Adia Millett
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Background
Adia Millett, born in Los Angeles, California in 1975,[1] is a contemporary multi-media artist whose work can be found in various forums throughout the United States and abroad. Through a mixture of “installation, sculpture, embroidery, textiles, photography, video, drawing, and collage,”[2] Millett tells stories through objects, as she believes that "traces of untold stories linger in each object."[3] After completing an undergraduate program and receiving a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of California at Berkeley in 1997, Millett continued her education at the California Institute of the Arts, graduating in 2000 with a Masters of Fine Arts.[4] Post-graduation, in 2001, Millett moved to New York City to participate in the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program. In 2002, Millett participated in the Studio Museum in Harlem residency program, and then in 2003 she became the resident visiting artist at Columbia College in Chicago, Il.[5] Adia Millett's work also has been on display at exhibitions and events at the Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts in Kalamazoo, MI.[6]
Through multiple mediums, including dioramas, quilting, painting, stitching, woodworking, and multi-media works, Millett "take[s] things apart [...] in order to discover the space where transitions occur and where stories of impermanence unfold."[7]
Major Projects
Inventing Truth (2001-2002)
A set of embroidery based artworks, this project "considers loss, memory, and the significance of everyday objects."[8] The seven, small, framed, cross-stitched fabrics depict every day objects including a porkpie hat, a bottle of Popov vodka, a rifle, a rose, a package of Newport menthol cigarettes, a pair of underwear, and a twenty dollar bill.[9] By presenting objects that are stereotypically associated with black men, Millett creates a juxtaposition within her work between the feminine "craft" of stitching and the masculine subject matter of the individual pieces.[10]
Pre-fabricated Innocence (2004-2010)
Pre-Fabricated Innocence is an eight part series of miniature houses that "caters to our penchant for voyeurism." [11] Each miniature illustrates "melancholy interiors in which the class and religious beliefs of the imaginary occupants are evident." [12]Pre-fabricated Innocence: Anticipation (light bulbs) from 2004, for instance, is only 11 x 14 inches, but the small prism contains a table with a single chair, a bouquet of flowers, a staircase leading to a closed door, and nine functional lightbulbs.[13] In fact, working lights, furniture, and tiny details are featured in many of Millett's miniatures. According to Millett, the unusual decorations within the houses are her "attempt to promote a space where site specificity, found objects, craft, concept, and form create a dialogue for characters to develop and for memories to resurface."[14] Furthermore, Millett "want[s] people to remember they're just miniatures [...] so [viewers[ can never really get inside, except in imagination." [12]
The Fire Next Time (2016)
The Fire Next Time (2016) is a mixed-medium piece on wood panel that takes its title from James Baldwin’s seminal 1963 book.[15] The miniature is a tiny house surrounded by billowing smoke that stands against a golden backdrop. The small dwelling is made of faded blue vertical planks with a roof of dark wooden shingles that float into the golden sky as the abode burns. This piece presents a visualization of breaking apart.
Infinite Edges Exhibition (2019)
One of Adia Millett's largest exhibitions to date is entitled "Infinite Edges," and was held from September 14th--November 9th 2019 at Traywick Contemporary .[16] This solo exhibition "speak[s] to [Millett's] cross-disciplinary practice which includes quilt-making, painting, drawing, photography, collage and sculpture." [17] Millet uses her these multi-media pieces to highlight the African American experiences while simultaneously speaking to the "fragile interconnectivity among all living things." [18] Millett's geometric patters draw the viewer's eye from point to point, mimicking the multi-faceted, complex, and fragmented nature of life itself.
Quilts
Millett's quilts highlight interconnectivity, as the domestic or "craft" based activity connects pieces of cloth or textile to one another through stitches and string. These artistic quilts simultaneously combine multiple materials and specific cultural references, as the subject matter of each specifically relates to different cultural moments. Chosen Family, for example is one of Millett's pieces from 2018 that combines fabric, textiles, feather, and hand quilting. The pattern of the fabric and textile contained within the piece allude to traditional African textiles, and thick rim of feathers around the circumference of the quilt create a soft boarder that highlights the multi-media nature of the piece.
Selected Exhibitions[19]
2019 Infinite Edges, Traywick Contemporary, Berkeley, CA
2019 The Privilege to Breathe, TheSan Jose Quilt and Textile Museum, CA
2019 Breaking Patterns, The California African American Museum, CA
2019 Black Refractions, Museum of African Diaspora, CA
2018 Transition to Freedom, KP Projects Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2018 Borderline, Trestle Gallery, New York ,NY
2018 Burning Bright, DZINE Gallery, SF, CA
2017 Divide and Connect, State Space Gallery, San Francisco ,CA
2017 Home Economics, Woskob Family Gallery, Sate College, PA
2017 The Guest House, Patricia Sweetow, Oakland CA
2017 Where is Here, Museum of African Diaspora, CA
2016 Re-Connect, Pro Arts Gallery, Oakland, CA
2016 Solo, East Bay Mud, Oakland, CA
2015 Who is Oakland? Oakland Museum of Art, Oakland, CA
2014 Homeland [IN]Security: Vanishing Dreams, Dorsky Gallery, NY
2014 Solo, Mixedgreens, New York, NY
2012 Solo, Mixedgreens, New York, NY
2011 Jenkins Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2011 Mini Size Me, Bakersfield Museum, Bakersfield, CA
2011 Discovery, Stumble Upon, New York, NY
2011 An Exchange with Sol LeWitt, MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA
2011 An Exchange with Sol LeWitt, Cabinet Magazine, Brooklyn, NY
2010 Open Engagement Conference, Grotto Gallerie, Portland OR
2010 Process in Product, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL
2010 Day to Day, Martos Gallery, New York, NY
2010 Some Assembly Required, Craft and Folk Art Museum, CA
2009 Solo, Mixedgreens, New York, NY
2009 Some Assembly Required, Sesnon Gallery, Santa Cruz CA
2009 Living Beyond Our Means, UCR Sweeney Art Gallery, Riverside, CA
2008 Stages, Contemporary Art Center, New Orleans, LA
2008 Stretching The Truth, John Michael Kohler Art Center, Sheboygan, WI
2008 Proofs and Illusions, Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, VA
2007 Solo, Mixed Greens, New York, NY
2007 Homegrown, David Krut Projects, New York, NY
2007 Swab, Barcelona, Spain
2007 Shaken, Not Deterred, New York, NY
2007 The View From Here, Skylight Gallery, Brooklyn NY
2006 REVOLVER, Plataforma Revovler, Lisbon, Portugal
2006 Beast, Finesilver Gallery, Houston, TX
2006 Passing Shadows, Mixed Greens Gallery, New York, NY
2006 The Space Between Us, University at Albany Art Museum
2006 The Harlem Arts Project, Saatchi & Saatchi, New York, NY
2006 Harlem Postcards, Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY
2005 A Universe of Art 2005, Credit Suisse First Boston, New York, NY
2005 The Greater NY Show, PS1 MOMA, Queens, NY
2005 New stArt, Sotheby’s, New York, NY
2005 BAM Art, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY
2005 Solo, Mixed Greens, New York, NY
2005 Propeller, Steve Turner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2005 African Queen, Studio Museum in Harlem, NY
2004 Black President, Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, OH
2004 Remembering, The Sweeney Gallery at UC Riverside, CA
2004 Solo, Comme Ca, Manchester, UK
2004 Seeds and Roots, Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY
2004 Solo, Cherrydelosreyes Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2004 Black President,Barbican Art Gallery, London, UK
2004 Black President, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Fransisco, CA
2004 Hubris, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL
2004 Fade,Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA
2003 Undomesticated Interiors, Smith College Museum of Art, MA
2003 Urban Aesthetics, California African American Museum, ,CA
2003 Black Pesident, New Museum, New York, NY
2003 Better Homes & Gardens, Zoller Gallery, PA
2003 Living Units, Triple Candie, New York, NY
2003 Off The Record, Skylight Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2003 Towards A Low End Theory, Minn. Center for Photography,MN
2003 Color, Culture, & Complexity, Museum of Contemporary Art, GA
2002 A Moments Notice, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
2002 Staged/Unstaged,, Riva Gallery, New York, NY
2002 Modern Living, Mixed Greens, Philadelphia, PA
2002 The Brewster Project, Brewster, NY
2002 Ironic/ Iconic, The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY
2002 Friends and Family, Lombard-Freid Gallery, New York, NY
2002 Material World, Susquehanna Art Museum, PA
2001 Freestyle, The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY;
2001 Freestyle, Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica, CA
2000 Sitegeist, Porter Troope Gallery, San Diego, CA
1999 CalArts Postal, Studio 9, London, England
1999 Absolute Biennial, Watts Towers Art Center, Los Angeles, CA
References
- ^ "About". ADIA MILLETT. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- ^ "About". ADIA MILLETT. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- ^ "Adia Millett". Fountainhead. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
- ^ "About". ADIA MILLETT. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- ^ "Adia Millett Biography – Adia Millett on artnet". www.artnet.com. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
- ^ "Artist Talk with Adia Millett". Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- ^ "About". ADIA MILLETT. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
- ^ "Artist Talk with Adia Millett". Retrieved 2019-10-18.
- ^ Millett, Adia. Inventing Truth. Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. 2019
- ^ Millett, Adia. Inventing Truth. Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. 2019
- ^ "Adia Millett - 6 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy". www.artsy.net. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
- ^ a b Yablonsky, Linda (2005-12-01). "Why Small Is BIG". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
- ^ "Pre-Fabricated Innocence: Anticipation (light bulbs) - Adia Millett - Mixed Greens". secure.mixedgreens.com. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
- ^ "Adia Millett - 6 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy". www.artsy.net. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
- ^ Zeger, Eli (2019-03-25). "Broken Homes: Adia Millett at the California African American Museum". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
- ^ "Adia Millett - Infinite Edges - Traywick Contemporary". www.traywick.com. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
- ^ "Adia Millett - Infinite Edges - Traywick Contemporary". www.traywick.com. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
- ^ "Adia Millett - Infinite Edges - Traywick Contemporary". www.traywick.com. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
- ^ "About". ADIA MILLETT. Retrieved 2019-11-22.