Day at the Museum: Students Share in Mr. C’s Joy
Caleb Miller is a man of many passions. He is a father, a husband, an educator, and an artist—and more. When several of those worlds collide, it makes for a moment of pure joy. That happened today when Mr. C—as he is known to his Brooklyn Friends School students—had the opportunity to speak to the entire seventh grade about his art installation currently on display at the Brooklyn Museum.
“It’s all very surreal,” Mr. C said, standing in front of his artwork—which is composed of three vessels of various sizes with sculpted faces on them—sitting in the middle of a large room, atop a glass-covered pedestal. “It is a joy for me to be able to share the passion of art with kids everyday and teach them, but also to show them that I am an artist. It’s wonderful. I am also excited to be an example to the students to put their artwork out into the world.”
Mr. C’s untitled piece is part of the Brooklyn Museum’s Brooklyn Artists Exhibition, highlighting the remarkable creativity and diversity of Brooklyn’s artistic communities. His work was selected out of more than 4,000 entries and has been featured as the cover story for the publication, Brooklyn Magazine. All of the attention, the notoriety, and praise, has caught the humble Middle and Upper School Visual Arts Teacher a little off guard.
“I have had dreams and hopes of being in museums and galleries at some point of time in my life, but not so quickly.”
Seventh grade students stood quietly, as Mr. C explained his process, the inspiration behind his work, and why this piece was so important to him.
“I think it’s really amazing to see that one of our teachers has such incredible talent,” said seventh grader, Hudson S. “It’s really cool to see that teachers at BFS can do things like this,”
Hudson’s classmate, Selah B., added “I think it’s really impressive, because I am in Mr. C’s photography class, so I think it’s amazing how he has so many different skills and it is being displayed at a museum like this. I think it’s wonderful.”
Kathleen Clinchy, BFS’ Assistant Head of Middle School for Grades 7 and 8, enjoyed watching the students’ reaction to Mr. C having his work at the museum.
“Caleb is my colleague and my friend, so first I am just so proud for him, and of him, and it is amazing for him to be recognized,” Kathleen said. “I know over the past few years, he has really tried to push himself as an artist. I also think it is so great for our students to see Mr. C recognized in this way, and to be able to be exposed to different artists from around Brooklyn.”
Each of the faces in Caleb’s work represent different black men, to feature the individuality of black men, and to highlight the experience of being both hyper visible and invisible at the same time. The sculptures are finished with glaze that is partially dipped in one color with a different glaze dripped around the rims leaving some of the piece raw. Dripping the glaze gives the feeling of tears and sweat to represent both pain, struggle, and determination. The contrast of the different glazes and the raw clay, represents the many different contrasting experiences of code switching or not being able to bring ones full self into spaces. Caleb’, whose art will be displayed through January 26, still remembers the first moment he saw his piece under the glass back when the exhibit opened in October.
“I was beaming from ear to ear and speechless. I literally couldn’t speak,” he said. “It was just an amazing feeling. It still is.”
In the end, seventh grader Eli B-N. might have summed up the experience of having BFS students take the trip to the Brooklyn Museum to view Mr. C’s work best, “I think it’s all just really inspiring.”
Congratulations, Mr. C!
