Lisa Miles
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Bio: Lisa Miles is a papermaker and book artist who focuses on hand-beaten bark papers. Originally from New England, Miles currently lives in Cleveland OH. She holds a BFA in Graphic Design from the New England School of Art & Design and an MFA in Book Arts from the University of Iowa Center for the Book. In 2017-2018, she represented the United States as a Fulbright Arts Researcher in Indonesia. In 2018, Miles was awarded the Holle Award for Excellence in Book Arts from the University of Alabama. She creates one-of-a-kind and limited-edition artists’ books under the imprint Dutchess Press.
Statement: My artists’ books meditate on the book as an artifact--a tool for communication across continents and centuries. Inspired by ancient bookmakers, I create portals to unknown times, places, and cultures. I am interested in language transmission and decipherment. The textual visual elements in my books allow the audience ample room for interpretation. By presenting coded texts and cross-cultural narratives, my artists’ books speak to a universal audience that transcends a single language or cultural perspective.
Approximating traditional methods, I beat bark paper using a stone or metal beater on a wooden board. By incorporating modern advancements alongside archaic practices, I examine the role of humans as tool users and makers of meaning. As a twenty-first-century artist, I am reacting against the Technological Revolution by returning to the techniques and origins of early human civilization.
Statement: My artists’ books meditate on the book as an artifact--a tool for communication across continents and centuries. Inspired by ancient bookmakers, I create portals to unknown times, places, and cultures. I am interested in language transmission and decipherment. The textual visual elements in my books allow the audience ample room for interpretation. By presenting coded texts and cross-cultural narratives, my artists’ books speak to a universal audience that transcends a single language or cultural perspective.
Approximating traditional methods, I beat bark paper using a stone or metal beater on a wooden board. By incorporating modern advancements alongside archaic practices, I examine the role of humans as tool users and makers of meaning. As a twenty-first-century artist, I am reacting against the Technological Revolution by returning to the techniques and origins of early human civilization.