 Local artist Dylan Karges’ creativity is expressed in a variety of ways. By GWEN SISSON
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It’s not really about one piece of work, but the crowd of sculptures that makes the impact in Dylan Karges’ work.
Inspired by findings from archaeological digs in Israel, the “little men” are non-descript statue-like characters made of clay. The faces and the height may vary. Glazes are different. For the most part, very simple sculptures.
But as a group of 100 or more, the variations of color and height give a “mob” feeling, while at the same time, symbolizing the differences in people.
“There’s power in numbers,” Karges said. “And as you look at the crowd of little men, you identify specific characteristics. You will see a smile. You see the individual character ... it takes on a life of its own. It is so interesting to see the work come alive.”
In an installation of “little men,” Karges said the varying heights shows peaks and valleys that makes for interesting patterns and the organic feeling of a crowd, as opposed to the precise measurements of a grid.
Karges also describes the organic feel in relation to his painting. Known also for his “trees,” Karges begins a painting by sketching out a tree on the paper or canvas. Within five minutes or so, the marks on the page improvises a tree. Before long, a tree and the surrounding landscape take place, seemingly with little effort.
Karges makes everything seem effortless. When he is not working on his sculpture or painting in his studio space at Cre8tive Warehouse in Starkville, Karges finds many important ways to share his love and passion for art.
He is a board member of the Starkville Area Arts Council (SAAC) and serves as committee chairman for the Art In Public Places Committee.
Throughout the year, Karges works to help local artists have public displays of their work at the Greater Starkville Development Partnership’s Welcome Center in downtown Starkville.
“Dylan is an integral part of SAAC’s Art In Public Places Exhibits,” said SAAC past president Barb Adkins. “He served as chairman of the Art In Public Places Committee in 2008-2009. These exhibits, including the annual ‘100 under 100’ exhibit, has helped bring the arts alive in the downtown area of Starkville.”
The SAAC Board has appointed Karges as its president-elect for the 2009-2010 year. He will serve as president of SAAC in the 2010-2011 year. Adkins said the SAAC Board was delighted that Karges agreed to serve in this elected position.
“He is a very modest, humble artist,” Adkins said. “I am especially fond of his landscapes and what I call Dylan’s ‘little men.’ Dylan is a delight to be around. His quiet, non-assuming demeanor makes one want to be not only his acquaintance, but also a friend.”
Adkins said Karges was the SAAC representative in the developing stages of the Starkville Community Market.
“Dylan served both the Arts Council and local artists well in this representation,” Adkins said. “Dylan’s leadership skills and passion for the arts is very evident.”
“I can’t say enough great things about Dylan,” said Tammy Tyndall, coordinator of the Starkville Community Market. “From the Market perspective, he is one of the most generous people that I have ever known. It is a privilege for us to have him as a part of our market team and the expertise that he lends as one of the art juror’s is unsurpassed.”
Tyndall said it isn’t easy to get up and get going while hauling potter’s wheels, clay and all the supplies, especially at 6 a.m. on a Saturday. But Karges brings the wheel to the Market, works with all the children (and a few curious adults) on pottery projects, fires them and returns them to the children each Saturday that he is in town.
“He always has that great smile, the patience of a saint and a great sense of humor,” Tyndall said.
“Dylan’s selfless devotion to the arts and the promotion of the arts is clear in his volunteer efforts and we are fortunate to have the pleasure of his company. He is just one of those great people that brings the sunshine.”
And his passion for the arts is not only based in Starkville, Karges lives in Webster County and currently serves as past-president of Eupora Arts Inc. As a small, newly reformed arts organization, Karges has provided much of the passion and the drive for arts efforts in the area.
“Dylan’s desire to make the arts accessible to everyone is incredible,” said Maggie and Craig Bjorgum, who work with Karges both at SAAC and Eupora Arts Inc.
“His true commitment to his community is inevitable through his work as artist and community activist. He is a really talented artist who has just begun. I think we can expect greater things to come from Dylan in the future....he creates community through art.”
When he isn’t bringing art and creativity to the community, Karges is using art to recreate the past.
Karges works as a technical illustrator at the Cobb Institute at Mississippi State University, with responsibilities including management of the Institute’s graphics lab and support of the Lois Dowdle Cobb Museum exhibit program.
In 1999, he participated as a field illustrator for the Lahav Research Project’s excavations at Tell Halif, Israel and in 2000 and 2008, he traveled to Israel to work on object illustrations for the Tell Gezer Project.
He doesn’t consider his illustration work as art, because there is no creative element. But it does take creativity to “see” what the object might have been.
His illustrations are helping the Cobb Insititute and the country of Israel piece together elements of Biblical history, as it relates to the everyday lives of Israelis of the time period.
It is at a Cobb Institute excavation site of the ruins of an Israeli homeplace where Karges first saw a statue that inspired the “little men” project.
The historic accuracy in his illustrations is leading to a variety of opportunities to extend the reach of Mississippi State University by partnering with other universities around the world who want to work with Karges.
For more information about Karges, including a display of his art work at the Colvard Student Union during July, contact him by e-mail at
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