5 March 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — It was all smiles and laughter Friday night when Mike Miller’s display called “Be the Art” opened at Reuben Saunders Gallery.
“The idea is that the viewers that come to see the art are a part of the art,” said Mike, who has a bachelor’s degree in Sculpture from WSU.
He believes art should be three things, “It’s supposed to have interesting ideas underneath it, and it’s supposed to be beautiful to look at, but it also ought to be fun,” he explained. And his gallery embodies all of those ideas.
His gallery lives up to its title by being interactive and allowing people to become part of the display.
“There’s one over there, you pull the lever, and it makes the bird nod his head. And that one over there, you push the button and it makes him vibrate and shake. And I like when people can go touch the art,” Mike added.
Each piece also represents nature, mixing with technology.
“Everything is a machine, but there’s two types,” said Mike, “There’s man-made machines, you know… cell phones, printing presses… And there’s natural machines. Trees, volcanoes or rivers, the sun is a machine. And the interaction between natural machines and human machines, I think, is a very interesting idea.”
Mike says by combining the two concepts in his art, he is bringing awareness to how people can use technology to support our current environment.
“It is my responsibility to take care of my little piece of the environment. And if we all did that, then we could get all of this stuff fixed,” he explained.
Mike has been into mechanics since he was young. He says he fully committed to art after graduating from WSU in 2013. His “Be the Art” gallery took nearly two years to complete, and he said it’s fun to see everyone admiring it.
“I really, really enjoy building things. That is my main, fun thing, is to just build stuff. But then to turn around and the place was absolutely packed full of people,” Mike said about opening night, “And they were laughing, giggling, and having fun with the art. And it was not a matter of taking things seriously.”
Mike’s display will remain at Rueben Saunders Gallery for the rest of the month.