On Sunday May 3 2026, participants met for a drawing workshop at Chain of Rocks Bridge, which crosses the Mississippi north of St. Louis. The goal was to create observational sketches and a collective flipbook. 28 people showed up to draw.
Before venturing onto the bridge, everyone was handed a clipboard and 12 sheets of tracing paper. Carmen Ribaudo and co-organizer Danya Gerasimova installed drawing stations along the bridge, beginning at the Missouri shore.
The weather was warm and sunny. It was windy, with gusts increasing at the river’s center. The rushing sounds of wind and water created tunnels of focus. After choosing a drawing station, participants looked through constructed viewfinders to make 12 observational sketches. Over the course of an hour, they shifted perspective slightly between each page.
Workshop organizers carefully prepared each sheet of drawing paper to match the proportions of the viewfinders. Within this constraint, the resulting sketches display many visions. Together they animate a segment of the great river.
- Marlo Longley
Workshop Organizers: Carmen Ribaudo & Danya Gerasimova
Design: Danya Gerasimova
Writing: Marlo Longley
Photography: Justin Solomon
With support from The Engaged City
