Phoebe Millerwhite is an artist, writer, and educator based in Southern California. She holds a BA in Literature and Creative Writing from Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School, New York, and an MA in Folklore with an emphasis in Material Culture from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. For over a decade Phoebe has specialized in arts education and also, without irony, championing work created by self-taught artists (also known as folk or “outsider” artists). She currently teaches in the museum and gallery certificate program at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) in Walnut, California, in the Fine Arts Department. Her varied professional experience includes stepping in as the director and curator for the Diana Berger Art Gallery at Mt. SAC (2022-2023) where her exhibition In the Garden: Piñatas, a solo exhibition of work by Los Angeles based artists Roberto Benavidez, was included in the 2023 Craft in America episode “Play” airing on PBS and craftinamerica.org; consultant for museums, arts nonprofits, and a bespoke architecture and design firm in the greater Los Angeles region; manager of The Good Luck Gallery in Los Angeles which focused on work by self-taught and “outsider” artists; creating fine arts programing for Pomona Unified School District elementary students; and teaching ceramic sculpture at a progressive art studio for neurodiverse adults with disabilities, some of whose work is now in the permanent collections of MoMA New York, the American Folk Art Museum, New York, and several other prominent public and private collections. With years of experience writing press releases, museum and commercial gallery content, artist biographies, artist statements, grant proposals, and the like, Phoebe is often asked to consult for artists and businesses ready to streamline and reimagine their written voice. She currently teaches a course specifically on art writing at Mt. SAC, and periodically teaches workshops on various aspects of arts writing. Phoebe stays connected to her roots in Folklore by presenting regularly at the annual American Folklore Society conference, which draws scholars from throughout the United States and internationally. In 2022 Phoebe was awarded the Public Program/Independent Folklorist Sections Travel Award to present her paper “The Collecting Conundrum: Power and Ethics in the Acquisition of Self-Taught Art.” As much a fan of hearing a good tale as telling one, Phoebe’s ceramic sculpture practice is the physical embodiment of her love of storytelling. Unlike writing, which is cerebral and benefits from endless edits, Phoebe’s sculpture is intuitive and uncanny. Her sense is that her sculptures are up to something but what exactly that something is, remains part of the titillating mystery. Drawing from myth, legend, and – always – a deep love of narrative, Phoebe’s sculptures are one element in a continuous ambling conversation between herself and her creations, full of sidelong glances, inside jokes, and half remembered dreams.
Contact/Website Info: pmillerwhite@gmail.com
Presenting: Advertising Yourself: How Great Writing Will Help Your Art Practice and Career
As artists, writing about our own work is perhaps one of the most dreaded and neglected aspects of our career. This is the case for many if not most artists, but writing about your work doesn’t have to be a grim, soul-crushing process. Having the tools to write about yourself and your work in clear, compelling, and most importantly, truthful language will make your work more intriguing to collectors and galleries, while allowing you to maintain control of your own narrative.
Much of what hinders artists when we write about ourselves are the cliches and jargon that we hope will make us sound intelligent. In truth, the very devices we think make us sound smart are not only boring, but also stand in the wat of authentically expressing what our work is about. To pave the way for others to connect with us and our work, we must simply get out of our own way, speak in our own unique voice, and get to the heart of what is truly important to our own singular creative practice, then all will be well.
Phoebe Millerwhite – an artist, educator, and writer with experience in both the commercial and nonprofit realms – will walk you through the process of analyzing your creative process, and identifying what is important to discuss and what may be better left unsaid. She will give you permission to talk about what is really important to you, rather than wasting time on what you think other people want to hear. This session will focus primarily on artist statements, helping artists create a key foundational document upon which to build future press releases, artist biographies, exhibition reviews and other forms of art-related writing.