NC Museum of Art Commissions Victoria Scott-Miller to Create Children’s Book
Raleigh, NC – The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) has commissioned Victoria Scott-Miller, owner of North Carolina Black-owned independent bookstore Liberation Station Bookstore, to create and release a children’s book titled The Museum Lives in Me, which showcases the exploration and discovery of the NCMA’s collection by a group of visiting students on a school field trip, highlighting their inclusive experiences and opportunities for self-reflection and meaningful connections to art. Due out in May, the book is written by Scott-Miller and features original illustrations by Raleigh-based JP Jermaine Powell.
“We’re extremely excited to commission and support this creative project with Victoria Scott-Miller,” said Museum Director Valerie Hillings. “We work to make the People’s Collection, North Carolina’s state art collection, accessible and inclusive for everyone. This beautiful story highlights the joy and understanding that art can bring to everyone, particularly children.”
Scott-Miller is a Raleigh-based author and owner of the trailblazing, nationally recognized Liberation Station Bookstore, specializing in children’s literature that centers on Black children and families. Victoria’s work has been featured in the Washington Post; O, Oprah Magazine; Medium; American Airlines Magazine; and Spectacular Magazine, as well as on Good Morning America and CNN.
Black Representation In Children’s Book Is Finding A Voice Through The Miller Family
In 2021 she was the first Black woman and the youngest inducted into the Wake County Public School Hall of Fame in the category of Entrepreneurship. As an innovator, liberation strategist, and literacy advocate, she is committed to creating uplifting stories of the possibilities of Black and brown children while building the infrastructure and initiatives that promote legacy building, generational safekeeping, and historical guardianship for marginalized voices. Since 2020 the NCMA has partnered with Liberation Station for recorded readings, live in-gallery storytimes, and a curated book selection in the Museum Store.
Scott-Miller’s dynamic storytelling shines through in The Museum Lives in Me, tracking a class’s field trip to the Museum led by their teacher, Miss Edmonia, named after Edmonia Wildfire Lewis, the first professional African American and Native American sculptor, and the subject of the 45th Black Heritage series postage stamp by the United States Postal Service. Miss Edmonia helps each child discover ways to interact with the works of art and new personal connections to the North Carolina Museum of Art’s collection. The book features a diverse class of students, reflecting the population of North Carolina students, who recognize key aspects of their personalities through their interactions with art and Miss Edmonia’s encouragement of curiosity and self-discovery.
The images created by JP Jermaine Powell include recognizable visitor favorites in the People’s Collection, including Mickalene Thomas’s Three Graces: Les Trois Femmes Noires, 2011; Romare Bearden’s New Orleans: Ragging Home, 1974; and Yayoi Kusama’s LIGHT OF LIFE, 2018.
Powell’s curiosity and love for the arts began at a young age in Cleveland, OH. His natural talent for drawing, painting, and connecting with people led him to attend and graduate from the Pratt Institute in New York City. He creates large-scale public art pieces and exhibits his work regularly in the Triangle and beyond, including the recent show Visual Vanguard: An Exhibition of Black Contemporary Artists at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture in Charlotte and JP Jermaine Powell – Breathe, Back to Life, on view until March 1 at the Betty Ray McCain Art Gallery, Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts, Raleigh. He now resides in North Carolina with his wife, daughter, and two sons, and enjoys traveling the world and sharing his experiences through his paintings.
The book will be available nationwide at Black-owned and independent bookstores, the Museum Store, and online. The Museum will have special events, related merchandise, including an exclusive candle created by Stacy Ahua of Usu Company Candles, and free educational resources.