Senate Concurrent Resolution 558

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION EXTENDING THE RECOGNITION OF THE MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE TO NEW YORK NATIVE RUTH MILLER AS A RECIPIENT OF THE 2019 GOVERNOR'S ARTS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN VISUAL ART.

WHEREAS, the Governor's Arts Awards Program has announced its 2019 recipients, which includes Ruth Miller for Excellence in Visual Art; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Miller is a Textile Artist who creates realistic portraits, landscapes and abstract works made entirely of yarn. Intricately crafted, one of her tapestries can take up to a year to complete. Ruth is a past recipient of Mississippi Arts Commission's Visual Art Fellowship, a 2014 Mississippi Invitational Artist at the Mississippi Museum of Art, and she has been included in numerous group and solo exhibitions throughout the state and country. She has also taught at Tougaloo College and the prestigious Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, in the age of street art and Instagram, Ruth Miller's creative process is a welcome throwback to a time when works of art took months or even years to finish. When viewing one of Ruth Miller's artistic creations up close, it's apparent why they typically take nine to 18 months to complete. Ruth Miller calls her creations "embroidered tapestries," but they are nothing like the pattern-stitched embroidery kits sold in craft stores. These images, mostly portraits, are finely detailed like oil paintings and typically very large in scale; and

WHEREAS, born in New York City, Ruth Miller studied art at the prestigious Cooper Union School then briefly lived in Mississippi where her mother had been born. She returned to New York and continued to develop her artistic style. In 2009, she moved to Hancock County, Mississippi, to focus on her work. The slower pace of Mississippi, compared to New York City, has helped Ms. Miller reach the almost meditative state required for creating her detailed tapestries; and

WHEREAS, one of her largest works, "Flower," situates the artist among a vibrant jungle setting. It has been described as "a meditation on beauty and self-worth that the artist contemplated over the 19 months it took to produce. "Flower" was on view at the Mississippi Museum of Art's Bicentennial Exhibition "Picturing Mississippi" from December 2017 to July 2018; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Miller's intricate pieces often feature intimate scenes of African-American subjects in private, unguarded moments. Award-winning actress and Los Angeles Art Gallery Owner Carol Christine Hilaria (CCH) Pounder has been collecting Ruth Miller's work for years. Ruth's works hang in private collections and museums around the United States; and

WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we pay tribute and express appreciation for the talent of a Mississippi Artist who has made Mississippi a better place and exemplifies the artistic traditions of our great state:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby extend the recognition of the Mississippi Legislature to New York native Ruth Miller as recipient of the 2019 Governor's Arts Award for Excellence in Visual Art, and extend our congratulations on this auspicious occasion.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Ruth Miller as part of the Governor's Arts Awards presentation and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.