06 LC 36
0247
House
Resolution 1929
By:
Representatives Reece of the
27th,
Mills of the
25th,
and Rogers of the
26th
A
RESOLUTION
Expressing
regret at the passing of Reuben Aaron "R.A." Miller; and for other
purposes.
WHEREAS,
Reuben Aaron "R.A." Miller was born on July 22, 1912, the youngest of eight
children living on a hundred acres of hills and gullies near Rabbittown,
Georgia, where he lived until he was moved to a nursing home in Commerce in
2004; and
WHEREAS,
six months before he was born, his father was shot and killed by a neighbor who
wanted to control a public road; and
WHEREAS,
at the age of 12, Mr. Miller left school and walked to work in the nearby cotton
mill for 60 years; and
WHEREAS,
after marrying, he became an ordained minister in the Freewill Baptist Church
and began preaching at tent revival meetings all over northeast Georgia and
installed a public address system on his car to preach from the highways;
and
WHEREAS,
after leaving the cotton mill in the
1970́s,
he started making folk art using tin, bicycle parts, and scrap metal;
and
WHEREAS,
his earliest creations were whirligigs, but he is best known for the painted cut
out animals that he modeled after those figures from which he gleaned
inspiration in
National
Geographic magazine; and
WHEREAS,
his artwork has appeared in Athens based rock band
R.E.M.́s
videos and been exhibited at the Atlanta High Museum of Art, the Museum of
American Folk Art in New York, Brenau University, and galleries worldwide in
addition to being on permanent exhibit at
Atlantás
Olympic Park; and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Miller is considered an "outsider artist" more so than a folk artist,
creating an astounding number of pieces over the past 35 years and achieving a
high level of appreciation within the sphere of Outsider Art with his work
featured in several survey books about Folk and Outsider Art and in numerous
articles for art journals and newspapers; and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Miller, who passed away on March 7, 2006, at the age of 93, weaved into the
art he created the story of his life: closeness to the land, faith, and
curiosity about the world; and
WHEREAS,
this delightful, creative, and inspirational Georgian will leave an unfillable
void in the hearts of his collectors, friends, family, and the citizens of this
state.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of
this body honor the life of Reuben Aaron "R.A." Miller, express regret at his
passing, and extend their most sincere condolences to his family.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to the family of
Reuben Aaron "R.A." Miller.