1960s
Left: Emmett Till from the “Black Lives Matter Martyrs” woodblock print series; Right: Sugar Cemented Slavery from the “Why Reparations” lino print series
Charles “Chuck” Miley, BS ’65, Maplewood, NJ, exhibited work from two of his series—“Why Reparations” and “Black Lives Matter Martyrs”—in a special installation celebrating Black History Month. The exhibit was part of Fresh Air Montclair Exhibitions, a township-wide initiative to promote and support art and artists in public spaces while enlivening empty storefronts for community enjoyment. The “Why Reparations” lino print series will become an art-made book illustrating the series of prints.
In his artist statement, Miley wrote, “Slavery, the original sin of our country, has left a poison in our society. As an artist, my art is my voice; I must use my art to draw attention to this hate and injustice. Picasso said, ‘Painting (art) is a weapon.’ Therefore, I ‘say their names’ in my ‘Black Lives Matter Martyrs’ series of woodblock prints. I honor those men’s and women’s lives and their memory.”
He later wrote, “I also have been awarded a Fellowship Grant from the New Jersey State Council of the Arts in printmaking. I guess this goes back to around 1962 in the Introduction to Printmaking course in old Van Deusen Hall at KSU. My work at Kent State and my graduate work at Rutgers University and Pratt Manhattan have brought me to this point in my career where I am gathering benefits.”
A longtime music teacher at Cabrillo College in Aptos, Sekon hosted concerts in his home and other local venues for the past several years. When the concert series outgrew a “house concert” size, he partnered with the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist to present the Aptos Keyboard Series at St. John’s, with the mission to promote gifted young pianists and offer them the opportunity to perform in a concert setting.