Tell us a bit about yourself

My name is Liz Miller. I currently reside in Baltimore Maryland and work as an art teacher in public schools. I currently do place-based work about historically 
traumatic spaces for black and brown bodies, doing cleansing rituals to change the energy of these spaces. My work lives at the intersection of equity, social justice, and spirituality.

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Tell us about an encounter with art that has shaped your practice.

I watched the movie 'Sky Ladder' on Netflix, wrote a paper that included Cai-Guo Qiang, and later wrote an art lesson about him. In the next few months, I got the 
opportunity to meet Cai when he came to Philly for the 'Fireflies' piece on the promenade. Before speaking he was walking around on the promenade and I walked right up to him and shook his hand, got a picture of the whole thing. It made me dream of taking my work to this level. The level that he had reached. To dream this big was the shift I needed and being able to meet him while learning about his work helped me see this dream was possible.

What has your experience been in terms of mentorship and a sense of community in the art world, particularly among women artists?

I had the privilege of attending an intimate grad program at Maryland Insititute College of Art. The majority of the mentors and the head of the program are all females. The leadership did a great job of being sure to bring in and feature lots of female artists, who were all at different points in their career and in different focuses of the field. My fellow female alumni from my program stay in touch, collaborate on projects and share resources collectively.

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What challenges have you faced throughout your career as an artist?

Racism, Classicism, Nepotism, Imposter's Syndrome.

What advice would you give to artists beginning their career?

Network with the artists in your area. Ask to do studio visits with artists more successful than yourself and ask them questions, learn from them. Work hard and teach yourself how to build the life you want.

What would you change about the art world if you could?

No more gatekeepers, let the work speak.

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How will the Repaint History fund support your career?

I'm very excited about this grant. My films, featuring my sculptural artifacts, help me tell the historical black stories that have been most often overlooked. What I've been lacking in my creative practice has been an upgrade in equipment to aid in the quality of the material. This grant will successfully set me up to pursue my work at a higher level for many years to come. 

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Are there any new projects you are currently working on?

I have a road trip planned to visit some pivotal historical sites in the US which are not being preserved. These sites are about to be lost forever and have not been recorded in any way in their current conditions. These sites are tied to the historical work I do. I'm hoping to lend a lense into these spaces and allow people far and wide to experience history in a new and interesting way.

Who are your favourite women artists right now?

Megan Lewis, Nikki Brooks, Denese King-Ashley, Anike Robinson