Susan Byrnes

If you’ve seen Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” music video, with it’s psychedelic-looking zooms, flashes, and interweaving forms and patterns, or the abstract montage images in Terence Malick’s recent film “Tree of Life”, you might be surprised to learn that a Miami Valley artist helped pioneer this iconic visual style as an experimental filmmaker in New York in the 1960’s. 

The question “What did you do this summer?” Is the topic of many a back-to-school essay. Forty area students will answer “I was a Blue Sky artist”. Community Voices producer Susan Byrnes follows the experience of a few of those students who participated in the Blue Sky Project, one of Dayton’s most unique summer arts programs. The results of their participation can be seen at the Blue Sky Project Final Exhibition, on display for Urban Nights, September 16th , at 8 North Main St. in downtown Dayton.