II. Conceptual Art, 1969 - 78
I began as a painter, but soon converted to conceptual art, an art form that emphasized an “idea” and often incorporated photographs, words and performance. One of the best things about living on Bowery was that it was only a short walk to Soho, the new gallery district. In 1977 I began to hang out at the Fine Arts Building in Tribeca just south of Soho. Here my work was included in exhibitions that launched a new type of conceptual art concerned with politics, gender and other real-life issues.
My brand of conceptual art was interactive and involved getting people to write and draw. Over time my work became more collaborative and I formed partnerships with others like the Dutch photographer and art therapist Bettie Ringma, with whom I worked for close to eight years.
The "Lives" exhibition organized by Jeffrey Deitch opened in November 1975 at the Fine Arts Building in New York. It marked the start of a brief period when the building was the center of an energetic art scene that helped rejuvenate the deserted neighborhood just south of Soho--the now fashionable Tribeca.
The introductory catalogue essay by Jeffrey Deitch for "Lives," a 1975 exhibition at the Fine Arts Building in New York.
From the moment I was exposed to Mike Malloy's brand of conceptual art, focusing on human psychology and incorporating the actions of people, I knew my own creative direction. My art was interactive and used photography and text. It took less than six months from my first attempts at making conceptual art, to my first one-person show in fall 1973 at OK Harris Gallery in Soho.
Early Works Conceptual Art by Marc H. Miller. "Write a Word" (1972) and other blackboard pieces. Word response pieces: "Men by Women" (1972); "Women by Men" (1972); "Modern Art" (1972). "What’s Your Greatest Fear" (1972). "Choose a Flower or Gun" (1972) and other prop pieces. "T-shirt" (1972); "Nixon Mask" (1972); "Nose and Glasses" (1972); "Rubber Lips."
A sampling from an extended series of drawings of penises and vaginas done by men and women from 1973 - 1975. A video showing college students making penises and vaginas out of clay and talking about their creations, 1974. A conceptual art project by Marc H. Miller.
People are photographed and respond to the question: What are you doing?, Washington D.C., 1975. Conceptual Art by Marc H. Miller.
