This past spring I took my five-year-old daughter to an artist reception at Mosquitoe Gallery by the Kenosha airport. I’d never been there, didn’t know who was showing or even whether it would be any good. With nothing else going on, it seemed like a good enough option for the afternoon – and it really paid off. As avid fans of the Wizard of Oz and the Wicked series, my daughter and I were thrilled to see amazing poster-sized black and white paintings of the characters. The artist, Lauren Miller, flitted quickly, in and out of the room, her energy matching the intensity of the prints. Before we left I bought a postcard size picture of each of the main six characters – they now hang in my living room as a focal point next to the fireplace. The only problem – I didn’t get the flying monkey and I have not heard the end of it from my two children. Luckily, Lauren’s show will be displayed at this month’s BeExposed! on Friday night. I’ll have no choice but to get that monkey!
I met Lauren again, only a couple weeks later, this time at May’s BeExposed!. That evening Lauren gave a sneak preview of her upcoming poetry reading. Her energy for poetry matches that of her art. Like a bee buzzing about the room, Lauren talked to everyone about everything and then, without a second’s hesitation, jumped up to read poems. We chatted for a couple minutes, long enough to exchange cards so we could keep in touch. Only later did I realize that this was not my first time meeting her; about four years ago my family and I visited an art gallery in Racine and saw the most adorable nativity figures made by a young teenage girl who loved to talk and told us all about her incredible art. Small world we live in!
Lauren began her art and poetry as a child. Her parents, being incredibly supportive of her artistic endeavors, helped her in any way she needed by getting her supplies to try various forms of art that caught her fancy. Her first craft show was in elementary school, showcasing her nativity figurines; by high school she had perfected them. Lauren attended the Episcopal Diocese General Convention in Columbus, Ohio, where she displayed the figurines. Over the week she took orders for over 2,000 pieces for people in 32 different states and four different countries. That fall she came home from school, did homework, ate dinner, and then stayed up till two a.m. creating figurines so that everyone had their order by Christmas. The figurines are now made by Monarch Designs and sold nationwide (www.giftsfaith.com) .
Raised in Annandale, Virginia, the events of her childhood included the Monica Lewinsky scandal, seeing the Washington Monument each morning driving to school, and feeling the ground shake when the Pentagon was hit on 9/11. During grade school lunches the children discussed politics over their milk cartons. This environment shaped Lauren’s life, and she gets joy out of learning everything she can about others and what shaped their lives. “People, in my opinion, are what make the world interesting,” she says, “There are so many sides to people. Learning about them inspires my creativity.” Her art and poetry give her more than normal opportunities to do this. “I like being anonymous in a gallery and hearing what people have to say about my work, good or bad. I like getting criticism too; it forces me to grow.” And poetry invites much of the same. “There are times I’ve got up to read and really not felt into it so I’ll only do a couple. Sometimes people enjoy it so much they ask me to stay up there and read more. Sometimes people remember certain poems I’ve read before and ask for them by name. Artists are an amazing group to be around; they inspire me as much as my poetry and art hopefully inspires them.”
For three years Lauren’s been doing Open Mic readings of her poetry. Though she’d like to have them published accompanying her art work, currently she enjoys sharing them with the public through live readings. “I like getting my poetry out there and I think it comes across better when it’s spoken than when it’s read. I like the different reactions from the different audiences that come with each Open Mic.” Each reading is started the same, with the first poem she ever wrote:
Untitled
O’ come great farce and sing at my bedside
sing the song of crinkled paper
written on photographs I cannot remember
How ludicrous of me to assume respect would be given
to assume it was deserved
The windows go nowhere
they open to a white wall where I collect people like postage stamps
and when growing bored send them away
Someday, not tomorrow, I will be less destructive
perilous in a land of forgotten lamps
oils akimbo
cover the walls
“This poem is a statement of who I am,” she says. And what better way to introduce oneself than through something as self-expressive and emotional as a poem.
On Friday, at BeExposed! 5.1, audiences can see the many artistic sides of Lauren Miller. You can listen to her recite her poetry as you view her Wizard of Oz paintings. And by the way, Lauren loves to talk (did I mention that before?). So please, come up after the show, ask her about the poems, tell her what you thought, become “one with the art” by connecting with the artist! It’ll be worth the trip.
Lauren’s work is currently available through the Mosquito Gallery at www.mosquitoe.net. Her website is in the works, but she welcomes emails anytime at r_miller1312@yahoo.com. Her work will also be on display at Carolyn’s until next month’s BeExposed! so stop in any time.
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