Steven Millar’s Enclave is a dynamic sculptural exploration of the Riverdale neighborhood surrounding Wave Hill, focusing on the area west of the Henry Hudson Parkway and a section of Fieldston to the east. Working from a variety of sources, including aerial photos and archival maps, Millar has abstracted the neighborhood’s topography into a series of overlapping and interlocking planes held aloft by thin wooden dowels. Hundreds of laminate blocks are stacked and positioned on each plane to represent apartment buildings and homes. Together, the many levels describe the dramatic character of the landscape.
Shaped by the footprint of the area’s original estates, Riverdale escaped the rigid grid that defines much of New York City. Millar is interested in the way that historical events, like the city’s partial annexation of the Bronx in 1874, the arrival of mass transit and the construction of major roadways like the Henry Hudson Parkway, informed the development of the neighborhood. The contours of the planes are derived from this research, indicating contemporary streets and geological formations, as well as the artist’s own impressions of the site. To emphasize the contrast between the neighborhood’s urban density and suburban openness, he modified the proportions of the work, enlarging the laminate blocks and elevating apartment buildings to towering heights. At the same time, Millar employed an intuitive, painterly use of color, choosing a palette of vibrant blues and yellows alongside more neutral gray and cream tones. The shifting scale and expressive color choices allow the artist to move away from a literal rendering and toward a more complicated, evocative experience of place.
Steven Millar had a solo exhibition this year at Artspace, in New Haven, CT. His work has been included in group exhibitions such as Site 92: Phase II, Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, NY; Projects ’07, The Carriage House, Islip Art Museum, East Islip, NY; It’s Not Easy, Exit Art, New York, NY; and Radius, the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum / Ridgefield Guild of Artists, Ridgefield, CT. He was awarded residencies at the Cité International des Arts, Paris, France, in 2002 and 2009. He earned his BA, Summa Cum Laude, in Art and English from Yale University in New Haven, CT, and his MFA in Painting from Washington University in St. Louis, MO.
Organized by Assistant Curator Leigh Ross, the Sunroom Project Space provides an opportunity for New York-area emerging artists to develop a special project or create a new body of work to exhibit in a solo show. The five artists exhibiting in the 2009 season are: Cece Cole, Steven Millar, Janelle Iglesias, Audrey Hasen Russell and Mauro Zamora.
Public Programs
April 19, 2pm, Meet the Artist. Steven Millar discusses Enclave in the Sunroom Project Space.
May 2 & 3, 1–4pm, The Family Art Project: Build a Neighborhood. Construct a model of the neighborhood you live in, with Steven Millar.
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