Check Out Dance Doyle’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dance Doyle.

Hi Dance, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have a sculpture background but my soul was delivered when I found textiles and more specifically tapestry. Weaving structures became my way to channel difficult emotions into something tangible that I couldn’t express with words. It became my favorite way to paint. Turning tapestry into a visual journal about my struggles with addiction and homelessness became transformative for me. It motivated me to get the help I needed. That was well over a decade ago.

Since then, I’ve been wildly invested in this work.

Today, I articulate stories through shaped, mostly large-scale, contemporary, mixed-media tapestry woven on 4-harness floor looms. Through the years that have passed, I became self-taught through trial and error and took some risks. I had no rules to follow because I’d never been taught any. This absolutely allowed me the freedom to develop my own techniques, tempting the traditional forms of tapestry to follow infinite directions, breathing into my work a living pulse. I select and dye different fibers to match the tones, sensations, and tactile qualities in the story’s atmosphere. Visually re-creating my narratives accords me a sense of power that I thought had vanished and helped me renegotiate my past.

Growing up in Oakland during the peak of the crack epidemic of the 1980s and 90s, I was surrounded by the vibrance of camp fashion, rap blasting from cars, and urban decay covered by street art, juxtaposed with fear, civil unrest, and a definite sense of desperation on the streets. The translations I build into tapestry have all been informed by that beautiful, heavy environment.

For the last three years, my work has been centered around the research I’ve been doing on the homeless, addiction, and mental illness experiences so many have experienced in this country, including myself. During this time, I’ve interviewed adults who are out there about the civic and non-profit resources available to them, including affordable housing, food, toiletries, the ability to bathe, access to medical treatment, and housing programs available to them. My work features portraits and visual testimonials of what it’s like in their environment day to day. I am currently working on a series on this topic.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been an interesting road and I’ve learned so much from every experience good or bad. I had to be able to move around in order to attend residencies all over the country so I could grow as an artist and hone my skills. So, living out of a suitcase can be draining but I just kept at it.

Navigating my way back to the west coast from Brooklyn with long-term covid symptoms during the beginning of the pandemic wasn’t easy but making work from a state where I do have health benefits was smarter. I believe one thing leads to another.

Now, I’m finishing my MFA at California College of the Arts this May.

This is a degree I never thought I’d get the opportunity to earn.

I’m still a little wiped-lashed but in a good way.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I weave mostly large-scale non-traditional, figurative tapestries that tell visual narratives of people and scenes from over-populated urban environments. I use copious amounts of slit-tapestry and pulled warp techniques because it disjoints the landscape of the work and it suits my aesthetic. I create these works on 4-harness floor looms out of my live/work space in Oakland, CA.

I hand-dye wool, cotton, and linen. I mostly use all-natural fibers because of their luster. I do love incorporating vintage metal twine, sequencing, and some other mixed media in my work.

I think everyone’s got their own style including myself. I’m pretty sure my work is recognizable because it’s shaped and since I was self-taught, my work just doesn’t look like anyone else’s.

I am still so proud of myself for doing the work it took (3 residences and showing my work all over the US) in order to get the kind of scholarship I needed in order to attend grad school.

Now, I’m graduating in May with no debt.

I think what has set me aside in the past is that I’ve gone ahead and visually tackled difficult topics like mental health, addiction, and homelessness. In my work, 3 AM, a young woman is pictured shooting heroin and she’s floating to the steps of city hall. It was about harm reduction politics in San Francisco.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I used to play really competitive soccer, I can’t bake because It’s hard for me to follow directions.

I’m a bomb doggie mom.

I was born and raised in Oakland.

I’ve been obsessed with the missing 411 books (people going missing in National Parks under mysterious circumstances).

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.dancedoyle.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dance_doyle/

Image Credits
Dennis Tyler Photography