Delle Miller

Delle Miller was a skilled and prolific artist. Educated in the Impressionist tradition of the late nineteenth century, she painted with radiant hues and expressive brushstrokes to capture the ephemeral essence of her subjects. Her primary focus was landscape, inspired by regular trips into nature while away from her teaching duties.

Delle Miller was born in 1875 and grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. Miller was interested in art from an early age. Her father's success as a physician gave her the financial freedom to pursue a liberal arts education. She attended the Kansas City Art Institute during the 1890s, then studied with the craftsman Arthur Dow at the Art Students League of New York and the American painter Hugh Breckenridge at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. After nearly a decade of study, Miller began professionally exhibiting her work and teaching art courses.

Delle Miller was hired at the Kansas City Art Institute and the Manual Training High School around 1909. She taught classes in metalwork, jewelry, leatherwork and woodcarving. In 1916, she was hired at Kansas City Central High School. There she worked with Coah Henry, another prolific artist and Kansas City Art Institute graduate. While at Central, Miller established the Gold Star Memorial Scholarship Fund dedicated to sixteen Kansas City students killed during World War I.

During the early 1920s, Delle Miller's painting practice blossomed. She won the $250 Purchase Prize at the Midwestern Artists' Exhibition in 1922. During the years following, she held solo exhibitions at notable venues including the University of Kansas and the Conrad Hug Galleries in Kansas City. In 1926, Miller was elected president of the Kansas City Society of Artists. 

The same year, Delle Miller left Central to teach at Paseo High School. She capitalized on the new building's spacious art studios and hallway galleries to host exhibitions of students and local artists. These "Art Fortnights" were popular, inspiring enthusiasm in both students and the public. Critics and collectors considered Miller one of the leading painters and educators in Kansas City. She continued to win prestigious awards, including Best Painting at the 1929 Missouri State Fair. 

Delle Miller died in 1932 after a three-year battle against breast cancer. Only fifty-seven years old, she was at the height of her career. Her teaching inspired countless students while her painting enriched the arts community. In 2019, one of her paintings was appraised by Antiques Roadshow to be worth $25,000.