Miller honored for arts legacy
By Brian Blair
Senior Reporter
Eero Saarinen and Frank Lloyd Wright stepped aside Thursday to allow Xenia Miller a moment in the spotlight.
Volunteers and others connected with the Columbus Museum of Art and Design saluted Miller's 32 years of contributions to the venue she launched with the help of the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
They did so before about 70 people at the opening reception of the museum's final show - a look at 190 years of chair design. "Dimensions of Design" from the German Vitra Design Museum features the miniaturized work of Saarinen, Wright and other notables.
The museum will close sometime after the exhibit finishes April 28 because of plans to dismantle The Commons that houses the facility. A new Commons Civic Center is planned, but there are no details about a possible new museum.
Museum board members will begin meeting next week to consider their next step. But, Thursday, board President Beth Stroh looked back and assessed Miller's impact.
"More and more of us over the years have adopted Mrs. Miller's passion for providing a venue for the visual arts," said Stroh.
Miller is the local philanthropist who made the original Indianapolis Museum of Art Columbus Gallery a reality in 1974 on the second floor of the Columbus Visitors Center building.
She also was the person who donated $1 million in 1993 for a part of The Commons mezzanine to be converted into the museum providing 2,400 square feet of gallery space. But she balked at allowing the space to be named for her, relenting enough when nudged to allow her name to be stenciled in small letters over the entrance.
Miller could not attend Thursday's function because of health reasons.But, after the event, son Will Miller thought about her possible reaction to all the fuss, from speeches to a sentimental slideshow and history tour.
"I'm sure she'd say it's nice to get the recognition, but also that she was only one of hundreds of people who made it happen," said her son. "And she'd probably be slightly embarrassed at being singled out."
Bret Waller, director emeritus of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, took a whimsical tour through the museum's past. He imagined that some of Miller's 300 prized crèche figurines - ones from all over the world displayed at the venue for several different Christmas seasons - sprang to life to speak about all they'd seen at the museum since 1974.
He also imagined that the figurines were talking while lounging on the miniature chairs spread through the gallery. He even pictured the crèche animals munching on the legs of some of the chairs.
He asked the audience to visualize the angel Gabriel reminiscing about the museum's second exhibit - the crèche pieces - in December 1974.
"It was something of a miracle," he said.
"Indeed it was," said a shepherd from Sri Lanka. "Because there was no elevator and everything had to be carried up the stairs by hand - all of us, plus display cases and pedestals."
"A bit frightening," muttered a French king. "And not entirely dignified."
The audience laughed.
"Oh, stop grousing," responded a king from Nigeria. "The people loved it. And Xenia was so pleased by their response."
