Assistant Professor of Photography
In Memoriam
July 1, 1981–Dec. 12, 2011
Assistant Professor Patrick Millard passed away on Dec. 12, 2011. Patrick was a valued and dedicated member of the Point Park University faculty, and he will be greatly missed by his colleagues, his students and all who knew him.
Patrick Millard, who joined the School of Communication faculty in 2010, is an artist who originates from the small Western Michigan town of Lamont. His work in photography, new media and sound addresses ideas about media, digital culture, technology and the interactions that human beings have within their own synthetic environment.
His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and continues to gain recognition. Recent exhibitions include Homo Virtualis [Porto Santo Biennial] in Porto Santo, Portugal; Tek'tanik at Art Guild New Jersey and Gallery Affero in Newark, N.J.; Digital Landscapes at the TMG Gallery in Guarda, Portugal; Digital Fringe at the Melbourne Fringe Festival in Melbourne, Australia; Fauna Show at The Workshop Gallery in Bialystok, Poland; Origins at the Fox Art Gallery in Philadelphia; Snap To Grid at the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art in Los Angeles; The Human Canvas at The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, Colo.; Virtual Worlds at the UAVM; Virtual Humanities at the Icone Gallery in Coimbra, Portugal; SMart Festival at Open Concepts Gallery in Grand Rapids, Mich., and A Million Little Pictures at Art House in Decatur, Ga.
In 2008, Patrick began to show his work inside the virtual simulation world Second Life; exhibitions that advance beyond two-dimension work and expand his ideas of simulation, virtual reality and the synthetic future where the physical object gives way to its virtual counterpart and its presence is valued entirely for its idea rather than its place in space.
This transition toward a more prominent virtual presence as an artist eventually led to the inevitable. In 2009, shortly after becoming a regular exhibitor in the virtual environment, Millard embarked upon his first photographic series that used the environment and society of Second Life as its subject matter and conceptual theme. Virtual Lens is an artistic and anthropological investigation into the life of the avatar, landscape of the sim environment and experience of the virtual world. Millard continues to photograph and exhibit his portfolios as well as spend time with fellow avatars in Second Life.
Patrick received a Bachelor of Arts in photography from Grand Valley State University and a Master in Fine Arts in photography from the Savannah College of Art and Design.
During June 2010, Millard was an artist in residence at the Biosphere 2. During his time in residence he worked on photographic, sound and digital media portfolios.