Interview

Jul 24

Dan Curry

Dan Curry grew up in the St. Louis area during the 50’s and 60’s. He was drafted into the army in 1970 and met his wife, Donna, in Philadelphia in 1971. Donna noticed his casual interest in art and her encouragement was important in his decision to pursue training, first at the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts) and later at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1973-77. When you visit his website, his exhibition history shows frequent and on-going regional involvement and also national and international presence while being recognized by education administrators in the Job Corps program and his professional colleagues who have included him in shows in the Cairo Opera House Contemporary Art Gallery in Egypt, US Capitol and the UN buildings in New York and South Africa.

His exhibit in the US Capitol in 1997 was sponsored by a US Senator and accompanied by his nomination for the National Medal of Arts for his programming in Job Corps. Since 1998, he has been active as a roster artist for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA). In 2020, the PCA selected him for their continuing education application by enrolling him in the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, so that he could obtain their teaching artist certification. His residencies expanded in 2020, when he developed the idea of doing outdoor class sessions to explore the plein air style in a workshop/class setting. In 2022, he provided three residencies in PA both indoors and outdoors and an exhibit featuring the products of these sessions was exhibited at the Sullivan county Library in November and December of 2022.

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“In a rather random serendipitous way, my wife encouraged my pursuit and also pointed me at the Job Corps Center for a security guard position and the human resources manager who interviewed me noticed my background at PAFA. By divine intervention, he noted that I had arrived shortly after their arts and crafts instructor had put in his resignation. He asked me if I would rather apply for this teaching opportunity. The first 3 years were ok, but I was laid off in 1985 when a new company took over.
From 1985 until 1986, I was unemployed and decided to add a finished addition on our home that started small in 1982. When they called me back in 1986, advocates recommended my return, I told them I could only work part-time until I got the roof on my 30x36 1 1/2 story addition. The new director arrived in 1986; this is when I was asked about creating a regional program for the large student population in the region 2 of Job Corps which involved hundreds of students.
I was an instructor and arts administrator and developed a regional arts festival that operated for over 20 years. With my connections in Philadelphia, the art landed in the gallery district in center city Philadelphia and soon after we were noticed by the PA senator who nominated our program and me for the National Medal of Arts. My previous connection with HD Thoreau, Richard Groff and Wharton Esherick inspired my effort to build our home in a rural PA location in the Appalachians. I still have the original but have sold 5 giclee prints (full size) of this image which is part of my story and history as an artist and person of self-reliance. Obviously, my journey began with my wife's encouragement and my PAFA experience but the Job Corps experience allowed for a significant 30 years of teaching and my continued production of art while teaching and demonstrating to students. Now, I continue as a PCA roster artist doing this on my preferred schedule as a contracted professional.”

What inspires you?

“The naturalist, transcendentalist, impressionist and post-impressionist artists and writers have inspired my direction and I enjoy plein air landscape but also do portrait and figurative art. My work has expanded with an expressive interpretive style.”

What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?

“My pastels are frequently based on reflections of the natural beauty in unspoiled landscape venues such as my rural home environment which inspires me while surrounded by the beauty of the natural world. I attempt to provide images of beauty that reflect the magic and mystery of our gift of this beautiful planet that we are a part of. In my underlying messages I hope to express love that will overcome bias, prejudice and stigma which prevents a common effort at elevating the human condition.”

How would you describe your work?

“Mostly plein air landscape, studio work which includes portrait and figurative art that is representational with an expressive interpretive style.”

Which artists influence you most?

“I would include artists, scientists, scholars in all areas of creativity and knowledge such as Monet, Cezanne, Turner, Van Gogh and Edward Hopper . Writers like HD Thoreau, Walt Whitman, ,Scott Nearing, Kurt Vonnegat and Richard Groff. Scientists such as Neil deGrasse Tyson and Einstein.”

What is your creative process like?

“My process is divided between plein air and studio work and I am focused on color dynamics and expressive energy in my work. I usually strive for direct encounters which can be done with any of my chosen subjects. I enjoy the surprises that are often discovered when I work directly and quickly. Some good examples are noted on my website; "Afternoon Poplars" and "Ringer Hill Autumn." Those two subjects were produce quickly and done as demos for students during one of my private workshops.”

What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“To provide compelling images that reflect the magic and mystery of our gift of this beautiful planet that we are a part of. To express love that will overcome bias, prejudice and stigma. I would suggest that the way to help evolve our human condition lies in better applications in education that would help provide a possible waking of sensitivity and empathy. All subjects in education are important and often as a teaching artist I am asked to integrate art into other subject areas. Einstein's statement that "Creativity is more Important than Knowledge" is the connection that I am sharing.”

Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?

“I have had international exhibits in the Cairo Opera House 2006 and Breaking down the Walls of prejucice bias and stigma in 2001 at UN buildings in New York City and Durban, South Africa. I had an exhibit in the Capitol in 1997, when I was nominated for the National Medals of Arts.”