and it is truly incomparable to anything.”

Ballin continued to express her reasoning for having the Art Co-op sponsor this event.

“As a member of the committee and president of the Co-op, I thought it would be great for the Co-op to sponsor the marathon,” Ballin wrote. “The Art Co-op is a great resource for anyone inspired in creating art and I wanted to bring more exposure to it.”

According to Madison Mark, a senior double-majoring in social work and art and design, a food drive will be held during the Drawing Marathon in FA 356 where contestants would be able to fuel up on some food and rest before completing the challenge. The nonperishable donation initiative helps ease the severe shortage of food in Binghamton’s pantries. The goal of planning this drive is to be able to improve the lives of individuals in need and strengthen ties between the University and the community.

Mark expressed her anticipation toward participating in the event and continued to discuss how she will attempt to remain focused throughout the marathon.

“While I primarily identify as a painter, dedicating 24 hours solely to charcoal work will improve my overall artistic capabilities,” Mark wrote. “Throughout the marathon my drive to persist will be fueled by the collective energy of my peers, accompanied by music and copious amounts of caffeine — thanks to our sponsorship from Celcius. Additionally, as nonperishable donations accumulate, this can serve as another motivator for the artists to persevere.”

Ballin discussed potential audience expectations for the Drawing Marathon and predicted the audience to be amazed in the pieces of artwork that will be created. She also continued to express her excitement for what the attendees could expect.

“I think the audience will be amazed at the art that will be produced,” Ballin wrote. “[Twenty-four] hours sounds like a lot of time, but when completing a piece that large it really isn’t. We had such a strong application pool to choose from, and I know I am eager to see the final pieces.”

Ruchi Shah, a senior majoring in business administration, expressed her opinions on the Drawing Marathon.

“I expect there to be a lot of creativity and gifted talents by my fellow peers and participants,” Shah wrote. “The main thing I am looking forward to seeing is the participants actually enduring this challenge.”

The Drawing Marathon is free and open to the public. At the event, donations will be taken for the food drive.