Johnny Dwork (born October 22, 1959) is a two-time world champion

flying disc freestyle Flying disc freestyle, also known as freestyle Frisbee in reference to the trademarked brand name, is a sport and performing art characterized by creative, acrobatic, and athletic maneuvers with a flying disc. Freestyle is performed individually ...

athlete,

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

scholar and author, event producer, and multimedia artist.

Early life

Johnny Dwork, the only son of Dr. Kerry and Bonnie Dwork, was born and raised in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

Career

Flying Disc Freestyle World Champion

Dwork is a two-time world champion flying disc freestyle athlete. Dwork also holds the world's only Bachelor of Arts degree for studies in Professional Flying Disc Entertainment and Education, awarded by

Hampshire College Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mo ...

in 1984.

Grateful Dead Scholar and Author

While attending Hampshire College, Dwork started the Hampshire College Grateful Dead Historical Society, where he began publishing the Grateful Dead research newsletter DeadBeat. Upon graduating from Hampshire College, Dwork began co-publishing the in-concert Grateful Dead newsletter Terrapin Flyer. Dwork then co-founded the international music culture magazine Dupree's Diamond News, and for ten years served as its editor and publisher. Dwork is co-author and editor of The

Deadhead A Deadhead or Dead Head is a fan of the American rock band the Grateful Dead. In the 1970s, a number of fans began travelling to see the band in as many shows or festival venues as they could. With large numbers of people thus attending strings ...

's Taping Compendium, an award-winning, three-volume encyclopedia of the

's music on tape. In 2013, the Grateful Dead included an essay penned by Dwork in the book accompanying the box set release of Sunshine Daydream, the Grateful Dead's all-time most requested live concert recording.

Event Producer

Mentored during college by Bill Graham, Dwork is a pioneer of "transformational festivals" based on mythic themes, environmental production ethics, and audience participation. Dwork is the Creative Director of Peak Experience Productions, and has produced and co-produced many music and performance arts concerts and festivals across the United States, including the Gathering of the Vibes Festival, and in venues such the New York City's Wetlands Preserve.

Multimedia Artist

Dwork is the creator of the L'HA! Laser Harp Alembic, which was featured at the Harmony Festival in 2011, at the

Portland Art Museum The Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon, United States, was founded in 1892, making it one of the oldest art museums on the West Coast and seventh oldest in the US. Upon completion of the most recent renovations, the Portland Art Museum bec ...

in 2012, at

The Tech Museum of Innovation The Tech Interactive (formerly The Tech Museum of Innovation, commonly known as The Tech) is a science and technology center that offers hands-on activities, labs, design challenges and other STEAM education resources. It is located in downtown Sa ...

in 2014, and at the

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI, ) is a science and technology museum in Portland, Oregon, United States. It contains three auditoriums, including a large-screen theatre, planetarium, and exhibition halls with a variety of hands- ...

in 2015.

Activist

Dwork is a lifelong social and

environmental activist The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement), also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse philosophical, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists adv ...

. As publisher of Dupree's Diamond News, Dwork partnered with

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

to raise the funds and awareness for saving thousands of acres of endangered rainforest. In the 1980s, Dwork served as the President of the Pioneer Valley Resettlement Project. Dwork also served as a business and creative advisor to the founder of

Wetlands Preserve Wetlands Preserve, commonly referred to as Wetlands, was a nightclub in New York City that opened in 1989 and closed in 2001. It was located at 161 Hudson Street in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood. Wetlands has been called "ground zero for po ...

, and is featured in the film "Wetlands Preserved, The Story of an Activist Nightclub." Dwork also sits on the advisory boards of numerous nonprofit organizations, including The Threshold Foundation and The Prayer Rock Foundation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dwork, Johnny Living people Flying disc Grateful Dead 1959 births Hampshire College alumni