We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Liz Miller a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Liz, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I’ve been delving into mythology in my most recent series. I heard a quote once that said ‘Myths are not true, but they are not untrue.’ My creative practice has been an exploration space for learning about and moving through our understanding of the visual portrayal of mythical based concepts. Astrology is a part of this where I have personified the zodiac into blackness. The default image of most figure work is a white body. Try typing in ‘girl’ into google images and see the ratio of white bodies to any other color. Therefore I also discovered materials that supported this new series. I’ve found black paint that is engineered to be the blackest black paint available. I wanted the subjects to be unapologetically black. This paint was how I accomplished that. Each painting has a figure which stands for the zodiac sign with other symbols throughout the compostion which illuminate information about the sign, such as if it is an earth, air, water or fire sign. Furthermore I began exploring the water goddess of the African Diaspora, Mami Wata. She is known in a variety of ways and forms; often intelligent and helpful, but not always. This series is ongoing.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Liz Miller is a second-generation fine artist. Dance/ Performance art is part of her repertoire; she performs locally and internationally (various Canadian cities from 2002-2005, Monrovia, Liberia in 2001, and in Vizianagaram, India in 2015). Her fine art has been shown nationwide but also internationally in Japan, Indonesia, and England. She has a B. A. in Art and Design from Towson University and an MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art. She has been a teaching artist for the last eighteen years and currently is an art teacher for Baltimore County Public schools. She creates hair sculptures, performance art, and film. Her films capture black bodies cleansing and blessing previously traumatic space for black and brown bodies. She has been a guest speaker at Johns Hopkins University and Maryland Institute College of Art.

Her work focuses on the materiality of hair. Hair, a part of all of us. Our skin anchors it in place. We live within its’ roots. Hair designs have enjoyed a rich, multi-hemispheric tradition that has spanned the millennia.

Liz Miller’s work explores the connection between our roots and contemporary America. Textile, ancestry, and contemporary black culture are her inspirations. Her work takes the form of static installations, artifacts of rituals and/or full-scale performances, films, and social experiments.

Cataloging hair stories since her formative years, Liz celebrates the limitless potential of hair, as it relates to African-American culture. Her sculptural artifacts deployed in her rituals question black body politics while addressing such issues as appropriation, classism, gender, ethnicity, anti-blackness, equity, identity, and commodification. Her performance rituals seek to spiritually cleanse historically traumatic spaces of their energy through the activation of black bodies.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

One of the most rewarding things about being a creative is the freedom. For those of us who think very deeply and constantly mull over the concepts which hold our attention, it can be a release to make something with those musings of our mind. I enjoy the freeing feeling I have when I create something from the thoughts which roll around in my head. It can also serve as an exploratory or discovery process.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I don’t have a huge following on social media but I do have some loyal collectors who are very interested in my journey. I build this following by allowing myself to be known. Social media, talking to a camera, and speaking incessantly about one’s self can feel like narcissism. If we open our minds and use our words in a very inclusive way we can invite people into our worlds. The artist’s journey is an exciting thing and others’ lives may feel more routine in comparison with ours. It is most likely already happening if you are an artist. There are probably a collection of people interested in everything that you share, but you’re not aware of it. I became more aware and opened my mind to the idea of storytelling more openly on social media to allow people to get to know me. I find that people want to buy artwork when they know who you are and can relate to the stories behind your artwork. Those two things together build a base of loyal collectors.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lizmillerproductions.com/home
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liz_miller_productions/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084339954916
• Other: https://linktr.ee/liz_miller_productions?fbclid=IwAR0wLFhZBtEq6ubtXbaVHJpUxjCFrDP2I9gvteiTqUsyElyrZvOBf9JYo2c