Tone Miller, Inherited Wealth (detail), 2025, mixed media installation, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist.
Artist
- Tone Miller
Tone Miller is an artist with deep roots in Newark: family members have resided in the city and he attended St. Benedict’s Preparatory School. As a self-taught artist he has been inspired to tell his story through his work. The title of the exhibition is drawn from a song by English-American rapper and record producer Slick Rick. Miller uses the title to speak to memories of his own youth, the childhood experiences of his son, and the relationships between family elders and subsequent generations.
The focus has been on reimagining Black domestic spaces, and interpersonal relationships between family members and friends. He describes his style as Negro Americana, which he defines as “…a visual and emotional language that honors textures, brands and icons that have shaped Black cultural life.” The work speaks to the tradition of Afro – Surrealism, a term used by New Jersey’s former Poet Laurette, Newark born Amiri Baraka. This is defined as coming from, and being inspired by, Western culture and specifically the history of Black people in the United States, and incorporating their lived experience and aesthetic sensibility.
Miller is particularly enchanted by the urgency of this movement, a desire to communicate with raw and direct brushwork. He draws directly on pop culture references, including logos, branding, and graphic novels with cartoon-like renditions of the human form. In the collage pieces we can see a juxtaposition of advertisements, stereotypical house forms, and representations of people, some of whom are verging on inaccessibility – their stories obfuscated by time and literally by layers of semi-opaque materials.
Tone Miller would like to thank “For those who came before and after Rose Miller—blood, love, and spirit made visible. And for Alex Malon, always present.”
PRG Artist in Residence
This exhibition is the result of research in the studio undertaken by Miller as the Paul Robson Galleries Artist in Residence for 2025. This residency has been running since 2017. The residency provided Miller with a purpose built, 24/7 studio, stipend and access to Rutgers people and resources to support the production of new artwork.
The Paul Robeson Galleries are supported by the Creative Catalyst Fund (City of Newark), The Rutgers University – Newark Chancellor’s Office, Express Newark, Robeson Campus Center, and the Cultural Programming Committee, Rutgers University-Newark.
