Sandra Dyas at CSPS

Bo Ramsey, Pieta Brown,
Kelly Pardekooper by
Sandra Dyas

SANDRA DYAS
Down to The River: Portraits of Iowa Musicians
Sandra Dyas' collection of black and white photographs in Down to The River: Portraits of Iowa Musicians, stunningly captures the creativity of both the musicians pictured and the woman behind the camera. Included in this handsome collection are Greg Brown, Dave Moore, Bejae Fleming, Dave Zollo, Bo Ramsey, Pieta Brown, Kevin Gordon and many, many more.
Sandra Dyas moved to Iowa City in 1987 and began documenting the area’s vibrant live music scene, with its distinctive combination of folk, blues, roots, Americana, and rock sounds. The photos in Down to the River capture her twenty years of photographing at live music venues, and shooting portraits of musicians in and around the city. The result is a collection of images as compassionate and honest as the music itself.
Dyas’s photographs present both the sweaty intensity of live performances and the more contemplative moments of individual portraits, adding up to an unmatched perspective on Iowa music and musicians.
Dave Alvin has written, "From the melancholy genius of Bix Beiderbecke to the prairie visionary poetry of songwriter Greg Brown, Iowa has produced more than its fair share of great musicians and songwriters. Photographer Sandy Dyas has captured the rough and sweet uniqueness of many recent Iowa artists in beautiful images that make you want to dance in a hot bar on a summer evening while singing along with their every word. Even though this is not an all-inclusive, academic history of Iowa musicians and songwriters, Sandy’s honest photographs reveal as much about the artists as any historical or biographical book could."
Sandra Dyas received her MFA in Intermedia and Video Art from the University of Iowa in 1998. She teaches photography at Cornell College and runs a freelance photography business. Her photographs have been published on and in numerous CDs, websites, and magazines including No Depression, Vogue, Acoustic Guitar and The New York Times.
Exhibit Nov 28 - Jan 27
CSPS | 1103 Third St SE | Cedar Rapids
Open Weds through Sun 11 to 6

Related event | A number of the musicians featured in Dyas' exhibit and book will be playing at CSPS on New Year's Eve from 8 to midnight.

Visit artist's Web site
Click here for a downloadable gallery guide (PDF)
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