FOLK ART ON DISPLAY AT LIBRARY

ART AND ARTIST - Charles Miller poses next to one of his works. ().

LA GRANDE - Charles Miller has always been interested in creating things with his hands, which turned into a vast passion for art. He is a folk artist because he is completely self-taught.

At an early age, he became involved with making small things and reproducing comics that he saw in the newspaper. In the early 1970s, he became interested in re-creating Egyptian art. In 1977 his sculptures and paintings were exhibited at OMSI in Portland.

Miller was selected to be one of the folk artists to exhibit his work as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) Folk Art at the Library project with Libraries of Eastern Oregon (LEO). A body of Miller's Egyptian artwork is now on display at the Cook Memorial Library through June 30.

ArtsEast hosted a reception for Miller earlier today followed by a videoconference broadcast by the Smithsonian on American folk art.

On June 4 the Cook Memorial Library will host an evening humanities program developed about Eastern Oregon quilts and offer an afternoon book signing by nationally acclaimed author and quilt historian Mary Bywater Cross.

The events are sponsored by Libraries of Eastern Oregon in partnership with SAAM. Funding assistance has been provided by the Oregon Arts Commission.

Other Smithsonian videoconference programs will be held May 31 at the Pendleton Public Library; June 1, Hermiston Public Library; and June 6, Baker County Public Library in Baker City.