SHANNON MILAR
VISUAL ARTIST
CALIFORNIA, USA︎
RECENT
ARTWORK
In this series, I work with found images from mid-century magazines, cutting figures out of the printed worlds they once inhabited and suspending them between clear and mirrored acrylic. Each piece becomes a viewing assemblage: the image floats in front of its reflection, and the viewer’s own image enters the composition, changing what’s visible depending on where you stand.
I’m interested in how perception shifts—how the act of looking can alter what we think we know. These works invite you to move, to catch yourself in the mirror, and to consider how images from the past have informed the ways we see today.
ARTIST
BIO
Born in San Francisco, Shannon Milar is a multidisciplinary artist. Her work spans collage, assemblage, and scent. Play is central to her practice, guided by curiosity and the search for images from the past that ask to be revisited today. Informed by her background in editorial and advertising design, she extracts images from mid-century magazines and arranges them into assemblages that challenge persistent stereotypes. She uses reflective surfaces to bring both sides of her magazine fragments into view, revealing added context and contrasts.
Milar holds a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Visual Arts from UC Berkeley Extension, a BFA in Graphic Design from The American College for the Applied Arts, and a Professional Qualification from Il Bisonte International Specialization School of Printmaking in Florence, Italy.
Artist residencies include Kala Art Institute (Berkeley), Atelier Empreinte (Luxembourg), and ExplorArt (Italy); she is also a co-founder of Catalyst Art Retreat in Tuscany.
She lives and works in Palm Springs, California, where desert light and landscape influence her work.
Artist residencies include Kala Art Institute (Berkeley), Atelier Empreinte (Luxembourg), and ExplorArt (Italy); she is also a co-founder of Catalyst Art Retreat in Tuscany.
She lives and works in Palm Springs, California, where desert light and landscape influence her work.