Shary Boyle facts for kids

Shary Boyle, born on May 26, 1972, is a Canadian artist. She creates amazing art using different materials like clay for sculptures, drawings, paintings, and even live performances. Shary Boyle lives and works in Toronto.

Early Life and Art Training

Shary Boyle grew up in Scarborough, Ontario. She was the youngest of five children. She went to Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts. There, she studied art and music theatre. After high school, she attended the Ontario College of Art. She graduated from there in 1994.

When she was younger, Shary was part of the punk and hardcore music scene in Toronto. She sang in a band. Her early interest in music led her to design costumes, posters, and T-shirts. She also made small, photocopied magazines called 'zines. These early drawings and 'zines were later put together in a book called "Witness My Shame" in 2004.

In 1998, Shary started working with a special type of clay called Sculpey. Later, in 2002, a doll maker named Vivian Hausle taught her about porcelain. She also learned a technique called lace draping. This method helps create delicate lace-like patterns in clay.

Exploring Art with Shary Boyle

Shary Boyle creates art in many different ways. She is known for her art that tells stories and uses symbols. Her work often explores ideas about gender, identity, and power. She uses her skills to create art that makes people feel strong emotions.

Shary is especially famous for her porcelain sculptures of figures. From 2002 to 2006, she made a series of porcelain figurines. She used old commercial molds and traditional porcelain lace methods. Her sculptures looked at how decoration and fancy designs relate to women and gender. This series was shown in an exhibition called Lace Figures in Toronto in 2006. Shary Boyle's early work with porcelain helped bring this art form back into modern art. She showed that traditional crafts could be important contemporary art.

Major Art Shows

Shary Boyle has had many important art shows. In 2006, she had an exhibition with Ben Reeves in Toronto. In 2008, her solo show The History of Light was displayed in Lethbridge.

In 2009, Shary Boyle's work was shown with artist Shuvinai Ashoona. Their exhibition was called Noise Ghost. In 2010, Shary's first national traveling exhibition, Flesh and Blood, opened. This show included 28 pieces, like sculptures, paintings, and projections.

A big moment in her career was in 2013. Shary Boyle represented Canada at the Venice Biennale. This is a very important international art event. Her project there was called Music for Silence. It included a plaster sculpture of a mermaid holding a baby. In 2014, she also took part in the Canadian Biennial exhibition.

Since then, Shary has continued to have many solo and group shows. She has worked with other artists, too. For example, she collaborated with video artist Emily Vey Duke for ten years. Their drawing and text project was called Shary Boyle & Emily Vey Duke: The Illuminations Project.

She also worked with Shuvinai Ashoona again in 2015. They traveled to Kinngait Studios to create drawings together. Their combined work was shown in an exhibition called Universal Cobra. A book about their collaboration was released in 2016.

Shary Boyle's art has been shown around the world. She participated in Ceramix: Ceramics and art from Rodin to Schutte. This show traveled to the Netherlands and France in 2016. She also took part in the Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale in South Korea in 2017. In 2017, she helped organize an exhibition called Earthlings in Calgary.

Live Performances and Collaborations

Besides her sculptures, Shary Boyle also performs with musicians. She creates shadow shows and "live" drawings. These drawings are animated and projected onto a stage using old overhead projectors.

In 2006, she performed at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. She presented a solo show in costume with music. Shary also toured California with Doug Paisley, opening for musician Will Oldham. She has worked with famous musicians like Feist in Paris and Peaches in Berlin. She has also collaborated with Christine Fellows in Canada.

In 2012, Shary Boyle and Christine Fellows created a theater piece. It was called Everything Under the Moon. In 2014, they worked together again on a new performance. This show was called Spell to Bring Lost Creature Home. They performed it on a small plane tour across the Northwest Territories. They also toured Canada with the show in 2015. In 2016, Shary designed her first stage set for a production called Voix de Ville!.

In 2019, Shary Boyle created a public artwork called Cracked Wheat. It was installed in front of the Gardiner Museum in Toronto. In 2021, the Gardiner Museum held a solo exhibition of her work. This show was called Outside the palace of Me. It included drawings, ceramic sculptures, and mirrors. The exhibition explored her feelings about global problems. In 2023, Outside the Palace of Me traveled to the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Art Collections

Shary Boyle's artwork is part of many public and private collections. These include important places like the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. Her art is also at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Other collections include the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal and the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Artist Residencies

Shary Boyle is also a public speaker. She has a lot of experience sharing her knowledge. In 2014, she was a lead teacher at The Banff Centre. She led a special art program there.

In 2016, she traveled to Rankin Inlet in Nunavik. She met ceramic artists working at Matchbox Studios. She invited two artists, John Kurok and Pierre Aupilardjuk, to join her. They took part in a ceramic residency at Medalta Historic Potteries in Medicine Hat, Alberta, in 2016.

Awards and Honors

Shary Boyle has received many awards and special recognitions for her art.

• In 2007, she had a residency at Space in London, UK. This was part of the Canada Council for the Arts International Studio Program.
• She was a finalist for the Sobey Art Award in both 2007 and 2009.
• She won the Gershon Iskowitz Prize in 2009.
• In 2010, she received the Hnatyshyn Foundation Visual Arts Award.
• She represented Canada at the 2013 Venice Biennale, a major international art event.
• In 2021, she received an Honorary Doctorate from OCAD U in Toronto.