Sketch, Shade, Smudge: Drawing from Gray to Black
By
Harvard Art Museums
Free
Discover how simple tools can be powerful vehicles for artistic expression.
Sign-up Information
- Ages: Adults.
- Wheelchair accessible.
The Harvard Art Museums are committed to accessibility for all visitors. For anyone requiring accessibility accommodations for our programs, please contact us at am_register@harvard.edu at least 48 hours in advance. Please include the name and date of the program in the subject line of your email.
No application or registration needed.
Cost
This Event is free!
Admission is free to all visitors every day. Please check in at the Visitor Services desk upon arrival to allow us to share information about special exhibitions, gallery tours, programs, and other amenities available to ensure that you have a great visit!
Location
- In-person only.
Harvard Art Museums
32 Quincy
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States
Dates and Times
Friday, September 12 10AM – Sun, January 18 2026 5PM
Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm
Closed on Mondays, major holidays, and other select dates
Additional information
This exhibition celebrates the act of drawing using familiar tools—charcoal, chalk, crayon, and graphite. Each material exhibits distinctive properties: charcoal can be intensely rich and velvety, or delicately gray and suggestive, while graphite is slippery, shiny, and easy to erase. Crayon is deeply black and waxy, whereas chalk can be crumbly and diffuse. The creative manipulations of these media—smudging, scraping, and erasing—make them versatile tools for adding intensity, depth, precision, and expression to an artist’s vision.
Event continues to run during
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Last updated July 17, 2025.
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See all programs from Harvard Art Museums