Rediscovering Chicago’s Legendary Artist Edgar Miller
@ Friends of Historic Second Church
1936 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60616
Opening Tuesday, September 25th, from 6PM - 8PM
Edgar Miller’s legacy as an American artistic maverick deserves more attention. He came to Chicago from Idaho in 1916 to study briefly at the renowned School of the Art Institute and then went on to have a storied career creating all kinds of art, commercial and private, throughout the 20th century. A master craftsman as well as a conceptual artist, he was able to translate his ideas into nearly any medium and is often referred to as a “Renaissance Man.”
During the height of his career in the 1920s and 1930s, Miller was friends and collaborated with numerous artists, designers, architects, writers, and civic leaders; he also designed and executed two bohemian artist colony buildings known as Carl Street Studios and Kogen-Miller Studios. In the commercial world, he became a prized decorative artist for top architectural firms like Holabird and Root.
Garnering more attention today is Miller’s Glasner Studio, one of his artistically rehabbed homes celebrated in Edgar Miller and the Handmade Home (City Files Press, 2009). The Studio is a true “total work of art,” a complete synthesis of art forms, and in this way it appeals to and inspires a wide range of artists, designers, and architects, as well as writers, musicians, and performing artists.
This lecture will hone in on a “best of” history of Miller’s broad and deep oeuvre and also discuss the preservation efforts to keep Miller’s incredibly unique history intact and vibrant for future generations to appreciate and learn from.
Presentation by Zac Bleicher, Executive Director, Edgar Miller Legacy
Doors will open at 6:00pm for reception and docents will provide tours prior to the lecture.
A partner program of the Terra Foundation’s Art Design Chicago; co-sponsored by Glessner House Museum.
Official Website
More events on this date
Tags: Art Design Chicago, Edgar Miller, Friend of Historic Second Church, Glessner House, Near South Side, Terra Foundation, Zac Bleicher
« previous event
next event »