Canton Middle School teacher Stephen Harrison is thrilled to be adding a new course option to the curriculum for his students next year. Even while public school budgets continue to see cuts, Harrison will be able to give interested seventh and eighth graders the chance to take an elective ceramics course, and it’s all thanks to a little event called QuickDraw.

Each year during QuickDraw, local artists come together for a fast-paced hour of creative expression — painting, drawing, sculpting and more — in front of a live audience.

After the hour is up, the audience has the chance to bid on the just-completed pieces during a live auction. The event also includes a silent auction, and it gives people the chance to observe artists at work in various mediums. But best of all is where the ...