Present and Retro – Public Sculptures

WELCOME GALLERY

The one and only P.R. Miller showcases his life’s work in Present and Retro, on view from July 10 – September 25. Experience the evolution of his work in this retrospective exhibition and witness his three principal identities as a junk man, artist, and wizard. In this gallery, explore photographs of P.R. Miller’s public sculptures, which bring whimsy and character to treasured spots around Akron. The Grizzled Wizard of Waste Not Want Not, a motion portrait of P.R. Miller by Joshua Tree Productions, is also on view.

P.R., known as “The Grizzled Wizard”, recycles scraps and reimagines them as large-scale, whimsical sculptures often inspired by the natural environment, especially bugs and flowers. His goal is to alter the viewer’s reality, and he does so by making someone else’s trash into treasure. He has spent his life rescuing rubbish from the landfill and converting it into his signature pieces. P.R. is best known for public sculptures in notable places throughout Akron, including The Frog, perched outside of the Highland Square Branch of the Akron-Summit County Public Library, which was created from 1 ton of industrial recycled steel.

Hailing from Mars, Pennsylvania, P.R. worked out of his home studio in Akron for many years before moving to Blueberry Hill Farms located outside of Loudonville, Ohio. Present and Retro includes works made from glass, metal, clay, and more, chronicling the artist’s journey over the course of his decades-long career.