HPR exclusive interview with Marcus Dunn

Culture | August 3rd, 2016

This year there will be an additional feature in Chalkfest. There will be a featured artist in addition to the 10 local artists participating in the festivities. Marcus Dunn, a student at Savannah College of Art and Design, was this year’s individual artist winner at SCAD’s annual chalk festival and is this year’s featured artist at Chalkfest in Fargo.

High Plains Reader: Can you tell us a bit about your winning piece?

Marcus Dunn: There were hundreds of great works made at the SCAD event by students and alumni, and I was lucky to have gotten first place. I wanted to make the portrait simple and colorful, and I really enjoyed the positive responses from people walking through as the work was being made.

HPR: What inspired your winning image--are you a big fan of James Dean?

MD: I'm a huge fan of James Dean. His work, that can be seen in only three Hollywood films, transcends the test of time. I got to visit his hometown of Fairmount, Indiana, last summer, near the 60th anniversary of his passing, and it was a trip that I'll never forget. The portrait that I chose was an iconic image, like many of his other photographs.

HPR: What kind of pieces do you have planned for Fargo's Chalkfest?

MD: I consistently make my work about Native American subject matter, and would like to make some work based on the tribes that are from the region near Fargo.

HPR: You went to school with an emphasis on figurative painting. Have you done a lot of work with chalk and do you plan on doing more?

MD: Most of my work has been charcoal and graphite on paper, or acrylic on canvas or panel. I have only seldom worked with chalk. It feels no different to me, because each medium lends itself to drawing and painting. My girlfriend really enjoys making chalk drawings, which motivated me to make my own.

HPR: You have a very impressive resume, I saw that you studied in Korea and taught art in Istanbul. What were those experiences like?

MD: Thank you. It was a humbling opportunity to be enriched with the culture of the Korean and Turkish people. I studied the Korean language in South Korea through the Critical Language Scholarship Program for the summer of 2011. There's no better way to learn a language than to be immersed in the society, and I hope that anyone reading this will seek this program out if they’re interested. I also worked in Istanbul, Turkey for two summers as a counselor and teacher at the Robert College Summer Program. I plan to teach art after graduating.

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