By Michael Swanger michael@dmcityview.com

Music to your eyes

Dyas’ ‘Down the River’ is a compelling look at Iowa musicians

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a Sandy Dyas photo is the equivalent of a well-worn record. It has an intimate, familiar feeling that words can’t express. It recalls a significant time, person or event. And when you revisit it you discover something new that makes you like it more.

With that said, pouring over the 60 photos in Dyas’ new book published by the University of Iowa Press, “Down the River: Portraits of Iowa Musicians,” is like listening to a stack of your favorite roots-rock, blues and folk music albums by Greg Brown, Bo Ramsey, Joe and Vicki Price, David Zollo, Pieta Brown, The Pines, Dave Moore, Kelly Pardekooper and Radislov Lorkovic — all of whom contribute songs to the book’s companion CD. The black-and-white hits continue with the turn of every page, whether they are emotional portraits or moments-in-time live shots.

Resonate. Artful. Heartfelt. Honest. “Down the River” unleashes a cavalcade of memories of Saturday night musical adventures. It also documents the last 20 years of Eastern Iowa’s small-town music scene without the staleness of academia. If these photos were songs, they would launch a thousand jukeboxes.

“I want people to feel what I felt when I took these photos and how important music is to a culture,” says Dyas, 54, who teaches photography part-time at Cornell College. “Music has the power to change things. It’s been important not only for my life, but a lot of lives.”

Raised on a farm in Eastern Iowa, Dyas was first exposed to photography through her parents. But it was her uncle Bob Dyas’ slide shows of vacation photos that got her hooked. “I was mesmerized,” she recalls. “Growing up on a farm, the word ‘artist’ isn’t in your vocabulary.”

Little did Dyas know that her love of music would later influence her photography. The spark was seeing Ramsey play for the first time in 1981 in Dubuque. Six years later, she moved to Iowa City and started shooting Ramsey and other notable Iowa City and Trailer Records acts. Over the years, her photos have become synonymous with Trailer Records, gracing many of its album covers. Still, she considers her work to be more of a family affair than a business venture.

“I went to these shows because I wanted to go with a community of friends,” she says. “It wasn’t like a job. Nobody hired me to do it. The music created this community and it was wonderful to be in it. It excited me to take pictures of this thing.”

Five years ago, a friend suggested that Dyas publish a book. The University of Iowa Press said it was interested, but wanted to see her portfolio. Over the next few years, Dyas poured over thousands of negatives to assemble a portfolio of 100 photos, then winnowed it down to 60 for the book. In 2005, when the project was almost complete, she decided to add a few new shots of artists she wanted represented in the book. Deciding who would be included, Dyas says, was a daunting task.

“There are still more people I wish I included,” she says. “Everybody has to understand this is a personal, intimate book of pictures… a record or diary in a weird way of mine.”

Listening to the companion CD while looking through “Down the River,” it is easy to see a timeline and a relationship between Dyas and her subjects. She uses wide-angle lenses with her 35mm and medium format cameras to capture three generations of Iowa City musicians in the flattering light in which she sees them.

“I tend to see the beauty in people,” Dyas says. “I never want to see the awkwardness.”

To capture that beauty, Dyas says, you have to be a good listener. “You have to be present and very aware of the moment. You have to feel it. Ambiance is key. Lighting is key.”

Dyas says she is glad to have her work published, but that won’t stop her from continuing to shoot her favorite artists. She hopes her work will help introduce them to new audiences.

“I’m happy I can say I have a book published,” she says. “I think it’s really cool and beautiful. Photography has a way to preserve memories like no other art form. But I also hope it brings more exposure to the musicians.”

Bravo donates $2 million in grants

More than $2 million in cultural enrichment grants have been donated by Bravo Greater Des Moines, a regional arts and cultural organization. The recipients include Blank Park Zoo ($440,000), Civic Center ($300,000), Science Center ($225,000), Art Center ($210,000), Botanical Center ($195,000), Living History Farms ($130,000), Des Moines Symphony ($85,000), Des Moines Playhouse ($65,000), Salisbury House ($50,000), State Historical Society ($40,000), Des Moines Metro Opera ($35,000), Hoyt Sherman Place ($30,000), Des Moines Arts Festival and Iowa Public Radio ($20,000 each), Metro Arts Alliance ($17,000), Des Moines Public Art Foundation, Ballet Theater of Des Moines and Iowa Hall of Pride ($15,000 each), Terrace Hill Foundation ($12,000), Iowa Asian Alliance, Civic Music Association, Gateway Dance Theater, Greater Des Moines Music Coalition and Latino Resources ($10,000 each), West Des Moines Historical Society ($8,000), Stage West Theater Co. ($7,500), Urbandale Historical Society ($6,500), Center for Shakespeare Performance, Downtown Events Group, Employee and Family Resources of Iowa/KFMG, Fort Des Moines Memorial Park, Hometown Perry, I’ll Make Me A World in Iowa, Iowa Fringe Festival and VSA Arts of Iowa ($5,000 each), Partners Unlimited ($4,000), Des Moines Choral Society and Johnston Historical Society ($3,000 each), ArtStop, East Village Art Coalition, Pointe Academy of Ballet & Contemporary Dance and St. John’s Lutheran Church Arts at St. John’s ($2,500 each) Ankeny Community Chorus ($2,000), Des Moines Fashion Alliance, Iowa Genealogical Society, Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartets and Vocal Arts Ensemble of Greater Des Moines ($1,500 each). CV

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