Adia Millett

A set of embroidery based artworks, this project addresses loss, memory, and the significance of everyday objects.[5] The seven, small, framed, cross-stitched fabrics depict every day objects including a porkpie hat, a bottle of Popov vodka, a rifle, a rose, a package of Newport menthol cigarettes, a pair of underwear, and a twenty dollar bill.[6] By presenting objects that are stereotypically associated with black men, Millett creates a juxtaposition within her work between the feminine "craft" of stitching and the masculine subject matter of the individual pieces.[6]

Pre-Fabricated Innocence is an eight part series of miniature houses that caters to our penchant for voyeurism.[7] Each miniature illustrates melancholy interiors that display class and religious beliefs.[8]Pre-fabricated Innocence: Anticipation (light bulbs) from 2004, for instance, is only 11 x 14 inches, but the small prism contains a table with a single chair, a bouquet of flowers, a staircase leading to a closed door, and nine functional lightbulbs.[9] In fact, working lights, furniture, and tiny details are featured in many of Millett's miniatures. The unique decorations within the houses are an attempt to promote a space where dialog is created for characters to develop.[7]

The Fire Next Time (2016) is a mixed-medium piece on wood panel that takes its title from James Baldwin’s seminal 1963 book.[10] The miniature is a tiny house surrounded by billowing smoke that stands against a golden backdrop. The small dwelling is made of faded blue vertical planks with a roof of dark wooden shingles that float into the golden sky as the abode burns. This piece presents a visualization of breaking apart.

One of Adia Millett's largest exhibitions to date is entitled "Infinite Edges," and was held from 14 September—9 November 2019 at Traywick Contemporary .[11] This solo exhibition displays Millett's many practices which includes quilt-making, painting, drawing, photography, collage and sculpture.[11] Millet uses these multi-media pieces to highlight the African American experiences while simultaneously speaking to how all living things are connected.[11] Millett's geometric patters draw the viewer's eye from point to point, mimicking the multi-faceted, complex, and fragmented nature of life itself.

Millett's quilts highlight interconnectivity, as the domestic or "craft" based activity connects pieces of cloth or textile to one another through stitches and string. These artistic quilts simultaneously combine multiple materials and specific cultural references, as the subject matter of each specifically relates to different cultural moments. Chosen Family, for example, is one of Millett's pieces from 2018 that combines fabric, textiles, feather, and hand quilting. The pattern of the fabric and textile contained within the piece allude to traditional African textiles, and thick rim of feathers around the circumference of the quilt create a soft boarder that highlights the multi-media nature of the piece.