Don Miller “Earth Chambers” 2000 Mixed Media Sculpture, Signed & Dated

​​​​​​Striking and architecturally evocative, this mixed media sculpture by Don Miller (American, b. mid-20th century) comes from his acclaimed Earth Chambers series of 2000. Rising nearly three feet tall, the piece combines adobe, fiber, wood, and pigment to form a vertical, spiraling structure reminiscent of a ceremonial monument or archaeological relic. Intersecting rods and textured strata suggest both scaffolding and geological layering—an intentional fusion of human architecture and natural erosion.

Part of Miller’s ongoing exploration of invented archaeology, the work reflects his fascination with time, ritual, and the endurance of cultural memory. The warm earthen palette—ochre, umber, and carbon tones—evokes the desert Southwest, where Miller has lived and worked since the 1990s. Signed and dated “Don Miller / 2000” on the underside.

Condition

Good condition overall; rustic by design. Surface irregularities and tonal variations are deliberate aspects of the artist’s process. No remarkable damage or repairs observed. Structurally sound and stable.

Dimensions

Overall: 37 × 9 × 8.5 inches
Weight: 28 lbs
(Campbell’s Soup can shown in photographs for scale.)

Artist Biography

Don Miller (American, b. mid-20th century) is a mixed media sculptor and educator whose work explores the intersection of archaeology, architecture, and landscape. A native of the Midwest, Miller earned his B.A.E. from the Art Institute of Chicago and his M.F.A. from Tulane University, Newcomb School of Art. He later served as Professor Emeritus of Art and Painting at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls before relocating to Silver City, New Mexico, where the desert environment became a central influence on his imagery and material practice.

Since the late 1950s, Miller has developed a distinctive visual language rooted in the textures and forms of the earth—stratified surfaces, weathered tones, and architectural remnants that suggest ancient civilizations. His celebrated Ziox project, begun in 1979 with colleague Walter Nottingham, invented an entire fictional culture as a context for his sculptural “artifacts,” merging artistic creation with archaeological inquiry.

Miller’s Mixed Media Constructions and Earth Chambers series further this exploration, incorporating adobe, clay, wood, and pigment to evoke both natural formations and ritual monuments. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the Eklektikas Gallery, McCray Gallery (WNMU), and Governor’s Gallery of New Mexico, and is represented in numerous public and private collections.