Nancy Wilson Miller

MILLER Nancy Wilson Miller, of Urbana and New York City, died Wednesday, May 19, 2010 in her Urbana home. She was born March 31, 1927 in Lancaster, OH. As a young girl, her family moved back to Champaign County where she was raised. She met her husband Edmund Severn Miller while attending the Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore. They were married in 1948 and lived in Baltimore, MD, Miami, FL, Nassau, Bahamas, Cleveland, Woodstock and Urbana, OH until 1979 when she moved to New York City. Ms. Miller received her education at Bennett College and the Maryland Institute. Her career in art began in 1960. She was an artist in various media, participating in group shows and solo exhibitions across the United States and Europe. She exhibited her art in numerous prestigious galleries throughout the United States and Europe. She produced commissioned works for many large corporations throughout the United States. Ms. Miller also mounted public displays of her artwork in New York, San Francisco, Kansas City and Chicago, as well as in Ohio at the Ohio Convention Center in Columbus and the Springfield City Building. Ms. Miller served on the faculty at Urbana University and the Springfield Museum of Art and lectured at the Columbus Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art, Appalachian State University, Ohio University campus at Lancaster, Urbana University and at il Rocco, Senigallia, Italy. Her love of art allowed her the ability to travel and live in many places. She spent the majority of her career between New York and Italy. Ms. Miller is survived by her sons, Edmund Severn (Beverly Johnson) Miller of Lexington, KY and Jonathan Trumbull (Laura) Miller of Urbana; her daughter, Mary Miller (John) Cryan of London, England, UK; her granddaughters, Anne and Abbe; two special cousins, Carolyn Peters Rockwood and Mary Peters Bolton; her brother-in-law, Michael Miller; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins of several generations. She is preceded in death by her parents Robert "RJ" and Olive Pearl (Whiley) Wilson, her husband Edmund Severn Miller Sr., her brother Charles Belle Wilson and a brother-in-law John Miller. A Memorial Service to celebrate Nancy's life will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 17, 2010 in the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, 230 Scioto St., Urbana, OH, with the Dr. Rev. Timothy West, Celebrant and the Father Harry Schneider assisting. Following the death of her husband, on behalf of her family she endowed Urbana University for the creation of The Miller Center for Visual Arts, whose mission is to display contemporary works of art for people to see what is going on in the current art world, to stretch minds and to expand their interest in visual arts with a focus on video art as it has become mainstream. Ms. Miller's wish is that the Urbana University Miller Center for Art to become one of the most important venues for video art in the region while also supporting other types of visual art and longer term to become an important national venue. Memorial contributions may be made in Ms. Miller's memory to The Urbana University Miller Center, in care of Dr. Steven Jones, 579 College Way, Urbana, OH 43078. Services are entrusted to the VERNON FUNERAL HOME, Urbana, OH. Condolence may be expressed to the family at www.vernonfh.com