Annette Sykes: Biography and Curriculum Vitae

Annette Sykes is a painter who works in media ranging from oil to watercolors to pastels, especially when she is painting her favorite local oceanscapes and cityscapes. She also works with a range of drawing materials especially when doing Life Drawings and portraiture. She works mostly from life - as an observational artist, Annette draws and paints what she sees. She shows her work at the Galleries At LynnArts in Lynn, MA and other galleries from Marblehead Arts Association to Danvers Art Association, to SalemArts and around the North Shore of Boston.

Annette has a studio at LynnArts in Lynn, MA and is the Gallery Director for the Galleries At LynnArts (GALA). She has also been appointed to the Public Arts Commission In Lynn, MA and has served as Chair and Secre. In addition to her volunteer efforts to support the Arts community on the North Shore of Boston, she directs a weekly Figurative Art Drawing Group at the Gallery, bringing together a group of artists who draw and paint from the model and forming a community of artists in Lynn.

After spending her formative years in the Midwest - Wisconsin and Missouri, Annette studied fashion design in New York in the mid-90’s and then transitioned to the fine arts when she moved to Boston. She worked at First Expressions, an art gallery just off Newbury Street, while she attended a post-baccalaureate course of studies in sculpture and textiles at the Massachusetts College of Art. In 2001, while living for a short time in San Francisco, Annette graduated from the California College of the Arts with an MFA - focus on textiles. She then returned to the East Coast and settled in Lynn, MA. Having, now, spent almost half of her life in Lynn, teaching in Lynn Public Schools, Annette feels warmly connected to the community. She lives on the ocean with her husband, directly across from Kings Beach and Red Rock Park from which she draws much inspiration for plein air paintings.

Current Exhibitions

2019-2023 Maintained my own studio at the LynnArts Building adjacent to GALA gallery

2019-2023 Prepared, Curated & installed group exhibitions at GALA of artwork by North Shore artists

Recent Exhibitions

2019-2023 Maintained my own studio at the LynnArts Building adjacent to GALA gallery

2017-2023 Curated and installed many exhibitions at GALA of artwork by numerous artists from the North Shore of Boston – various themes.

2020 January GALA (Galleries At LynnArts) – Layers, a major textile installation. 2020 January Marblehead Arts Association – New Artist Members Exhibition.

2019 The rebranding of GALA (Galleries At LynnArts) and fewer shows at other galleries.

2018 Many shows at LynnArts, fewer shows at the other galleries around the North Shore because my responsibilities and investments were increasng at LynnArts. Negoatiations began to lead the LynnArts gallery into a new direction.

2017 Many shows at LynnArts, Danvers Arts, SalemArts, Marblehead Arts, Peabody Arts, Swampscott Arts, I became the Chair of the Curatorial Committee for the gallery at LynnArts.

2017 June Solo Show: Lynn - Places and People LynnArts, Lynn, MA

2016 November Open Studios LynnArts, Lynn, MA

2016 June Plein Air & Beyond SalemArts

At the House of the Seven Gables Salem, MA

2016 June Plein Air Painting at Rock the Block Lynn, MA

2016 September Weekend Booth: Castleberry Fair Swampscott, MA

July - 2016 October Group Exhibit: Salem Arts Center, Salem, MA Boutique Gallery
Sept - Oct Solo Exhibit: LynnArts Lynn Voc. Tech. Institute Lynn, MA

2016 July Artist of the Month Salem Arts Center, Salem, MA

2016 July Dog Days of Summer ARCWorks Gallery Peabody, MA

2016 April - June Group Exhibit: LynnArts Lynn Voc. Tech. Institute Lynn, MA

2016 May Spring Fling Exhibit ARCWorks Gallery Peabody, MA

2016 April Marblehead Arts Assoc. Marblehead Arts Association Regional Exhibit Marblehead, MA

2016 April Swampscott Show Swampscott Arts Association Cloister Gallery Marblehead, MA

2016 April Beyond Words Exhibit Salem Arts Center, Salem, MA

2016 March Minimalism Exhibit LynnArts, Lynn, MA

2016 January Far Away Places Swampscott Arts Association, Marblehead, MA

2016 January Winter Exhibit Swampscott Arts AssociationSwampscott, MA

2016 January Salem Probate Court Show Swampscott Arts Association, Salem, MA

2015 December Winter Handmade Sale Table Salem Arts Center, Salem, MA

2015 December New Members Exhibit Swampscott Arts Association, Swampscott, MA

2015 September PEM Inspirational Juried Exhibit Salem Arts Center, Salem, M

2015 September Weekend Booth: Castleberry Fair Swampscott, MA

A warm, welcoming, high-energy leader and organizer of artists and visitors who enjoys creating a dynamic environment where the arts, artists and performers are the center of attention.

QUALIFICATIONS

Manage Arts programming. ● Coordinate events and rentals.
Assist in facilities management. ● Create placemaking artwork.
Retail sales of artwork. ● Ability to learn about public art policy.
Management of volunteers in sales and ● Able to successfully multitask.

● Teach modified lessons with sensitivities to ● Write grants and manage their students with varying abilities. Curriculum implementation. ● Native English, conversational Spanish.

EXPERIENCE

GALA (formerly LynnArts Gallery), Lynn, MA)

Gallery Director January 2018 - Present

Chair of Curatorial Committee Jan 2016 – Jan 2018

Install exhibits, maintain gallery and work with artists to prep artwork.
Write and implement grants to enhance programming.
Create and direct the Life Drawing Group and monitor classes taught by other artists.
Promote GALA programming.
Greet visitors and sell art, using both English and Spainish.
Transformed an office into a productive retail gallery shop.
Coordinate volunteers.
Lead the board of directors.
Created a new nonprofit charitable organization.
Coordinate rental of the gallery space for private parties and meetings.

Lynn Public Arts Commission, Lynn, MA

Lynn Public Arts Commission

Secretary and Member October 2017 - Present

Create public arts policy and programs in the City of Lynn with a team of fellow citizens.
Serve as the gallery expert for a new gallery in City Hall.
Record the records of the monthly LPAC meetings, submitting for approval.
Implement the “cityhALL” program to bring artwork into Lynn’s City Hall, includes:

○ advising the team on hanging methods

○ writing contracts and calls for art

Lynn Public Schools / Lynn Vocational Technical Institute, Lynn, MA

Lynn Public Schools / Lynn Vocational Arts Institute

Special Education Teacher September 2003 - Present

Create and organize records for confidential documents such as Individual Education Plans, progress reports and other Special Education protocols.
Create lesson plans and teach modified lesson to intellectually impaired young adults.
Implement new vocational training programs at the LynnArts building to improve the breadth of skills training opportunities, including wall and mural painting.
Lead a team of teacher's aides and consultants to providing work opportunities for students.
Design vocational and life skills programming for intellectually impaired young adults. ● Mentor new teachers

EDUCATION

Salem State University, Salem, MA

Masters of Education - Special Education

California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA

Masters of Fine Arts

Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA Post-Baccalaureate work in textile art and sculpture

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI

Bachelors of Science in Apparel Design

Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), New York, NY

Associates Degree in Fashion Design

Affiliations

SalemArts - 2014-PRESENT

GALA - 2019-PRESENT (**This is an arts association that I have created with GALA - the first time Lynn has had an arts association in over 30 years)

Marblehead Arts Association - 2017-PRESENT (Artist member as of 2019)

Swampscott Arts Association 2016-PRESENT

Additional Articles

Lynn Daily Item - Coordinated the connections of Feb and March 2022 Artists Feature for Black History Month - NOT my work, but that of the exhibiting artists

Lynn Daily Item May 22, 2019

Lynn Daily Item July 13, 2018

Lynn Daily Item January 15, 2020

Ribbons and awards

Lee R. Smith Award Marblehead Festival of the Arts 2018

First, Second, Third, and Honorable Mention at Danvers Arts Association 2018

Honorable Mention at Arcworks 2018

Honorable Mention at LynnArts Gallery 2017

Paint By The Ocean: The Artwork of Annette Sykes