Ready, set, Draw and Drink!

When it comes to drawing, practice might not make it perfect, but it's the only way to improve. To help that effort, MOCA Jacksonville is holding its second Draw and Drink on Thursday, September 29.

Whether you're a serious artist or someone who just enjoys an artful evening, this self-directed event is a great excuse to gather with friends for a fun happy hour activity.

Inspired by Ethan Murrow's Project Atrium wall drawing Plethora, sit in the Atrium Gallery, sketch your own work, while enjoying drinks and bar bites from NOLA MOCA. Bring your sketchbook or buy one in the MOCA Shop. Try one of the activities provided, such as drawing the still life from the objects on your table or a portrait of a stranger in the room.

Your $5 ticket provides your first drink and one of the Sharpie markers used on Plethora. Then order from a menu of bar bites with table service by NOLA MOCA staff. Selections include pimento cheese boards, Korean-fried chicken bites, autumn flatbreads, bourbon chicken meatballs, tuna poke bowls, fried green tomatoes, and sweet potato nachos.

The signature cocktail for the evening is a caipirinha, but a full menu of cocktails, wine, and beer is available. Select bottles of red and white wine are available for $20. 

When you're done, view MOCA's newest exhibitions Retro-spective: Analog Photography in a Digital World and Breaking Ground: The Donald and Maria Cox Collection. Check out Sustain: Clay to Table in the UNF Gallery and Inside the Outline: Art with a Heart in Healthcare on the fifth floor. Visit Mary Ratcliff in her fifth-floor studio and find out how you can participate in her student-in-residence exhibition, Interwoven: Heart, Home, and Community.

So whether you scribble and sip, illustrate and imbibe, or trace and toast, MOCA's Draw and Drink is a creative way to spend a thirsty Thursday evening.