‘Outside the Box’ Bodies to Be Focus of New WT Art Exhibition

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — A new art exhibition celebrating unconventional beauty and examining impossibly high body standards will open Nov. 6 at West Texas A&M University.

“Outside the Box” will feature the work of Amber Miller, a graduate student in art from El Paso.

“This exhibition is the result of over two years of research and art making,” said Jon Revett, head of WT’s Department of Art, Theatre and Dance in the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities. “Amber focuses on the human body as a symbol of either domination or liberation, delineating the two by presenting them differently in her work.”

“Outside the Box” will be on view through Nov. 29 in the Dord Fitz Formal Art Gallery in Mary Moody Northen Hall on WT’s Canyon campus. An opening reception will be held at 5 p.m. Nov. 6 in the gallery.

Miller said her “Dominated” paintings are in black and white, referencing her upbringing as a mixed-race woman. Sculptures in the same series reference the physical ideals in ancient Greek sculpture.

In her “Liberated” series, Miller depicts nude bodies in large pieces painted with bold, complementary colors instead of human skin tones.

“Growing up, I didn’t see anyone in magazines or in art who looked like me or my family members,” Miller said. “My idea behind doing these nudes is to show off unconventional bodies and show that they can still be beautiful forms.”

Viewers are so used to the bodies presented in art from ancient times to the latest superhero film that “they take them literally, as in, this is what people are supposed to look like,” said Miller, whose exhibition is on view as part of her pursuit of a Master of Fine Arts degree.

“When I was little, I didn’t have that feeling of yes, I am worthy of being in this art space even if I don’t have this ideal body,” she said. “And even back in the day, these idealistic bodies were not what everyone looked like.”

Fitz Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and by appointment Fridays and Saturdays. Email rweingart@wtamu.edu.

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign has raised more than $175 million and will continue through 2025.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. A Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The University also is home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Photo: “Venus” is one of the sculptures and paintings made by Amber Miller for her Master of Fine Arts exhibition “Outside the Box,” opening Nov. 6 in West Texas A&M University’s Dord Fitz Formal Art Gallery.

—WT—