2025 Fresh Perspectives cohort at the Seattle Asian Art Museum We spoke with teaching artist and 2025 Fresh Perspectives lead artist, Janet Nechama Miller, about their background and insights on the program, leading up to the youth-curated show You, Me, & Everything Between Us. Read on to learn more.
Janet is an artist and teacher based in Seattle, WA. Their work spans paintings, drawings, and handmade books, often incorporating mixed-media materials such as beeswax, encaustic pigments, graphite, oil paint, ink, and salvaged objects, reflecting Miller’s personal experiences and the imperfect, joyful journey through life.
Their artwork is deeply influenced by social justice movements, drawing inspiration from the people and communities who have worked tirelessly to foster hope, resiliency, and safer ways of living. Miller’s pieces reflect the revolutionary spirit of those who strive to reimagine love, family, and home, and transformative visions for a world free from violence and oppression.
Tell us about your background as a teaching artist. How are you bringing your past experience into this program?
I’ve been teaching art since 2006, when I first began offering encaustic painting and bookmaking workshops out of my studio in Pioneer Square (long live the 619 Western building!). I found a lot of joy and connection through these workshops, which led me to take my teaching practice beyond the art studio and into organizations such as Gage Academy, Orion Center, ZAPP, Seattle Art Museum, and now, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. Teaching has allowed me to sustain my art practice, be inspired by and learn from other artists, and build community.
In 2010, I became a certificated art teacher. Since then, I’ve taught art at the elementary, middle, and now high school level. I currently teach high school art at The Center School, a public alternative school, living the art teacher’s dream in a school filled with creative and inspiring young artists.
Teaching art is my life’s work and I’m grateful to have stayed on this humbling path to continue growing as an educator. Every teaching experience is filled with learning and re-learning best practices in the moment, as times change and students’ needs evolve. I’ve discovered that building trust with young people is the most effective teaching strategy out there. Youth are smart and creative, and their voices need to be centered and honored in learning environments. Allowing youth to lead results in powerful results that improve our world. Fresh Perspectives is a wonderful program to bring this into practice, because it provides such a powerful opportunity for teens to make an impact on the art world.
What’s been your main focus with the youth cohort?
My main focus with the youth cohort has been supporting them in building authentic connections with each other. On the first day of the program, they were quiet and reserved, not sure what they were getting into, and I had to practically force them to talk to each other. By the end of the two months of intensive work and learning together, they all knew each other well and built a solid foundation of trust. I was impressed by the skillful ways they communicated honestly and navigated differences of opinions. On our last field trip to the Henry, after taking in the art, the youth naturally circled around a ping pong table in the courtyard. Watching them talking, laughing and playing together will be one of my favorite memories of this program.
I also kept my initial goals handy on my laptop every day the cohort met:
- Empower youth to feel a sense of belonging and agency to make change in the art world
- Listen to the youth about how to make the art world more inclusive & accessible for all people
- Make art, look at art, talk about art
- Connect youth with working artists and arts organizations in Seattle
- Center youth voices in all decisions
- Curate a successful exhibit that feels relevant & values-aligned for the youth
What is it like working within the city with partners like Seattle Public Utilities? Has your perception of Seattle’s Civic Art Collection changed at all?
Alongside the youth, I’ve learned a lot about what goes on behind the scenes to maintain and grow Seattle’s Civic Art Collection. A highlight from Fresh Perspectives was visiting the Municipal Tower on our second day together. Blake Haygood, Curator and Collections Manager, showed us around the mysterious art storage room, and we started to understand just how vast and diverse the art collection is!
We also had the opportunity to talk to SPU staff and learn about what kinds of art they hoped to see in their building and around the city. I was delighted to discover how much they value the art around them and how excited they were to meet the youth. It’s clear that the Fresh Perspectives program is really dear to many City of Seattle staff, and that was so great for all of us to feel. We left that field trip feeling informed, supported, and affirmed!
What has been your favorite part of the program so far?
Of course it’s hard to pick one fave—it has truly been an amazing experience and such an honor to lead this summer’s cohort. My favorite part of the program is the youth. Getting to know them has been so fun. They are smart, creative, thoughtful, kind, collaborative, and hilarious! Their art and ideas are amazing, and each one brought such unique qualities to the group. I especially love how much they value community. Community was a core value of their exhibition theme, and it’s been very clear why—at every opportunity, these teens looked out for each other and took care of each other. They honored each other’s ideas, even when they were coming from different perspectives. From playing rounds of Uno and “Hot Seat” to engaging in deep discussions about whether or not an art piece supported their theme of “You, Me, and Everything Between Us,” they worked together beautifully and really embodied the true meaning of community.
Other highlights include how excited they were when they nailed down the name of their exhibition, working with incredible teaching artists such as Monyee Chau, Gabriel Teodros, Tessa Hulls, Carina del Rosario, Shayla Hufana, and many more, going on field trips including Seattle Art Fair, Tacoma Art Museum, Wa Na Wari, and Seattle Art Museum, and just making art together in our conference room while working on our exhibition.
Do you have any advice for young artists or arts workers?
My advice would be to keep making art, no matter what. Art will always be here for us, through all the ups and downs of life. You don’t have to make something polished and refined for it to be considered art, either. Art can be messy, imperfect, weird, awkward… all of the things! Try not to judge yourself or your work. Artists make work we don’t love sometimes. It’s part of the process. Just create and experience the ways art can bring people together, heal, support social change, and so much more. The more you make art, the more confident you feel. The more confident you feel, the safer you feel taking artistic risks and trying new things.
Also, you don’t have to wait around for opportunities to come your way, you can also create them. For example, two of the Fresh Perspectives participants, Billie and Bunni, found that they love curation so much that they want to continue this work beyond the program. They already have a show lined up at Zeitgeist Art & Coffee in 2026, so stay tuned for what they do next! Connect with other young artists whenever you can and create the art world you want to see yourself in. You can do this by organizing youth art shows, making zines, sharing skills with each other, starting an art club at your school, or just making art together.
About Fresh Perspectives
Fresh Perspectives is a paid arts residency program designed for youth aged 15-17. This unique opportunity immerses participants in the world of curatorial practice and arts administration. This year, Fresh Perspectives is made possible through the SPU 1% for Art Fund that includes stipends for up to ten youth participants, program expenses, and a significant budget for the acquisition of new artwork curated by the cohort, which will become part of Seattle’s Civic Art Collection.
