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Roadside Reverie: Glass Works by John Miller— This Exhibition is Larger Than Life

The exhibition marks the artist’s largest solo museum exhibition to date. It is VBMA’s first solo glass exhibition in nearly a decade and the first organized for the Museum by Chief Curator Caitlin Swindell.

Roadside Reverie spans four of Miller’s artistic series: “Hot Stuff,” “The Blue Plate Special,” “Do Not Duplicate,” and “Classic Heat”—created from 2008 to 2024. The artworks reflect his fascination with and personal connection to American automotive and food culture and the Pop Art movement of the 1960s. Drawing inspiration from prominent Pop Art figures like Claes Oldenburg, Miller imbues his contemporary pieces with reverence and humor, evoking nostalgia and joy in visitors.

An instrumental work shown for the first time is Miller’s V-ATE, 2024, which cleverly references V8 engines. This piece combines select glass works by Miller integrated within a site-specific installation of a 1954 Ford Mainline. The inclusion of this artwork marks the first time that Miller has exhibited a mixed-media installation of this scale in a museum or gallery.

“V-ATE serves as a significant focal point in Roadside Reverie, merging two thematic groupings of Miller’s artworks included in the exhibition,” said VBMA Chief Curator Caitlin Swindell. “One body of work focuses on car culture, including hood ornaments, car keys, and tools, while the other features diner food such as hamburgers, fries, condiments, and other diner fare and accoutrements—all made from glass.”
Roadside Reverie: Glass Works by John Miller is organized by the Vero Beach Museum of Art and features select loans from the Tacoma Museum of Glass.

The exhibition is supported by Presenting Sponsors: The Yela “Peter” and Derek Fowler Endowment for Acquisitions and Exhibitions, Patricia M. Patten Endowment, and the Estate of Glee and Robert Ries Endowment; Patron Sponsors: Mary and Don Blair and Barbara Konforti; and Exhibition Sponsors: George P. Armstrong Endowment Fund, Museum Endowment, and The Laughing Dog Gallery.

The Vero Beach Museum of Art is at 3001 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach, Florida 32963. Directions: From I-95 (Exit 147), from U.S.1, and Indian River Boulevard, take State Road 60 east over the Merrill Barber Bridge to the beachside, and turn right at the first traffic light into Riverside Park. Parking is free.