Create Appalachia Presents The Masked Man Exhibit, Featuring the Photography of Southwest Virginia Photographer Mike Miller
March 10-May 16
Create Appalachia Center for Art & Technology
225 W Center Street, Suite 115, Kingsport, TN 37660
Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM to 5 PM in the Gallery
KINGSPORT— On March 10, Create Appalachia will open a new exhibit, The Masked Man, featuring the photography of Glade Spring Virginia photographer Mike Miller. The show will be free and open to the public.
In The Masked Man, Miller shares 28 masked self-portraits as powerful as they are otherworldly, several times pushing the boundaries into a surreal territory filled with weirdlings and shapeshifters who use smoke and fire to ward off the darkness.
Miller’s central theme is the exploration of his own psyche in an effort to better understand himself and the world he inhabits. At first glance, Miller’s photographs appear threatening, but a closer look reveals that the masked figures in them are more complicated. They suggest an unwilling outcast like Frankenstein’s monster, belonging neither to the world of the living nor the dead, condemned to remain isolated and misunderstood.
In a recent interview, Miller said he has been fascinated by masks since childhood: “I’ve always covered my face a lot even when I was younger,” he said. “Maybe I think it will hide the other side of me. Or maybe it’s a way to let people know I have another side without letting it out.”
Jacy Richardson, Board Member for Create Appalachia and Assistant Professor of Digital Media at ETSU serves as Exhibit Committee Chair for Create Appalachia. She is excited about the upcoming exhibit, noting that “Mike Miller’s work is full of depth and emotion. It pulls the reader in to see things through the masks. Our gallery is meant to be a place for showcasing the talent from our region, and Mike’s work is a perfect example of the remarkable art we want to show. We can’t wait for everyone to see his work!”
The Masked Man will open on March 10 and close on May 16. An artist’s reception will be held on Thursday, May 4 from 5 to 6:30 PM. Visitors can see The Masked Man at Create Appalachia Kingsport Center for Art & Technology, 225 W. Center Street, Kingsport. The exhibit is free and open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5 PM. For more details, visit Create Appalachia’s website: createapppalachia.org, or use their handle, @createappalachia, to follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Create Appalachia strives to make the Appalachian Highlands a better place to live and work by supporting innovation and entrepreneurship centered around the arts and creativity. We work to sustain an environment that will generate new businesses, provide jobs in arts-based businesses, and highlight the important role that creativity plays in the region’s economic vitality. For more information about CA, please visit createappalachia.org.
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Contact:
Jacy Richardson, Exhibit Director
423-571-4364 (cell)
Katie Hoffman, Executive Director
423-329-4742
Photo captions: “Leather” photo by Mike Miller; “Squall” photo by Mike Miller.
