ABOUT

Edgar Miller (1899-1993) was a self-taught and apprenticeship-trained artist and master craftsman—a creative virtuoso of the modern era—who applied his skills to a multitude of projects in interior design, decorative arts and architecture. This talk will introduce us to Miller’s wide range of artistic accomplishments and will explore in-depth his work in various projects of architecture.

AIA Chicago, 35 E. Upper Wacker Dr. #250
Thursday, February 9th, 6:00pm

PRESENTERS

Todd Palmer
(Executive Director, Chicago Architecture Biennial)

Todd Palmer has 19 years of experience in conceptualizing and orchestrating program-rich interventions that define public space, articulate cultural uses of architecture, landscape and historic preservation and serve in communal processes of making meaning. His understanding of curatorial, mediatic, art-making and exhibit design processes is coupled with a deep concern for forging collaboration in the public sphere and supporting the growth of innovative collectives and transformative organizations. Palmer’s transdisciplinary work and collaborations have been profiled in a variety of outlets including The New York Times, ArtNews, Domus and ID. He engages consistently in national and international conferences of architecture, culture, design, technology, museology and urban concerns from planning to preservation.

Michelangelo Sabatino
(PhD Professor and Director, PhD Program in Architecture, Illinois Institute of Technology)

Michelangelo Sabatino is an architect and historian whose research broadly addresses intersections be.tween culture, technology, and design in the built and natural environment. From his research on preindustrial vernacular traditions and their influence on modern architectures of the Mediterranean region, to his current project, which looks at the transnational forces that have shaped the architecture, infrastructure, and landscape of the Americas over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, he has trained new light on larger patterns of architectural discourse and production. Sabatino is professor and director of the doctoral program at the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture in Chicago.

Zac Bleicher
(Executive Director, Edgar Miller Legacy)

Zac Bleicher founded Edgar Miller Legacy in 2014 with the mission to preserve the late 20th century artist Edgar Miller’s artistic and architectural works; to advance the historical research of the artist’s accomplishments; and to build programs for the public to access and learn from Miller’s inspirational aesthetic. Bleicher’s interest in Miller and his art began through his late uncle, Mark Mamolen, a preservationist who helped rehabilitate Miller’s architectural masterpieces in Chicago. As part of his role within Edgar Miller Legacy, Bleicher continues to manage the growing archive of Miller’s work and history and to find new ways to tell Miller’s story. Bleicher has a BA in American History, Art History, and Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the University of Illinois-Chicago.

Chicago's Forgotten Renaissance Man

Edgar Miller Legacy—with the support of The Terra Foundation—organized a series of lectures reintroducing Chicago to its forgotten artistic master, Edgar Miller. Visit the digital archive of interactive media, images, and other lecture materials.