Posted on Jul 6, 2010

“Meditations on Empire,” an exhibit by artist and Capital Region native Dan Mills, opens July 15 in the Mandeville Gallery, Nott Memorial.

The exhibition, which features the “American Icons” and “Future States” paintings plus selected other works, will run through Sept. 26.

A closing reception and gallery talk with Mills is set for Thursday, Sept. 16, 5-7 p.m., in the Nott.

The exhibition is accompanied by a 46-page, four-color catalogue, “Dan Mills: Meditations on Empire,” which features an essay by noted art critic Eleanor Heartney.

Mills, director of the Samek Art Gallery at Bucknell University, has been exhibiting in galleries, museums and universities for more than 25 years. Since the early 1990s, his work has addressed themes and imagery related to imperialism, cartography, landscape and hybrid composite portraits of U.S. leaders and cartoon characters.

He has had recent solo shows in Los Angeles, Chicago and Tianjin, and participated in group exhibitions in New York, Beijing and Chicago. His exhibitions have been reviewed in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and New Art Examiner.

The series “US Future State Atlas” a satirical look at an imagined U.S. whose “expansionist imperialist ambitions came true,” was published in book form by Perceval Press in 2009.

Mills’ work is also featured in numerous collections including J.P. Morgan Chase and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

 “Mills’ work is a delightful combination of playful, tongue-in-cheek political commentary, and elegant, sophisticated compositions,” said Rachel Seligman, director of the Mandeville.

“His work is ideal for a college gallery, where students and faculty can explore the complex, multi-layered ideas raised by these thought-provoking works.”

The exhibit marks Mills’ return to the area. His parents, Virginia Ward Mills and the late E. Andrew Mills of Schenectady, exhibited extensively in the region and on Cape Cod for decades, and Virginia remains active with the Oakroom Artists of Schenectady.

Mills is a 1974 graduate of Niskayuna High School.