John Miller’s art looks good enough to eat.
A meaty burger glistens with dripping ketchup. Curly fries look crispy out of the fryer. A glass of Coca-Cola effervesces with bubbles.
But watch that first bite. Miller’s diner food is made out of glass.
Miller’s a pop-art glass artist, and he's passionate about old-fashioned diners. He has a new exhibit called “Order Up!” at the Lowe Art Museum at the University of Miami through Sunday.
Miller’s exhibit includes 35 pieces that are sure to make you hungry for some fast food, and also the past. Because as much as glass is his medium, so is nostalgia.
Diners were everywhere when he was growing up as a kid in Connecticut. Today, especially in South Florida, they’re a novelty — a lot like Miller’s art.
It’s art that speaks to America — a vision of what it meant to go out to dinner for the average family. There’s comfort in it.
If his exhibit makes you crave some real food, that’s good. He’s also doing a burger pop-up with the local food blogger Burger Beast on Friday.
On the Jan. 8 episode of Sundial, we talk about diner culture, the art of glassblowing and how he sees the comedy in his art.
On Sundial's previous episode, we talked about the best and worst movies from 2023 with René Rodriguez. He’s a former film critic and manages the Cosford Cinema at the University of Miami. He also tells us what he's looking forward to in 2024.
Listen to Sundial Monday through Thursday on WLRN, 91.3 FM, live at 1 p.m., rebroadcast at 8 p.m. Missed a show? Find every episode of Sundial on your favorite podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify.
