IOWA ARTIST OF THE MONTH
Ben Millett
about the artist
Quiltmaking is
Ben Millett's creative outlet outside his work at an agriculture company in Des Moines, Iowa. He employs personal color palettes in quilts to examine nuances of Queer identity, pop culture, and quiltmaking itself. Turning digital concepts into a physical reality with fabric and thread, he creates to play, to communicate ideas, to further the gay agenda, to make what he wants to see. His work was recently on display in "Iowa Artists 2025: Ben Millett", the Des Moines Art Center's first exhibition of a quilt artist.
ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Plans Within Plans Within Plans
From the first time that I read Frank Herbert’s Dune as a teenager, the phrase “plans within plans within plans” uttered by Baron Harkonnen lodged itself in my head. That phrase, combined with design criteria for this collection, came to be visualized akin to matryoshka, with additional dashes of woven plaid and of repetitive shapes found in nature.
The collection was designed around a cohesive set of visual and construction guidelines, emphasizing bright colors, variation between individual pieces, and consistency across the series. Shared design elements and techniques created unity, while selective use of materials and methods allowed each piece to maintain its own distinct character.
We feature a new Iowa artist each month. See this collection through June, and return next month to discover the next spotlighted artist! To be considered for a feature, email us your portfolio.
