Frye Art Museum Trustee
Supporter Spotlight is a feature where we shine a light on our members and donors to learn about their connections to the Frye and why they support the Museum.
James Miles is an educator and artist who joined the Frye Art Museum’s Board of Trustees in June 2020. Originally hailing from Chicago, his career has been devoted to sharing the power and impact of creativity and building inclusion in the arts. James worked as an educator and multi-disciplinary teaching artist in New York City for almost two decades, has delivered a TedX talk on how the arts can inspire and educate youth, is the past Executive Director of Arts Corps, serves as a Mayoral Appointee to the Seattle Arts Commission, and is currently the Executive Director of MENTOR Washington, an organization dedicated to providing quality mentoring programs that foster positive youth development, academic success, and job and career readiness.
“The arts have played a large part of my life since I met Eartha Kitt when I was very young and she purrrrrred at me,” James says. “I was hooked and wanted to be a performer. I did commercials, television, film, and stage for almost two decades before transitioning to an arts educator and arts administrator. My wife is an artist, as are both of my daughters, in addition to my brother and sister-in-law. We are practitioners and lovers of all of the arts.”
“I love that the Frye is a free museum celebrating diversity and expression. It is central to the community and plays an important role in the cultural fabric of Seattle. The Museum is a convener for people to connect and reflect. From talks to exhibits to education classes, the Frye is very important to our community.”
Reflecting on his experiences at the Frye, he says, “As a new-ish Board member, I have to say, I LOVED Black Refractions. It hit me right in the heart with multitudinous expression from the Black paradigmatic experience.”
The Frye is fortunate to have leaders like James Miles committed to advancing the Museum’s mission. He has one final message for everyone: “Visit the Frye now!”
You can follow James on Twitter and Instagram at @Fresh_Professor.