Lisa Miles’ Grant Yields Presence
In Pittsburgh-August 22-29, 2001
By Jaime McLeod
For a few nights this week, the ordinary separate spheres of art and academia will converge in Presence, a performance piece by local composer, violinist, artist, author and former mental-health worker Lisa Miles. The performance comes as a result of a grant Miles received in February from the Pennsylvania Humanities and Arts Initiative, a new program administered by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and funded by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
“As excited as I was to get the grant,” says Miles, “I was already so pleased to be receiving so much support from academia. I had extended myself as an artist with little confidence I would receive any feedback.” Presence will be performed on Fri., Aug. 24 and Sat. Aug 25, 2001 at 8 P.M. at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty. It includes dance/movement by Michele Dunleavy and glass art visuals by Mike Mangiafico, Joelle Levitt and Jan Vojta. As one might expect from the sizable list of job descriptions accompanying Miles’ name, the piece reflects an eclectic cross section of artistic expression, from music and dance to visual art, both projected and live.
The theme of Presence deals with the development of strong personal identity, and, as Miles puts it, into the psyche’s “natural healing process which moves it toward balance and wholeness.” The work’s psychological overtones were informed by Miles’ collaboration with a number of academicians, namely Dr. Eva Simms from Duquesne University and members of the Pittsburgh Jung Society. A free panel discussion relating to the piece will be held on Wed, Aug. 22, 2001 at 7 P.M. at the Pittsburgh Glass Center.