I was saddened to hear about the recent death of Grant Miller. Grant’s story was an inspiration for many because it reminded us that it’s never too late to follow your dreams. I knew him as Grant, the abstract sculptor, but many knew him as Dr. Miller, a psychiatrist, and professor at the University of Nevada, Reno.
If you ever drove down Dickerson Road, you might have seen one of his sculptures standing in front of Studio 2035, a fine artist collective workspace gallery where he was a resident artist. Or you could have driven by Bicentennial Park, downtown at the Truckee River and Ralston Street, and seen his rusted steel Bow Series. These pieces were removed from the park last month but, luckily, were purchased by Truckee Meadows Community College and will be on display at their sculpture garden.
I say Grant was an inspiration because he followed his passion after retirement and became a sculptor. He says in his bio on his website that he’s always been interested in art, taking classes when he could. But it was in 2012, after 30 years as an academic psychiatrist, that Grant took sculpture courses at TMCC and won the TMCC Student Art Show. I was first introduced to his work around that time when the Sierra Arts Foundation chose his work for an exhibit and it was then placed on Fourth Street for one year.
Grant said, “I try to bring life to hard, cold, decaying inorganic materials to which I’m drawn to collect.” I would argue that his sculptures helped bring life, joy, and amazement to the community and will continue to do so on TMCC campus.
Here is a link to his obit: https://www.grantmillersculpture.com/
Geralda Miller, Executive Director, Art Spot Reno
