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Dylan Bannister

@dylanbannisterart

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Exploring memory, nostalgia, & liminality.
Director of Arts Programming @artpopstreetgallery
Arts Advocate @keeprockhillcreative
📍Rock Hill, SC

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Hey!👋 I’m Dylan Bannister, a visual artist based in Rock Hill, SC whose works explore memory, nostalgia, and liminality.

Here’s a little bit about me:

🎨 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠
My pieces begin as photographs highlighting the beauty in everyday spaces, objects, and utilitarian fixtures. These become the genesis for mixed-media artworks which incorporate the photos along with elements added through painting, printmaking, collage, and assemblage.

🏛️ 𝙎𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙤
My partner @alexislorraine_art and I currently share a creative space, 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰, within the Tom S. Gettys Center in the heart of downtown Rock Hill. Here we further our creative practices and connect with our city’s vibrant creative community. Studio visits are available by appointment and during @firstfridaysrockhill !

📣 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙘𝙮
In addition to my own practice, I also champion arts and culture within my community. In January 2025, I worked alongside fellow artists and art lovers to found @keeprockhillcreative - an initiative aimed at preserving and nurturing the city’s grassroots arts and cultural scene.

🪧 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙍𝙤𝙡𝙚
Since 2022, I’ve had the pleasure of working for Charlotte nonprofit @artpopstreetgallery . As ‘Director of Inspiration Projects’ at ArtPop, I help connect local artists with paid project opportunities while providing turnkey creative solutions to clients for art installations. This role furthers the organization’s mission, and fuels my own creative drive!

To see my full portfolio and CV, please visit dylanbannister.com

Thanks so much for reading! I’m looking forward to sharing more of my work with you!

#dylanbannister #gentleremindersstudio #localsrtist #yorkcountyarts #rockhillart #rockhillsc #cltarts #cltartists #cltartist #charlotteartscene #supportlocalartists taken in Rock Hill, South Carolina by @dylanbannisterart

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a year ago

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4 days ago

This Thursday, September 24th from 5:30 - 8:30, please join us at @losostudios for the public reception for ‘The Hands Project’ by my good friend, @workbylee!

Lee has worked for years on this project which highlights over 100 artists and arts leaders throughout our region. Each participant had a plaster casting made of their hand, which they then transform into an art piece reflecting their own creative talent.

As a project participant, I decorated my hand and its display backboard with elements found throughout my various series - house numbers, rusted metal bits, and of course, a pigment transfer of a payphone photograph.

After 10+ years of exploring the pigment transfer process, I’ve tried a number of different tools for removing the paper pulp. At the end of the day, the best tools for the job are the ones I was born with - my hands!

This Thursday’s reception is the debut of all 100+ hands exhibited together for the first time, so please join us to celebrate our region’s creatives and Lee! by @dylanbannisterart

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6 days ago

‘Wind Blown, Swept Under’ (2026)
Found object installation

Sometimes, being an artist is taking an idea that you’ve already executed, and responding to that execution. I created this installation as a “companion” to my mixed-media wall panel ‘119.’ The two were displayed together earlier this year in the ‘Signs of Life’ exhibit that Alexis and I co-curated.

I pass by the building that I photographed for ‘119’ frequently, and I recently found that one of its boards had fallen and warped from rain and gravity. Its curved shape, the way it leaned on the building, and the pre-drawn grid made this functional object catch my eye. Some friends helped me throw it into a truck and bring it to my studio, and I cut it down to a more manageable size.

For ‘Signs of Life,’ we wanted to call attention to this exact phenomenon - the moments where an everyday object or space calls out to us. I installed the board on the floor almost exactly as I’d found it, and I adorned it with objects you’d find in the road or nearby railroad tracks. I also attached a printed photo of the board in its found state. Finally, I displayed the original piece above, in hopes that viewers might pick up on the connection between these two very different objects.

One day in the gallery, a visitor came in and viewed the show. She stopped at this piece, turned around to face me, and asked “This is Art?” She had no idea that she was questioning the “legitimacy” of an artwork to the very person who made it. I laughed and told her “Yes, ma’am” and that was all I said. It didn’t hurt my feelings because I get it - it’s a pile of junk!

But it’s a pile of junk that mattered to me. I’m proud of this pile of junk. I saw the beauty in an object that fell to the ground and became ruined, so I took that object and installed it in an art gallery. taken in Dalton Gallery, Center for the Arts by @dylanbannisterart

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12 days ago

You’re invited to join us for Open Studio hours this Friday, Sept 4th from 6-8pm. Sadly, this will be our final First Fridays in this space, as Gettys Center tenants have received official notice that we must move out of the building by September 30th, 2026.

We are actively seeking an affordable alternative studio space. If you have any leads, please let us know.

#keeprockhillcreative #yorkcountyarts #rockhillsc #thingstodoinrockhill #onlyinoldtown taken in Tom S. Gettys Center by @dylanbannisterart

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a month ago

Dylan Bannister, @dylanbannisterart, is a visual artist and arts advocate based in Rock Hill, South Carolina, exploring memory, nostalgia, and liminality. Aiming to highlight the serendipitous beauty of everyday life, his interdisciplinary artworks feature transient spaces and utilitarian fixtures. Bannister captures images through photography, which become the genesis for mixed-media artworks as he incorporates pigment-transfer, painting, collage, and assemblage. Works from his Payphones on Film and Luminal / Liminal series have been exhibited throughout the United States.

His recent curatorial project includes Signs of Life, a group exhibition co-curated with his partner, Alexis Howard, @alexislorraine_art , which featured lens-based and installation works by fifteen regional artists at the @yorkcountyarts in Rock Hill.

Through advocacy and organizing, Bannister is deeply engaged with his local arts community. In January 2025, he worked alongside fellow creatives to found Keep Rock Hill Creative, an initiative aimed at preserving and nurturing the city’s arts and cultural scene. Since 2022, Bannister has worked for Charlotte nonprofit @artpopstreetgallery , where he furthers the organization’s mission of transforming communities through art. taken in Charlotte, North Carolina by @dylanbannisterart

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a month ago

‘Saros (In Threes)’
Linocut Print

Given the #solareclipse today, I’m reflecting back on this print I made in 2017. Swipe through to see details, progress shots, and more info.

(Detail) This piece was originally created for the #fineartswinthrop Printmaking Exchange, where all participants responded to the same theme. “OMEN” was selected as the theme for this particular exchange.

(Detail) At that time, I was anticipating the coast-to-coast total solar eclipse that would sweep across the US. An eclipse is regarded as a severe omen in many cultures.

(Graphite preparatory drawing) I drew inspiration from the Saros Cycle, which can be used to predict solar and lunar eclipses. Every eclipse has an associated saros series and all succeeding / preceding eclipses have a different saros series associated with them.

(Original thumbnail sketch, approx 1” x 2”) The visuals of the burning woodland and circling birds represent catastrophic devastation here on Earth. The composition as a whole plays into visual trips of “end times premonition.” by @dylanbannisterart

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2 months ago

⚡️Having creative friends is the high*light* of my life! For our ‘Signs of Life’ exhibit, @alexislorraine_art and I felt it was important to utilize the full space of the Dalton Gallery - the walls, the floors, and the gorgeous windows facing Main St.

My good friend Deb (@neonworkscharlotte) helped us do just that by fabricating this gorgeous neon window sign! And yes, that’s an *actual* neon sign, handmade the traditional way. Deb is a glassbender based in Charlotte who creates and repairs signage and creative installations. She has become a great friend of mine, and I frequently visit her shop at @losostudios!

Her process was fascinating: we provided her with our show title, handwritten by Alexis. Deb used this as a template as she shaped the horizon blue phosphor-coated glass tubes, and then she filled them with argon gas. The gas is ionized by electrodes, producing that moody illumination! 💙

Big thanks to @yorkcountyarts Gallery Manager @annie.heisel.art for installing this sign for our show!

Film photo on slide 3 by @kit.a_art by @dylanbannisterart

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2 months ago

‘Core of Community’ (2026)
A tribute to the Tom S. Gettys Center.

I’ve always been sentimental, forming deep attachments to inanimate objects and places. After a year and a half of advocating for our creative hub, it was inevitable that processing all of this would influence my art.

I selected a few of the many photos I’ve taken in / of the building over the years, and assembled them on this concrete core sample that was found in our studio space when we moved in. The object was presented the on a pedestal embellished with graphite rubbings made from signage and textures of the building itself. Also included are some archival floor plan drawings circa 1960’s - shoutout to @lrnfowler for sharing these!

‘Signs of Life’ was the perfect opportunity to debut this new piece, because the exhibit’s primary theme was to highlight the beauty in everyday places / objects. The building is visually gorgeous for its architectural & historic qualities, but there is so much deeper, inherent beauty as well!

I have more projects in the works that will further explore the Gettys Center - stay tuned!

#dylanbannister #tomsgettyscenter #yorkcountyarts #keeprockhillcreative #rockhillsc taken in Tom S. Gettys Center by @dylanbannisterart

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2 months ago

I am incredibly honored to have been awarded the Ben Ardrey Volunteer Award at this year’s @yorkcountyarts Annual Meeting! Lately, I’ve experienced a major shift in my “purpose” or “calling” - Arts Advocacy is *equally* important to me as my own artist practice. It is my firm belief that arts and culture must thrive in order for a community to truly thrive!

In early 2025, after 10+ years of actively participating in the Rock Hill’s creative community, I made it my primary goal to raise awareness about its value and impact. At that time, the city had just created a sale listing for our beloved arts & cultural hub of four decades, the Tom S. Gettys Center.

I immediately began organizing within my community, working with grassroots organizations and local businesses, building new connections, speaking with the press, and advocating to city leaders. Working alongside fellow Rock Hill artists and art-lovers, we cultivated @KeepRockHillCreative - coining a formal name for an initiative that has existed for much longer than I have. KRHC continues to evolve to fit the needs of this community, while its audience grows larger all the time!

Although the city is proceeding with the sale of the Gettys Center, I am immensely proud of the work we’ve put in and its tangible effects: greater participation in arts programming, larger crowds at events, and a deeper awareness of how vibrant the arts make our city!

Living somewhere with such a strong creative foundation is a great privilege, and there is no doubt that the Arts Council of York County is the load-bearing centerpiece of that foundation. Their programming, events, exhibits, and tireless works has improved the lives and careers of countless artists, performers, and residents. I’m proud to be a studio tenant, exhibitor, curator, committee member, artist member, volunteer, and friend to the ACYC. I can’t wait to witness and participate in their bright vision for the future of the arts in our community!

#yorkcountyarts #keeprockhillcreative #dylanbannister #artsadvocacy #rockhillsc taken in Center for the Arts by @dylanbannisterart

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3 months ago

✨𝐹𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝒱𝒾𝑒𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔✨ Please join us tomorrow from 2pm - 4pm to send off our ‘Signs of Life’ exhibit. This is your last chance to experience everyday magic through these artworks.

The curators and select exhibiting artists will be on-site and available for discussion!

Gallery Conversation Hours
🗓️ Saturday, July 13th between 2pm - 4pm
📍Dalton Gallery • Center for the Arts • 121 E Main St. Rock Hill, SC
❓ No entry fee or RSVP required
🎨 Exhibit presented by @yorkcountyarts

#yorkcountyarts #artgallery #artexhibitions #rockhillsc #onlyinoldtown taken in Dalton Gallery, Center for the Arts by @dylanbannisterart

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4 months ago

I’m proud 🌈 to participate in the 2026 Pride Exhibition at @bluegoosesupply here in Rock Hill! This show features works by nearly 40 local artists and celebrates community, unity, and love. Check it out now through June 30th!

The @rockhillpride festival kicks off June 14th - 20th, supported and organized by local businesses. Be sure to check out the 7 days of fun they have planned for our community!

#dylanbannister #rockhillsc #thingstodoinrockhill #artexhibit #rockhillpride taken in Blue Goose Art Supply by @dylanbannisterart

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4 months ago