Eva Katherine Hamlin Miller (born 1911 in Brooklyn, New York - 1991) was an artist from Greensboro, North Carolina. She grew up in New York City and studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York; Columbia University, the Graduate School of Fine Art in Florence and the University of Ibadan in Nigeria before moving to North Carolina.[1]

She became an art instructor at Bennett College in 1937, and went on to have a long career as an educator in many universities and colleges, as well as the Greensboro city schools.[2]

Along with former student and Greensboro Congresswoman, Alma Adams, Miller helped cofound the African American Atelier in 1990.[3] She served as its curator until her death in 1991.

Early life

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Miller was born in Brooklyn, New York and was raised in New York City. She was the daughter of Floyd and Katherine Hamlin. She attended the Pratt Institute and earned her B.F.A. degree in fine arts there, then moved on to earn her M.A. in degree in art education at Columbia University.[4]

Professional positions

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Hamlin served as associate professor of art at North Carolina A&T State University, in which she founded and owned the Z Gallery.[5] In addition, Miller headed art departments at Bennett College, Tuskegee Institute, and Winston-Salem State University.[1] She was a professor at North Carolina A&T State University. There she founded the HC Taylor Art Gallery.[6] She served 8 years as the art supervisor for Greensboro public schools.[6]

Personal life

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Miller married Dr. W. Lloyd T. Miller and had two sons, Floyd T. Miller and Tyrone Miller. Miller also had four grandchildren.[4]

Works

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Miller has created many masterpieces. Her art work consists of stained glass art and her paintings of African themes and issues. Listed down below is a list of her artwork. It is sorted by year and alphabetically.

Complexities of the Madonna, 1964[6]

Sound into Sight - A Rhapsody, 1964[7]

Luba Mask, 1968[7]

A time to leave, 1975[7]

Song of Mozambique #2, 1975[7]

Nefertiti, 1991[6]

Skinny Dipping II[8][7]

...

She also designed the stained-glass windows at Bennett College, Saint James Presbyterian Church, Saint Matthews Methodist Church, and the Shiloh Baptist Church.[5]

Miller had many artists look up to her. John Rogers, who was "a painter, graphic artist and designer"[3] saw mentorship in her, which led him to collaborate with her numerous times. Rogers wasn't the only one who saw her as a mentor, many of her students said she inspired them to be better artists and people.[1]

Death

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Miller died on December 26, 1991, in New York City. Her funeral was held at St. James Presbyterian Church and she was buried in Maplewood Cemetery.[4]

Achievements

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Miller experienced many achievements throughout her lifetime. In the book Greensboro North Carolina, Otis Hairston writes, "one of the highlights of her career included an invitation by President and Mrs. Carter to the White House for her recognition as a major African-American artist."[5] She was curator of the African American Atelier until she died.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c ABE D. JONES JR (February 1994). "EVA HAMLIN MILLER LEAVES BEHIND STRONG IMPRINT BY CREATING ART, TEACHING AND ESTABLISHING GALLERIES". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  2. ^ Willis, Laurie D. (2018-04-04). "Congresswoman Alma Adams at Bennett for opening of exhibit featuring works of Eva Hamlin Miller". Bennett College. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  3. ^ a b c Burrell, Barbara C. (2018). Women and politics : a quest for political equality in an age of economic inequality. New York, NY. p. 174. ISBN 9781138856554. OCLC 994287501.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ a b c "EVA MILLER, FORMER CURATOR AT A&T, DIES". Greensboro News and Record. 27 December 1991. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  5. ^ a b c Hairston, Otis L. (2003). Greensboro North Carolina. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-1525-0.
  6. ^ a b c d Barber, Lauren (2018-08-09). "Aunt Jemima no more: Black artists emerge at the Delta Arts Center". The NC Triad's altweekly. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Eva Hamlin Miller | artnet". www.artnet.com. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  8. ^ Auctions, Leland Little. "Eva Hamlin Miller (NC, 1911-1992), Skinny Dipping". www.lelandlittle.com. Retrieved 2023-05-22.