By June Mathews
For the average kid in 20th-century America, flipping through the pages of the Sears Roebuck catalog inspired holiday wish lists. But for young Dan Bynum, those same pages inspired art.
“The economical black and white illustrations were a catalyst for my imagination,” he said. “I have an affinity for combining elements and concepts that do not traditionally go together.”
Those long-ago catalog sessions later resulted in an appealing collection of art ranging from whimsical to nostalgic to – oddly enough – appetizing. But only if you’re a fan of frozen treats and doughnuts.
So as one may surmise from his use of Bomb Pops and Krispy Kremes as subjects, a quirky sense of humor often plays a role in Bynum’s art. For example, he once incorporated a vintage set of plastic women bowlers, originally used for cake toppers, and titled the piece “Attack of the Women Bowlers.”
“Often in art, as in life, humor can lower defenses,” he said.
Born and raised in Birmingham and now a Hoover resident, Bynum frequently employs the Southern sensibilities of his upbringing to communicate stories through his art.
“My current body of work is a distillery of idiosyncrasies and archetypes from my childhood,” he said. “In many of my works, vintage wallpaper is used to build up layers to suggest the interior soul of a home and of ourselves. In recall mode, elements of the past are morphed into visual storytelling, resulting in a tale of the human condition.”
Bynum graduated with honors from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Art Studio program in 2000, culminating a pivotal time for him and his work.
“Shortly after arriving, I was awarded an art scholarship, and as a senior, I was awarded Outstanding Student in the Department of Art and Art History,” he said. “The recognition and financial assistance gave me a boost to take chances with my art, and fewer limitations created growth. Each piece helped the next piece.”
From there, Bynum went on to study at New York’s prestigious Sotheby’s Institute of Art.
“My art degree from UAB and the additional coursework at Sotheby’s has helped me with creative problem solving, being open to new frontiers and seeing the big picture, on and off the job,” said Bynum, whose nine-to-five workplace is Alabama Power.
Active in Arts Community
Since 1998, Bynum has been featured in dozens of solo and group shows in multiple cities, with artwork represented nationally in numerous private and corporate collections. Locally, some of his artwork is publicly displayed in the UAB Palliative Care Unit and at Grandview Medical Center.
His initial foray into the outdoor art festival world was at Magic City Art Connection in 1999, where he became the first recipient of MCAC’s Emerging Artist Award. More recently, he received MCAC’s 2024 Kinetic Signature Award.
“It’s always a treat when Dan shows his art at the spring show, which he did this past April at Sloss Furnaces,” said the shows’ co-director, Alex Kunzman. “But we are especially excited to feature his work this fall at Moss Rock Festival’s 19th year, November 2-3 at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex. It certainly has synergy with MRF’s eco-creative themes because of its subject matter and tether to nature, nostalgia and use of vintage materials and papers.”
Over the years, Bynum’s support of the two local shows has moved beyond participating as an artist. He recently accepted an invitation to serve on the board of directors for the two festivals’ nonprofit, the Foundation for Arts and Cultural Connections Inc.
Bynum further serves the art community by curating group exhibits that spotlight emerging artists with established artists.
“The mix helps our community discover different art styles while offering less-known working artists an opportunity to learn promoting and presenting their art,” he said.
See more of Dan Bynum’s art on Instagram @danbynumart. He also appears in Schiffer Publishing’s “100 Southern Artists,” by E. Ashley Rooney.
