1. HPR1.COM | May 31, 2012 | HIGH PLAINS READER 13
say he was doing a good job. Miller said they
could pass him if they wished, but the driver
responded, “No we’re following you. You’re
from North Dakota.”
Hours spent broken down in “the middle of
nowhere,” i.e. rural North Dakota, getting
stuck on roads that appeared to be dry and
safe for travel, contribute to his talent for driv-
ing in poor conditions.
Miller is doesn’t mind spending hours by
himself in his car, driving through the country-
side and scoping out unique and often unno-
ticed opportunities for photographs. As long as
he’s got National Public Radio, he doesn’t get
bored.
Dakota Moniker, his previous and ongoing
project, has led him through most of eastern
and southwestern North Dakota over the last
three years. The Moniker project now has two
installments, meant to capture the weird and
intriguing aspects of the rural countryside of
North Dakota that many drive by without
noticing.
Much like his trip for Scenic Overlook, his
Moniker routes are not predetermined. He’s
spent hours and hours venturing through ran-
dom dirt roads, turning directions on a whim.
As unique or even as weird as some of the
images Miller captures may seem, none of
them are photo-shopped. “I try to keep every-
thing as close to form as using film,” Miller
says.
His career hasn’t been without a few major
setbacks. He lost 95 percent of his work in the
flood of ’97; mildew and water destroyed
many of his negatives and prints. Earlier this
year, all of his camera equipment was stolen
from his car. Friends and area business came
together to help Miller after the robbery.
Friends donated the space, food, and bever-
ages for a benefit show held in December. The
funds raised afforded Miller enough for a new
camera body and lens.
“Hundreds of people of showed up. I sold a
lot of pieces, and met a lot of new people who
were interested in what I was doing … I’m
still without a lot of equipment from the rob-
bery, but slowly but surely, with the shows I’m
doing, I’ll be able to start recouping some of
the costs of what was taken,” says Miller.
Funding may still be the biggest obstacle
for Miller’s projects. Traveling and scouring
the countryside is not cheap at today’s gas
prices. Framing expenses can be just as expen-
sive. He hopes the Moniker project will even-
tually raise enough to turn the collection into a
book.
Miller plans to continue showing and work-
ing on Moniker project, which won him a fea-
tured artist spot in the “Art on the Plains”
show at the Plains Art Museum. The project
was also displayed during the Spring Art Gala.
He hopes to wrap up his Moniker project by
the fall of 2013. The summer months will give
him the opportunity to work on the third
installment of the project, as winter is not the
ideal time for anyone to be traveling the back-
roads of North Dakota.
The reception for his latest collection, A
Scenic Overlook, will be held at DK Custom
Framing at Gallery 14 on Thurs., June 7 at 6
p.m. Food and drinks will be available, and the
show is free to attend. The collection will be
on display at the gallery until the end of the
month.
Miller was born in Thief River Falls, Minn.
and has lived in Fargo since he was 13. He
studied photography at Central Lakes College
and Minnesota State University Moorhead.
For more information about the artist visit
jearlmiller.com.
Questions and Comments:
brittany@hpr1.com
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