Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are heading back to the world-renowned Field Museum to draw and paint.

Nearly everyone who grew up in Chicago or its suburbs will remember the excitement of boarding a big yellow bus with their classmates and eventually spilling out to skip up those impressive steps to the entrance of the Field Museum. First, the awe of the Stanley Field Hall. Then, the treasures, large and small. The dinosaurs! The gems! The mummies! The elephants! The dioramas! Where to begin?

At 9:30 on the morning of Wednesday, January 31, 2024, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will be revisiting the wonders that the Field Museum, one of the world’s largest museums of natural history, has to offer. At this paint-in, members will probably spend most of their time drawing or painting in the quiet corners of the dioramas (click here for a short video of Artist-in-Residence and friend of the Guild, Peggy Macnamara, doing just that). But the other artifacts are still there, along with many new and modern attractions, for visitors to enjoy after the sketching is done. 

Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild recently received an email with details about meeting at the museum. Admission will be free on this day, but members will have to arrange for their own transportation, and there will be a fee for parking. Those who would like to attend can register here by January 28 to learn more and receive email updates from Paint-Out Coordinator Celia Rodee.