Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Patricia in Vogue Italia
Patricia in Vogue Italia
Please read this fabulous review of my dear friend Patricia Lay-Dorsey:
http://www.vogue.it/news/vogue-arte/2017/12/26/patricia-lay-dorsey-collages-from-
the-rauschenberg-residency/
If this site does not work, try
from Vogue Italia:
by Laura Tortora
Patricia Lay-Dorsey is a Detroit-based photographer who likes to tell the inside story of places, people and experiences, especially her own. “The Hole In Between: Collages from the Rauschenberg Residency” features photo collages Patricia creates using bits and pieces of the 7,000 photos she took in March and April 2017 while an artist-in-residence on Captiva Island, Florida.
Although the iconic American artist Robert Rauschenberg died in 2008, his spirit of risk-taking experimentation permeates every facet of the residency program that is set up by the Rauschenberg Foundation on the land where Bob lived and in the studios where he worked for 40 years. It was Bob’s energy and example that inspired Patricia to move beyond her usual documentary way of working and find a more personally creative way of expressing her thoughts and feelings about the place and the ten artists with whom she was sharing the 6-week Rauschenberg Residency.
One afternoon while sitting in what they call Bob’s chair, Patricia heard the words, “Art is play. Art is not work. There are no rules. It’s like sex. Don’t think about it. Just do it!” And so she did.
from Patricia:
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBILITY AT THE RAUSCHENBERG RESIDENCY
For those of us with special needs, all too often we feel unseen and unheard. If we bring up adaptations that need to be made so we can participate in activities that non-disabled persons might take for granted, we can get the feeling the people we are talking to feel we are making too much of a big deal about trivialities.
My experience of working with the Rauschenberg Residency staff was a model of how it should be done.
In my first phone call with the Residency Director Ann Brady, I brought up my concerns that such a residency would be hard for me to manage because of my special needs. Ann responded by asking me to send her an email with a detailed list that spelled out every one of my special needs and the adaptations that would need to be made. She made no promises except to say that they would do everything they could to make it possible for me to attend the residency. I immediately felt seen, heard and valued. For the first time since learning that I had won this award from Photolucida Critical Mass 2015, I felt hope that I actually might be able to attend the residency.
It was over a year that Ann and I worked together with Jessica Todd, the Residency Coordinator, and Matt Hall, the Facilities Supervisor, to address all of my concerns and special needs. As time went on, they would send me photographs of the physical progress being made to make my bedroom, bathroom and art studio wheelchair accessible. When I got there we discovered that the bathroom in the Weeks House where we ate our communal meals was too narrow for me to enter and use. I managed to use the bathroom in my house and studio instead, but was pleased to see that shortly after my residency ended, they did the reconstruction necessary to make that bathroom wheelchair accessible.
During this entire process I was encouraged to give them any feedback that might be helpful. And there were several adaptations that I saw needed to be made to some of the areas we were attempting to make accessible. I was never made to feel that any of my critiques and/or suggestions were anything but helpful.
When I arrived at the residency on March 6, 2017, Jessica and Matt were at the door of my house to greet me and make any final adaptations I needed. During my six weeks as an artist-in-residence, I felt free to contact Matt Hall with any concerns or adaptations that needed to be made. He leaned over backwards to make me feel comfortable contacting him, and always responded positively to my requests. He even did special things like carrying me in and out of the pool so I could swim laps twice a week, and he even got a balloon-tired sand wheelchair for two days so I could go shelling on the beach!
This was not merely about the financial cost of creating a wheelchair accessible environment; it was about responding with openness and respect to a person with special needs. I will be forever grateful to everyone who made this life-changing residency accessible for me and now for other physically disabled artists in the future. It was the highlight of my 74 years of life!
Patricia Lay-Dorsey
Bio
Born in Washington, DC in 1942, Detroit-based photographer Patricia Lay-Dorsey brings a masters degree in social work and four decades as a visual artist to her humanistic photography. Lay-Dorsey’s photo projects tell the intimate stories of people’s lives as seen from the inside. She is best known for “Falling Into Place,” a self portrait book published in 2013 by Ffotogallery (Cardiff, Wales) that documents her day-to-day life with a disability. Blue Sky Gallery Books published a monograph in conjunction with Lay-Dorsey’s “Tea For Two” solo exhibit in December 2016.
Lay-Dorsey’s photo essays have been featured by the New York Times Lens Blog, Huffington Post, Feature Shoot, LensWork, BBC World Update, Vogue Italia and Newsweek Japan, among others. She has had solo exhibits in Oregon, Michigan, New York, Massachusetts and China, and received the Photolucida Critical Mass 2015 Rauschenberg Residency Award. Time.com named @patricialaydorsey as the Michigan representative in their August 2015 feature, “Instagram Photographers To Follow In All 50 States” and the January 2016 issue of O, the Oprah Magazine included her in the article, “5 of the Most Inspiring Women on Instagram.”
Patricia Lay-Dorsey has lived in the Detroit area since marrying Edward Dorsey in 1966. Her website is www.patricialaydorsey.com
ART PHOTOGRAPHY , ARTE
from Dorothy:
Patricia was recently honored with a gift residency at the former residence of Robert Rauschenberg, a prominent artist of the contemporary world, now deceased. His island estate is now an artist retreat for creators of various kinds (painters, writers, dancers, media composers). She took countless photos during her time there and subsequently compiled them into "collages" from her visit.
Patricia has received many honors in her time. She has exhibited her photos in major galleries, been written up in such outlets as Newsweek (Japan edition), New York Times, and others. However, she herself has said that this review in Vogue Italia is the greatest honor of all.
As I have mentioned before, Patricia and I have known one another for about 20 years. She set up this blog and gave it to me as a birthday gift in 2004 and has coached me on its operation often over time. She herself is one of the most remarkable women I have ever known. When she contracted M. S. and could no longer walk, she bought herself an outfitted van and a scooter and traveled alone often, sometimes all the way from Gross Pointe (near Detroit) to New York City. Her photographs have received steadily growing accolades. Once a marathon runner, she still swims many laps, works out her upper body at the gym, and is famous as "Grandma Techno" at the regular electronic music festivals in Detroit.
Needless to say, I love her dearly, for she has been an important part of my life for many years.
Look her up. You will meet a remarkable human being, one who inspires and even awes with her talent and insights.
Please read this fabulous review of my dear friend Patricia Lay-Dorsey:
http://www.vogue.it/news/vogue-arte/2017/12/26/patricia-lay-dorsey-collages-from-
the-rauschenberg-residency/
If this site does not work, try
@patricialaydorseycollages
for many of said collages.
from Vogue Italia:
by Laura Tortora
Patricia Lay-Dorsey is a Detroit-based photographer who likes to tell the inside story of places, people and experiences, especially her own. “The Hole In Between: Collages from the Rauschenberg Residency” features photo collages Patricia creates using bits and pieces of the 7,000 photos she took in March and April 2017 while an artist-in-residence on Captiva Island, Florida.
Although the iconic American artist Robert Rauschenberg died in 2008, his spirit of risk-taking experimentation permeates every facet of the residency program that is set up by the Rauschenberg Foundation on the land where Bob lived and in the studios where he worked for 40 years. It was Bob’s energy and example that inspired Patricia to move beyond her usual documentary way of working and find a more personally creative way of expressing her thoughts and feelings about the place and the ten artists with whom she was sharing the 6-week Rauschenberg Residency.
One afternoon while sitting in what they call Bob’s chair, Patricia heard the words, “Art is play. Art is not work. There are no rules. It’s like sex. Don’t think about it. Just do it!” And so she did.
from Patricia:
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBILITY AT THE RAUSCHENBERG RESIDENCY
For those of us with special needs, all too often we feel unseen and unheard. If we bring up adaptations that need to be made so we can participate in activities that non-disabled persons might take for granted, we can get the feeling the people we are talking to feel we are making too much of a big deal about trivialities.
My experience of working with the Rauschenberg Residency staff was a model of how it should be done.
In my first phone call with the Residency Director Ann Brady, I brought up my concerns that such a residency would be hard for me to manage because of my special needs. Ann responded by asking me to send her an email with a detailed list that spelled out every one of my special needs and the adaptations that would need to be made. She made no promises except to say that they would do everything they could to make it possible for me to attend the residency. I immediately felt seen, heard and valued. For the first time since learning that I had won this award from Photolucida Critical Mass 2015, I felt hope that I actually might be able to attend the residency.
It was over a year that Ann and I worked together with Jessica Todd, the Residency Coordinator, and Matt Hall, the Facilities Supervisor, to address all of my concerns and special needs. As time went on, they would send me photographs of the physical progress being made to make my bedroom, bathroom and art studio wheelchair accessible. When I got there we discovered that the bathroom in the Weeks House where we ate our communal meals was too narrow for me to enter and use. I managed to use the bathroom in my house and studio instead, but was pleased to see that shortly after my residency ended, they did the reconstruction necessary to make that bathroom wheelchair accessible.
During this entire process I was encouraged to give them any feedback that might be helpful. And there were several adaptations that I saw needed to be made to some of the areas we were attempting to make accessible. I was never made to feel that any of my critiques and/or suggestions were anything but helpful.
When I arrived at the residency on March 6, 2017, Jessica and Matt were at the door of my house to greet me and make any final adaptations I needed. During my six weeks as an artist-in-residence, I felt free to contact Matt Hall with any concerns or adaptations that needed to be made. He leaned over backwards to make me feel comfortable contacting him, and always responded positively to my requests. He even did special things like carrying me in and out of the pool so I could swim laps twice a week, and he even got a balloon-tired sand wheelchair for two days so I could go shelling on the beach!
This was not merely about the financial cost of creating a wheelchair accessible environment; it was about responding with openness and respect to a person with special needs. I will be forever grateful to everyone who made this life-changing residency accessible for me and now for other physically disabled artists in the future. It was the highlight of my 74 years of life!
Patricia Lay-Dorsey
Bio
Born in Washington, DC in 1942, Detroit-based photographer Patricia Lay-Dorsey brings a masters degree in social work and four decades as a visual artist to her humanistic photography. Lay-Dorsey’s photo projects tell the intimate stories of people’s lives as seen from the inside. She is best known for “Falling Into Place,” a self portrait book published in 2013 by Ffotogallery (Cardiff, Wales) that documents her day-to-day life with a disability. Blue Sky Gallery Books published a monograph in conjunction with Lay-Dorsey’s “Tea For Two” solo exhibit in December 2016.
Lay-Dorsey’s photo essays have been featured by the New York Times Lens Blog, Huffington Post, Feature Shoot, LensWork, BBC World Update, Vogue Italia and Newsweek Japan, among others. She has had solo exhibits in Oregon, Michigan, New York, Massachusetts and China, and received the Photolucida Critical Mass 2015 Rauschenberg Residency Award. Time.com named @patricialaydorsey as the Michigan representative in their August 2015 feature, “Instagram Photographers To Follow In All 50 States” and the January 2016 issue of O, the Oprah Magazine included her in the article, “5 of the Most Inspiring Women on Instagram.”
Patricia Lay-Dorsey has lived in the Detroit area since marrying Edward Dorsey in 1966. Her website is www.patricialaydorsey.com
ART PHOTOGRAPHY , ARTE
from Dorothy:
Patricia was recently honored with a gift residency at the former residence of Robert Rauschenberg, a prominent artist of the contemporary world, now deceased. His island estate is now an artist retreat for creators of various kinds (painters, writers, dancers, media composers). She took countless photos during her time there and subsequently compiled them into "collages" from her visit.
Patricia has received many honors in her time. She has exhibited her photos in major galleries, been written up in such outlets as Newsweek (Japan edition), New York Times, and others. However, she herself has said that this review in Vogue Italia is the greatest honor of all.
As I have mentioned before, Patricia and I have known one another for about 20 years. She set up this blog and gave it to me as a birthday gift in 2004 and has coached me on its operation often over time. She herself is one of the most remarkable women I have ever known. When she contracted M. S. and could no longer walk, she bought herself an outfitted van and a scooter and traveled alone often, sometimes all the way from Gross Pointe (near Detroit) to New York City. Her photographs have received steadily growing accolades. Once a marathon runner, she still swims many laps, works out her upper body at the gym, and is famous as "Grandma Techno" at the regular electronic music festivals in Detroit.
Needless to say, I love her dearly, for she has been an important part of my life for many years.
Look her up. You will meet a remarkable human being, one who inspires and even awes with her talent and insights.
