“Access to arts and culture should be free for everyone,” says artist Jack Whyte. “Anyone can tour my 2015 exhibits online for free and – from anywhere in the world.” He and his son Dylon Whyte created a virtual gallery this past Spring where artworks are experienced up close and personally, as if literally standing in front of them.
“It’s great to produce and present work on a scale of my choice, the way I originally envisioned it,” Jack explains. As a young boy he never imagined having the opportunity to design and construct art without restriction. The discovery of a platform which allows for creative freedom has provided Jack a new means for connecting with others and presenting his work to them.
Jack Whyte was born in 1939 in Toronto, Ontario – just before the start of the second World War. Having been influenced at an early age by a creative environment, he has pursued artistic practices as well as the adventure of invention for more than 55 years.
2015 marks the beginning of a new exploit for Jack, the release of his latest publication, ‘Scrapbook: a story of art’. From modelling with Mickey Mouse as a child to showing at the Pollock Gallery and even winning awards for videos, this book recounts the journey and challenges faced by a becoming artist and the enormous adversity that life can throw at you.
Coming in at a whole 456 pages, Scrapbook was digitally published in June of this year and is available online for everyone to read for free. Although it was only meant to be a digital publication, new economic platforms such as RocketHub have given Scrapbook the opportunity to become something more than just a concept.
Work on the book began in the autumn of 2014 when Jack mentioned to his son, Dylon, that he was starting a new project and could use some help with it. Over the course of a long winter and many toasty afternoons by the fire, they searched for, found, prepared and put together what has become a very personal and thoughtful one-of-a-kind memoir.
Scrapbook takes you through the experiences that influenced Jack as an artist and includes all sorts of fun stories from his life, as well as an abundance of never-before-seen photographs and a wealth of artwork. When he named it Scrapbook, he really meant it.
“It’s not until you have the whole story that you really understand how the pieces all fit together,” says Dylon. “It’s also difficult to put everything into perspective when you’re part of the story. Getting to the point where I can hold a part history in my hands helps me understand where I come from.”
Ashley and Dylon Whyte have come to RocketHub to seek help in bringing Jack’s story to life. They are working to raise $11,500 to cover the costs of printing a limited edition hardcover of Scrapbook. In the meantime, everyone is invited to read and enjoy the full story online. All you have to do is choose which device you are using (Android, Mac, PC).
Jack is also inviting you to tour his virtual gallery right now. His 2015 exhibit ‘Time Pieces’ features 3 collections that are showing one at a time in succession during the campaign.
Gallery 1: Open now!
Gallery 2: July 10th
Gallery 3: July 24th
Click here to tour Jack’s exhibit!
Other Ways to Help
Jack, Dylon and Ashley understand that not everyone can to contribute to their campaign, but they believe you can still help by sharing their story. Follow their progress at #JWScrapbook on Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo and Youtube.
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