Alexa Miller: Roots to Mitzvah — A Tradition of Lineages

Exhibition Abstract

Roots to Mitzvah — A Tradition of Lineages draws upon ideas stemming from Alexa Miller's (B.F.A. '25) Jewish heritage. Miller wants to share aspects of her identity while highlighting how these ideas have shaped a community and how, over time, they have manifested into connected female lineages. Many lineages can be traced back to Judaism, and Miller would like to explore them through her own experience growing up as a Jewish girl in Long Island, New York. The materiality draws upon roots and tradition, transforming root vegetables and linens as tactile surfaces while keeping traditions of Jewish cooking and female housekeeping. Roots are physically manipulated to draw a connection between family lineages and a Jewish cultural emphasis on food and eating together during Jewish holidays. Roots to Mitzvah conveys Miller's lived experience while celebrating cultural fashion and lineages through generations. Miller invites the audience to share in this celebration of mitzvah traced through time.

Exhibitor Biography

Alexa Miller is a multidisciplinary artist from Long Island, New York, who explores the concept of abstraction through personal motifs and interpretations of feminist ideas. In her work, she explores her experience of growing up Jewish on Long Island, her roots, and the female lineages that have blossomed through her heritage. Through printmaking, papermaking, and exploring various natural dye materials, she conveys elements of the Jewish experience. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Cornell University.