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Steve Miller, book artist
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Words are essential to Miller. His books are about the act of reading and the intersection of poetry, craftsmanship, material, processes and art. From intensive reading and re-reading of the text, he develops ideas about how to elaborate the text for the reader, and very much intends the reader to enter into the book as an interested player.

At a recent juncture in rethinking his
approach to the book, Miller decided to shift toward translated literature and bilingual books.
“I began to explore the concept of a multi-dimensional book, not three-dimensional or sculptural book, but one in which the pages were layered without compromising readability in order to accomplish the complexity I wanted.


Photo by Ann Kimzey

My current project involves a young Alabama writer and a Cuban artist.”

“When I’m up at the university, though, part of the real fun, you know – and it’s important to have fun – is to get my students all revved up and my colleagues revved up so we can gather around an idea and just really fully push it forward and execute, and I just like working in that kind of – it’s a little bit like a Wild West atmosphere.”

Miller believes that it is the responsibility of all artists to educate the public about the arts and the value of the arts. He says that most people don’t realize that books are still made by hand, that books can be made with a great deal of spirit, so he and his students go out into the community to demonstrate the magic of making books by hand. They work in local high schools and elementary schools and participate in conferences and workshops.

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