Our Featured Artist, Skye, Wasn't a Fan of Bob Dylan's Music When He Burst Into Popularity in the Mid 1960S— It Was the Be
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Shakespeare’sin the Alley: Our featured artist, Skye, wasn’t a fan of Bob Dylan’s music when he burst into popularity in the mid 1960s— it was the Beatles who held the then teenager’s ear. Forty years later, in 2008, her viewing of the Martin Scorcese documentary about Dylan, No Direction Home, captured her attention. “I was amazed at what Dylan did at such a young age,” she A Tribute to Bob Dylan February 9-March 17 said. “His courage to speak out [about social planning a tribute concert in honor of Dylan’s change] was profound and his extreme talent 70th birthday. Titled Buckets of Rain, the was obvious.” concert was held at Woodwalk Gallery in Egg Harbor. Skye created 15 banners that served Yet, the concept for the exhibition as a backdrop for the Labor Day weekend Shakespeare’s in the Alley: A Tribute to Bob event. Dylan did not come immediately into focus for the artist. Skye had a hunger to experience Wanting to make the lyrics the focus, Skye all his music, eventually collecting 35 of his chose a simple design for the banners— 36 CDs. Only after immersing herself in both gray fabric made of recycled hemp and his sound and words, was she inspired to organic cotton with the words formed in create art honoring his influence. black, felt tip markers. After the second Buckets of Rain concert the following year, Skye had incorporated stenciled words into Skye was committed to creating an even earlier projects, but not as the main creative larger installation. Finished in 2015 and vehicle. In 2009, ideas began to percolate encompassing 44 banners, Shakespeare’s after participating in The Day of the Dead in the Alley was first shown in its entirety at exhibition at Peninsula School of Art. It was Woodwalk Gallery in October of 2015. It then then that she stenciled her thoughts onto traveled to the Museum of Wisconsin Art in a wall in the Guenzel Gallery. After that West Bend in the winter of 2017. process, she began to visualize a way to bring words to a more portable canvas. She The installation’s current appearance at began to imagine enlarged letters on fabric, Peninsula School of Art will act as both unfolding like ancient scrolls. inspiration and instruction to elementary school students in our annual We LOVE Art “When you enlarge words, it changes the program. This year’s theme is In Tune with experience, it’s not the same as lyrics in a Door County’s Past, and will involve lyric book,” she said. “The words also take on writing workshops with local singer/songwriter abstract qualities. The larger scale is my way Katie Dahl and poetry writing sessions with of matching the scale of Dylan’s influence.” members of Write On Door County. As artwork inspired by the children’s lyrics and An opportunity to turn her imagination into poetry begins to fill the gallery in March, reality presented itself in 2011 when she Skye’s banners will begin to come down. discovered Door County musicians were When the children’s exhibit is complete, Skye’s banners in the center will remain. In this way, the tribute to Dylan continues, as both a testament to his past works and the influence the Nobel Prize for Literature recipient will have on generations to come. About the Artist Baileys Harbor artist Skye has experienced success in a variety of media, including stone sculpture, fiber, and jewelry. She and her husband, Peter, own Bazyli Studio Wearable Art, a venture that combines their talents to create one-of-a-kind sculptural, beaded jewelry. The gallery also features clothing and accessories of original designs created by themselves and selected artists. A native of the Chicago area, Skye attended Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado, graduating with a bachelors degree in sociology with a minor in English literature. She moved from Colorado to Grass Valley in Northern California where she started a school for children named Creative Sound and Movement, featuring classes in dance, music, writing and the visual arts. Now, about the songs: Her professional fine art career found a new focus in 1987 through stone carving. Returning to the Chicago area in the lyrics on the panels 1989, she accepted a sculptor-in-residence position at Deerfield High School. During this time, she also engaged in 1960s 1970s (continued) Blowin’ in the Wind Shelter From the Storm workshops at the Barsanti Marble Studio in Pietrasanta, Italy. A Hard Rain’s Idiot Wind A-Gonna Skye’s stone work was recognized in solo exhibitions, group One More Cup of Coffee The Times They Are shows, and in national arts publications. Among her credits Changing of the Guards A- Changin’ are two solo shows at the Elmhurst (Illinois) Art Museum. Chimes of Freedom Skye moved from stone sculpture to new challenges in fiber To Ramona 1980s Every Grain of Sand art in the late 1990s, finding recognition again as a solo artist My Back Pages Jokerman and in partnership with her husband, Peter. Accolades have Mr. Tambourine Man Someone’s Got Hold been written about the pair in publications such as Ornament Love Minus Zero/ of My Heart Magazine. Among their awards is a People’s Choice Award No Limit Blind Willie McTell from the SoHo Fine Arts Institute in New York City. Gates of Eden Dark Eyes It’s All Over Now, Utilizing the knottless netting, finger-weaving technique, she Baby Blue Ring Them Bells combined 3D weavings with beads and wood for the Raw It’s Alright Ma Man in the Long, Linen Series. This series was shown in 2000 as part of an (I’m Only Bleeding) Black Coat environmental installation that she and Peter created from Like a Rolling Stone the rubble of a burned down foundry in Oregon, Illinois. Desolation Row She stenciled the “Myth of the Phoenix Rising” onto a large, 1990s Visions of Johanna Dignity old stone wall as part of that installation. The experience Stuck Inside of Mobile N o t D a r k Ye t of creating a multi-media, interactive environment set her with the Memphis artistic life on a new course. Blues Again Cold Irons Bound Just Like A Woman Tryin’ to Get to Heaven Re-discovering the work of Bob Dylan in 2008, her interest All Along the Watchtower Things Have Changed in utilizing the written word bloomed into a passion that has resulted in the creation of Shakespeare’s in the Alley. 1970s 2000s Today, Skye is focused on traveling her installation of 44 I Shall Be Released Mississippi panels, and perhaps stenciling additional panels to further Knockin’ on High Water fill out the work. In May of 2018, the installation will travel to Heaven’s Door Nettie Moore the Duluth Depot to be a part of the 8th annual Duluth Dylan Forever Young When the Deal Goes Down Fest, commemorating Dylan’s birthplace and what will be his Tangled Up in Blue Workingman’s Blues #2 77th birthday. Simple Twist of Fate This Dream of You PeninsulaSchoolofArt.org 3900 County Rd F, Fish Creek 920.868.3455.