Artist And Musician Uses Talent To Heal

Sura Dupart has been an artist and a musician for decades. Photo provided by Sura Dupart.
Sura Dupart has been an artist and a musician for decades. Photo provided by Sura Dupart.

Artist And Musician Uses Talent To Heal

By Tia Carol Jones

 In 1963, Sura Dupart decided to be a musician and an artist. Since then, he has been creating art and making music. Dupart’s parents were artistic. His father was a carpenter who made toys for Dupart and his siblings, his mother played the piano.

Dupart was inspired by listening to John Coltrane and Max Roach. From the music, he developed a relationship with painting and drawing. He also met artists who influenced him. At one point, he lived in a building with painters, poets and philosophers.

Dupart works in oils, wood and metal. As he got older, he met people, and he was impressed and influenced by the work they did. He experimented with different mediums and developed a love for those mediums and stayed with them.

“I met a sculptor, then I’d seen a lot of African sculptures, so it influenced me. Then, I got involved with wood and stone and metal and it jumped off into a long engagement,” he said.

One of Dupart’s favorite pieces is a five-foot stone piece of a young man with his hat turned backward. He did it after seeing young men standing on the corner and the style of dress they were wearing. He has done so many paintings, that it is difficult for him to point to a favorite.

With his work, the more details in a piece of art, the longer it takes. He has a 500-pound sculpture called “The Mother of Time.” He created the mother, then put things on it that affected him in his life, his hand drums, dancers, historical images that relate to Black people, the Ankh symbol and the sun. When asked where his inspiration to create his art comes from, he answered, “god.”

Dupart performs at Woodlawn Tap once a month with his group, Side Pocket Experience. The group rehearses every week. He was also part of the Association of the Advancement of Creative Musicians.

“We played different types of music, it was more improvisational, a spontaneous kind of relationship to you and your instrument and how your instrument relates to the other instruments, so we inspired each other,” he said.

DuPart learned that music had the power to heal because it was a message from the Creator. He tries to inject that in the groups that he performs with. He said using music to heal enables people to have a better perspective and understanding of life, nature and other human beings. The music is played to project love, respect and understanding of life.

Dupart, along with two other artists, created a limestone sculpture titled “Mother and Child.” It is located at 66th and Kimbark in front of Woodlawn Community Elementary School.

Dupart hopes that in the same way his music is meant to heal, people will feel inspired to have positivity in their lives. He wants to motivate people. He believes he is a link between good and the people.

“When you look at good art, you get some kind of inspiration. To hear music and look at art, it influences you to be a better person,” he said.

For more information about Sura DuPart, visit suradupart.wixsite.com

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