Lesley Dill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lesley Dill
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| Born | 1950 (age 74–75) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Maryland Institute College of Art, Smith College, Trinity College |
| Known for | Sculpture, performance, printmaking, drawing, photography |
| Spouse(s) | Ed Robbins, Documentary Filmmaker |
Lesley Dill (born 1950) is an American contemporary artist. She uses many different ways to make art. These include sculpture, prints, performances, and music. Her art often explores the power of words and feelings. Dill currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
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Growing Up and Learning
Lesley Dill was born in 1950. Her parents were high school teachers. She grew up in Maine. The beautiful nature in Maine inspired her art. You can see this in pieces like SHIMMER (2005-2006).
Dill studied English at Trinity College (Connecticut). She earned her degree in 1972. Then, she got a teaching degree from Smith College in 1974. She taught in schools for a while. Later, she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1980. This was from the Maryland Institute College of Art.
Lesley didn't think about being an artist until her late twenties. She loved to read when she was young. This love for words is a big part of her art. Her family also did crafts like ceramics and weaving. These craft skills show up in her artwork too. In 1985, Dill married Ed Robbins, a filmmaker. Their travels together have also shaped her art.
How Lesley Dill Makes Art
In the 1980s, Dill started making sculptures. She used materials like wood and bronze. A special gift of Emily Dickinson poems in 1990 changed her art. She began to put poem texts directly into her pieces. She still does this today with poems from many writers. These include Emily Dickinson, Pablo Neruda, and Salvador Espiru.
Another big influence was her time in India. She lived and worked there with her husband. The sights, sounds, and clothes of India inspired her. She saw Indian women creating henna designs. This led her to paint text on people and photograph them. She called these "living sculptures."
Her photography work led to performance art. An example is Speaking Dress (1994). She loves to explore how words and language connect to different art forms. She uses many kinds of materials. Her piece Voices in My Head from 1997 is a good example. It combines photography with words, charcoal, and thread. Dill says that language is "the pivot point of all my work." Her art mixes different types of art. These include printmaking, drawing, sculpture, photography, and performance. She often uses them together.
Art for Everyone
In the 1990s, Dill started a project in Tampa, Florida. She made several large artworks. These were hung like billboards around the city. This helped her art reach more people. It included those who might not visit museums.
Dill is also known for her performance art and public projects. In 2000, she created Tongues on Fire: Visions and Ecstasy. This was her first community project. It included a performance with a church choir. In 2003, she presented I Heard a Voice. This performance was made with Tom Morgan and the Ars Nova Singers.
Music and Opera
In 2008, Dill created and directed an opera called Divide Light. It was based on the words of Emily Dickinson. The opera first showed in August 2008 in California. A film of the opera also premiered in New York City in 2009. The music for the opera was made with composer Richard Marriott.
In April 2018, Divide Light was performed again in New York City. This time it was by the New Camerata Opera.
Art Shows and Collections
Lesley Dill's art has been shown in many places. She has had many solo shows across the United States. Her work has been in museums like the Neuberger Museum of Art and the Queens Museum of Art. Her art can also be found in major museum collections. These include the Brooklyn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and MoMA.
In 2002–2003, her first big museum show traveled around the country. It was called Lesley Dill: A Ten Year Survey. In 2007, an exhibition called Tremendous World showed some of her largest works ever. Some pieces were 20 by 65 feet!
In 2009, a major show called I Heard A Voice: The Art of Lesley Dill was on display. This show also traveled to many museums until 2010. Dill has continued to show her art at the Arthur Roger Gallery in New Orleans since 1993.
Her show Faith & the Devil opened in New York City in 2012. This show has traveled to many places across the United States. In 2015, Lesley Dill: Performance as Art opened at McNay Art Museum in Texas.
From May to August 2021, the Figge Art Museum opened Wilderness: Light Sizzles Around Me. This large exhibition was inspired by 16 historical and fictional people. These people sought peace or self-expression during tough times. This Wilderness exhibition is still traveling to many other museums across the country.
Awards and Honors
Dill has received many important awards and grants. These include honors from the Joan Mitchell Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. She also received the Anonymous Was A Woman award in 2008. In 2013, she got a Lifetime Achievement in Printmaking Award.
In 2017, she was named a Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. In 2019, she received two more awards. These were the Smith College Museum of Art Centennial award and the Emily Dickinson Museum's Tell It Slant Award. Lesley also received the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship Award from 2023 to 2024.
See also
In Spanish: Lesley Dill para niños
