By Kolby LaMarche

Douglas Knapp, the longtime Burlington folk artist known as dug Nap, is scheduled to appear in court on August 27th on a charge of negligent operation with death resulting. The charge stems from the July 16th crash on Pine Street that killed 16-year-old Shiloh Skalka.

Knapp, 79, was cited by police on July 31st. He was driving a 2018 Dodge Caravan southbound on Pine Street near Locust Street when it struck Skalka, who was riding an e-bike in the same direction. She was wearing a helmet. 

Firefighters found her in the roadway and took her to the University of Vermont Medical Center, where she died later that day. Knapp remained at the scene.

A couple weeks before that hearing, this Wednesday, Local Motion will host a memorial “Critical Mass” bike ride, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the site of the crash. Community members, including some councilors, have urged members of the public to consider other routes of travel during that time and to be patient with potential traffic. 

Local Motion, a statewide advocacy non-profit, describes it as a chance to remember Skalka, support her family, and call for safer streets. 

Just last week, a walk-bike forum was held by Local Motion featuring city councilors among other city officials. Residents were invited to speak about spots or situations that feel dangerous for cyclists and to suggest improvements. 

The event, originally posted on Local Motion’s website the day of Shiloh Skalka’s death, was seemingly not connected to, or marketed in relation to, that day’s tragedy. 

Skalka was a rising junior at Burlington High School, a straight-A student who loved art, animals, and the outdoors. Friends remembered her as quiet at first but consistently kind. She worked at Starbucks and had a twin brother. The e-bike had belonged to her grandmother.

A roadside memorial of flowers, photos, and notes appeared quickly after the crash. Her father, Christian Skalka, has visited it. He described her as beautiful, brilliant, and deeply compassionate. “Personally, I was amazed by her every day,” he said. “She had a great future ahead of her, and she was a blessing to the world.”

About 200 people filled the First Congregational Church on South Winooski Avenue for a memorial service on August 7th. Speakers said she brought people together and touched many lives.

Knapp has been a familiar figure in Burlington for decades under the name dug Nap, a shortened version of Douglas Knapp. As of today, Knapp’s art website has been walled-up, password protected, and apparently out-of-business. 

Born in Montpelier in 1946, he has sold quirky oil paintings, prints, and greeting cards with sardonic slogans and colorful lettering for more than 30 years. His work appears in local shops, galleries, and outdoor markets, including Frog Hollow and the City Hall Park artist market. Seven Days readers voted him Vermont’s favorite visual artist in 2008 and 2009.

Before focusing on visual art in the late 1980s, he was the front man and lyricist for the early-1980s Burlington new-wave band Pinhead. The group played original songs at clubs including Hunt’s and Nectar’s and released albums such as You Don’t Like Me, Do Ya? and Forbidden Love.

Knapp graduated from Johnson State College with an English degree in 1978. In past interviews he has spoken about a difficult youth that included heavy drinking and drug use as a teenager, time at a military academy, a period living on the streets of New York, and a stay at the Vermont State Hospital in 1965. 

He has credited an art therapy program there with helping him begin making art in a sustained way and has referred to years of therapy in later discussions of his work.

His art often pairs images with short, pointed text. He has published graphic books including Artsy Fartsy and has done pet portraits and narrative series. He has described the name dug Nap as both a reflection of the childlike quality in his work and a practical marketing choice. 

In recent years he has kept a studio near the waterfront and continued selling work around Burlington and other Vermont towns.

Knapp declined to comment to any media after the citation was announced. The charge of negligent operation with death resulting carries a potential sentence of up to two years if there is a conviction. The investigation remains open, and further details are expected at the August 27th court appearance.