Hillsdale couple recognized for artistic leadership

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Hillsdale couple recognized for artistic leadership

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After years of dedication to the arts and the Hillsdale County community, Ned Wyse and Debbi Wyse have been recognized as Hillsdale County’s artists of the year by Artworks of Hillsdale, Inc. Hillsdale Artworks celebrates Ned Wyse for his talent in memorizing and reciting poetry and passages of the Bible, and recognizes his wife Debbi Wyse for her musicianship as a pianist, organist, and harpist.

A reception will be held in honor of the Wyses at the Hillsdale Senior Center on April 17 from 2-2:30 p.m. There, they will be presented with a State of Michigan Special Tribute Award signed by Gov. Snyder.

“We’ve recognized a series of very talented people over the years and it was time for the Wyses to be honored,” Hillsdale Artworks board member Janet Lee said.

Lee, who leads the Artist of the Year award committee in choosing its recipients, said candidates stand out when their commitment to the Hillsdale community mirrors their dedication to the arts.

“The Wyses have shared their talent with the community, they haven’t just kept it under a bushel basket,” Lee said.

The Wyses’ talent shines throughout Hillsdale County. Debbi Wyse has worked at Hillsdale College since 1981, where she currently accompanies the choirs in addition to teaching private lessons. Ned Wyse is a pastor at Salem Mennonite Church and performs his poetry throughout the county regularly.

Debbi Wyse began studying piano at age 7.

“I had an interesting teacher when I was little,” Debbi Wyse said. “She pushed me pretty hard and gave me challenging things to do.”

By age 10, she played organ for daily mass at the parochial school she attended.

“We just showed up at church and the priest gave us the hymns and we played them,” Debbi Wyse said. “When I look back at that I think it’s pretty remarkable. At the time I didn’t think it was a big deal, I could just do it.”

Wyse continues to play hymns every Sunday at Salem Mennonite Church, but she applies her talent to a broad range of musical literature.

Debbi Wyse said her favorite piece she performed this year was a Piazzolla tango and the Debussy Fetes from his “Nocturnes for Two Pianos,” both of which she played with Kristi Gautsche at their duo concert in February. She also enjoyed playing for the Hillsdale College Opera Workshop performances of “Amahl and the Night Visitors.”

Like his wife, Ned Wyse began developing his artistry at a young age, when his mother helped him to memorize his first Bible verses and poems. Among his favorite poets is Robert Frost.

“I’ve liked Robert Frost since I was a junior in high school, when we were studying ‘Mending Wall,’” Ned Wyse said. “I started memorizing it when I fed the cattle at night. I like Frost because he talks about things that I’m familiar with. Nature, the farm is the setting, but it’s really poems about people. Human relations — that’s what I’m interested in. How we relate to this world and how we relate to each other.”

This fascination carries into Ned Wyse’s work as a pastor. Licensed in 1985, Ned Wyse searched for creative ways to deliver biblical messages to his congregation, remembering the boredom he sometimes felt in church as a boy.

“Poetry has been for me an avenue of ministry that I never thought of,” Ned Wyse said. “You never know who’s sitting at your feet, what they will become. I’ve just had so many wonderful conversations that started with poetry, that moved into some other important things.”

He began to memorize entire books of the Bible, reciting them in church as first person accounts, selecting Peter as his first subject.

“What happened to me in memorizing scripture was that I found a whole new side of Jesus,” Ned Wyse said. “I love memorizing because of how it changes me. I’m really glad for my mom’s encouragement to memorize scripture.”

Despite each of their evident commitments to the arts and Hillsdale County, Ned Wyse and Debbi Wyse disagree over who warranted the award more.

“I was not at all surprised that Debbi won — she deserves that and I don’t consider myself an artist,” Ned Wyse said. “I certainly felt honored, but I just happened to be along for the ride.”

Debbi Wyse thinks otherwise.

“Ned and I have this kind of mutual admiration where each of us thinks the other is the more artistically gifted.  Ned is convinced that he is only receiving the award because we are a couple, and I’m convinced that Ned is more deserving of the honor.”

Though the Wyses disagree, one thing remains certain: Hillsdale County recognizes both as critical leaders in the art community.