Artistic Process and Philosophy
Miner’s work explores the contrast between the fast-paced digital world and the slow, steady reclamation of human-abandoned spaces by nature. She observes and documents how native species like Poison Ivy, wild strawberries, Virginia creeper, ash saplings, and thistle gradually reclaim cultivated spaces. Her artistic process involves layering pattern and color over digital printer calibration sheets and discarded photographs, mirroring nature’s reclamation of developed spaces. Rather than creating exact replicas of natural forms, she aims to capture the essence of the rich visual tapestry she encounters in nature.
Professional Work
Throughout her career, Miner has made significant contributions to the art community as a curator, organizing three exhibition events, including a notable collaboration with Author and Photographer Rosamond Purcell and sculptor Dewey Blocksma. Her international reach extends through her participation in numerous artists’ residencies across Maine, Poland, and Sweden. She has shared her expertise through presentations at national and international conferences, while contributing written works to respected publications including Ceramics Monthly, Dialogue/Arts in the Midwest, and the Journal of the International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability. Her work has been consistently recognized through multiple internal and external grants and Awards for Excellence/Merit.
Creative Works
Her artistic portfolio spans multiple media, including mixed media sculptures, installation works, paintings, and prints. Her work, which explores the intersection of human/nature interaction and meditative repetition, has been featured in over 107 exhibitions across the United States (from Maine to California) and internationally (Sweden and Poland).
Background
Barbara Miner serves as tenured Professor and Chair in the Department of Art at the University of Toledo. She brings 36 years of experience to her role, including 26 years as an artist/scholar and 10 years as a full-time, self-employed studio artist specializing in ceramic tableware.
Finding Beauty in Flyover Country
Barbara challenges the dismissive “flyover country” label often applied to the Midwest, finding instead a rich and infinitely complex biome in her immediate surroundings. Living on a 15-acre woodlot in Ohio’s Great Black Swamp, Miner conducts daily photographic explorations of her environment, regardless of weather conditions.
barbarawfminer.com The Slow Observation: Barbara Miner’s Mixed Media
Artistic Process and Philosophy
Miner’s work explores the contrast between the fast-paced digital world and the slow, steady reclamation of human-abandoned spaces by nature. She observes and documents how native species like Poison Ivy, wild strawberries, Virginia creeper, ash saplings, and thistle gradually reclaim cultivated spaces. Her artistic process involves layering pattern and color over digital printer calibration sheets and discarded photographs, mirroring nature’s reclamation of developed spaces. Rather than creating exact replicas of natural forms, she aims to capture the essence of the rich visual tapestry she encounters in nature.
Professional Work
Throughout her career, Miner has made significant contributions to the art community as a curator, organizing three exhibition events, including a notable collaboration with Author and Photographer Rosamond Purcell and sculptor Dewey Blocksma. Her international reach extends through her participation in numerous artists’ residencies across Maine, Poland, and Sweden. She has shared her expertise through presentations at national and international conferences, while contributing written works to respected publications including Ceramics Monthly, Dialogue/Arts in the Midwest, and the Journal of the International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability. Her work has been consistently recognized through multiple internal and external grants and Awards for Excellence/Merit.
Creative Works
Her artistic portfolio spans multiple media, including mixed media sculptures, installation works, paintings, and prints. Her work, which explores the intersection of human/nature interaction and meditative repetition, has been featured in over 107 exhibitions across the United States (from Maine to California) and internationally (Sweden and Poland).
Background
Barbara Miner serves as tenured Professor and Chair in the Department of Art at the University of Toledo. She brings 36 years of experience to her role, including 26 years as an artist/scholar and 10 years as a full-time, self-employed studio artist specializing in ceramic tableware.
Finding Beauty in Flyover Country
Barbara challenges the dismissive “flyover country” label often applied to the Midwest, finding instead a rich and infinitely complex biome in her immediate surroundings. Living on a 15-acre woodlot in Ohio’s Great Black Swamp, Miner conducts daily photographic explorations of her environment, regardless of weather conditions.
barbarawfminer.com