WATERMARK SCHEDULE 2026

 

SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25-

4:45-6:00- (optional)- Sketchers gather on their own for dinner at local restaurants such as Aster Cafe or Jefe Cucina.

6:00-7:00- Registration, Welcome/Reception with light snacks at the A-Mill Performance Hall (315 Main St. SE). Jenny Jing Zhang will have a table set up for questions and purchasing her work.

7:00-8:00- Jenny Jing Zhang Presentation- “Mixed Media: Changing Gears Based on the City’s Essence”

8:00- Closing remarks, raffle winners, review Saturday’s schedule/locations, Q/A.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26-

8:00-9:00- Coffee/breakfast on your own. Options include Mill City Farmers Market, which opens at 8 am. Or stop by Farmers Kitchen + Bar or FRGMNT- Mill District for a coffee and pastry before the day starts.

9:00- Meet in front of the Guthrie Theater on the corner of S. 2nd Street and Chicago Ave. We will have volunteers leading participants to the different Sketch Stop #1 locations.

9:15-10:15- Sketch Stop #1- Mill City Farmers Market. There is a lot to sketch at the market, which is situated between the Guthrie Theater and Mill City Museum. Feel free to sketch on your own or take part in the following opportunities:

1. For people new to urban sketching—we will offer “A Demo for Doodlers” with Lori Tolonen to get people started.
2. For those who are interested in Reportage, Owámniyomni Okhódayapi will be leading a tour of the area in conjunction with their project to restore a section of the riverfront by Mill Ruins Park. This is an informational tour and not a sketching opportunity. But the information can inform your sketching for the rest of the day. 50 spots available for this tour. SEPARATE TICKET REQUIRED. Register here.
3. Sarah Harris will be taking a group inside the Guthrie Theater Properties Shop for a behind the scenes look at the tools and projects currently underway. This is a sketching opportunity. 25 spots available. SEPARATE TICKET REQUIRED. Register here.

*Note: Events listed above happen simultaneously. Please only register for one event. These tickets are only available to Watermark 2026 Participants. Make sure you register for Watermark 2026 first.

10:30-12:00- Sketch Stop #2- Demos by Jenny Jing Zhang and Urban Sketchers Twin Cities artists Bill Beaupre, Pam Enz, Jinjer Markley, and Sarah Harris.

12:00-1:30- Lunch- Sketchers gather on their own at various places for lunch. Grab something at the Mill City Farmers Market (open until 1pm) and picnic along the river or at Gold Medal Park. Or check out local restaurants such as Farmers Kitchen + Bar,  Kindee Thai Restaurant, or Fathead Bill’s. 

1:45-2:45- Sketch Stop #3 -Sketch at Gold Medal Park (Second Street and 11th Ave S). 

3:00-4:00- Sketch Stop #4- Sketch Mill City Museum (704 S 2nd St) and Stone Arch Bridge.

4:15-4:30- Throw down/Group Photo at plaza outside Owámniyomni Okhódayapi building (100 Portland Ave). Official end of Watermark 2026.

4:30-7:00- (optional) Crooked Pint Ale House (501 Washington Avenue South) for post-sketch socializing and sharing.