Recycled art on display
Published 10:26 pm Tuesday, November 6, 2018
- Dale Wayne celebrates the opening of her new exhibit at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts. Executive Director Susan Lawrence, Box Office and Programming Manager Kim Atkinson, Gallery Coordinator Pat Eelman, Dale Wayne, John Wayne, Marketing & Special Events Assistant Kailyn Dickason and Gallery Coordinator Sandy Hart. (Submitted Photo)
A new exhibit has opened at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, and it is sure to leave people amazed.
Dale Wayne, a Florida resident, spent time in Suffolk setting up her art work made from recycled water bottles. The exhibit is called “Joy Unfolding.”
“It’s all different kinds of bottles. I’ve even worked with two-liter bottles,” Wayne said.
Wayne has been an artist for quite some time, and she works in multiple mediums including glass and alcohol ink. Water bottles weren’t part of her repertoire until recently, and it started with trying to mimic glass blowing to her art students.
“I was trying to figure out a way for students to experience what it was like to work with glass but safe to do in schools,” Wayne said.
The craft quickly evolved in the classroom, using hair dryers to bend the plastic and figuring out how to best paint the medium. It didn’t take long for the school to gain attention for the artwork, and Wayne has been doing installations ever since.
Water bottles are not a traditional art medium, but Wayne has found much to love about her work. She loves to see people experience the installations firsthand.
“That’s what I love the most is when they first touch it. I love the way people respond to it,” Wayne said.
Her experience has been nothing but positive, and she is happy to inspire those around her to make art from the recycled water bottles.
“I’ve been doing this for so many years, and people are moved by seeing it. A woman came in and said she just wanted to be near it and be inspired by the work,” Wayne said.
For Wayne, working with water bottles allows her to show a message of hope and redemption.
“It’s the best story of hope that you can take a water bottle and elevate it into art. It’s a redemptive message,” Wayne said.
The installations are not something Wayne actively pursues, but she is always pleased when the call comes.
“I feel like it has been given to me. I don’t pursue it, but it is always exciting,” Wayne said.
The installation will be at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts until Dec. 21, and the public can view it from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
More information on the artist can be found at dalewayne.com.
