Artist:
Tom Miller
Title:
Maryland Crab Fest
Date:
1994
Description:
Six figures around a table eating crabs, with cat, dog, radio, and music stand; yellow and black checkered border. Edition #82/195.
This serigraph by Tom Miller depicts six figures around a table eating crabs. A cat, dog, radio, and music stand are also identifiable within the yellow and black checkered border (a signature of his work). Miller's birth and upbringing in Baltimore, Md. and the print's bright colors coalesce in "Maryland Crab Fest" as a celebration of Maryland culture. A figure wearing a blue and white patterned garment in the bottom left corner of the painting interrupts the yellow and black border and leans in toward the table, inviting the viewer to join the celebration.
"Maryland Crab Fest" is hanging at the University House's Corridor Bay #2.
Tom Miller was born in the Sandtown region of Baltimore, Md., on October 13, 1945. He earned a scholarship to Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Baltimore, in 1963. After graduation, Miller taught in the Baltimore Public School System for two decades. He returned to MICA to earn his MFA in 1987, where he developed his "Afro-Deco" style by redecorating and reinventing found objects and discarded furniture pieces. As an openly gay man living with AIDS, imbuing beauty and humor into otherwise 'ugly' objects was an incredibly important part of his life. After retiring from teaching, he became a full-time artist. Miller passed away in 2000.
This serigraph by Tom Miller depicts six figures around a table eating crabs. A cat, dog, radio, and music stand are also identifiable within the yellow and black checkered border (a signature of his work). Miller's birth and upbringing in Baltimore, Md. and the print's bright colors coalesce in "Maryland Crab Fest" as a celebration of Maryland culture. A figure wearing a blue and white patterned garment in the bottom left corner of the painting interrupts the yellow and black border and leans in toward the table, inviting the viewer to join the celebration.
"Maryland Crab Fest" is hanging at the University House's Corridor Bay #2.
Tom Miller was born in the Sandtown region of Baltimore, Md., on October 13, 1945. He earned a scholarship to Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Baltimore, in 1963. After graduation, Miller taught in the Baltimore Public School System for two decades. He returned to MICA to earn his MFA in 1987, where he developed his "Afro-Deco" style by redecorating and reinventing found objects and discarded furniture pieces. As an openly gay man living with AIDS, imbuing beauty and humor into otherwise 'ugly' objects was an incredibly important part of his life. After retiring from teaching, he became a full-time artist. Miller passed away in 2000.
Technique:
Serigraph
Credit Line:
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Steve Hameroff, courtesy of Steven Scott Gallery, in honor of Dr. David C. Driskell
Legal Status:
© Courtesy of Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore
Photography by Greg Staley, 2017
Photography by Greg Staley, 2017
Object ID:
2011.05.001
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