Wendi Miller Legacy Project Open House

By Al Preston

---

            We had the wonderful opportunity to work with the Wendi Miller Legacy Project this May on their open house! The Wendi Miller project was created shortly after Wendi’s death a handful of years ago. Her son, Cooper, wanted to save what was left behind in her frame shop in East Liberty, but also the legacy of her life. Her work for the city as a scuba diver and sharpshooter but also her activism as a transgender woman whose kindness and neighborly attitude led to the inclusion of transgender folks to the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance.

            Wendi Miller kept just about everything she came across in life. From strange tools to flyers, to ye oldy credit card receipt makers.

            She also kept all of the art dropped off to her shop and never picked up. Between family photos and posters, there are multiple pieces of original art from well-known Pittsburgh artists and some from artists across the globe. Wendi’s framing work is all over the city and she was friends with many of the artists, like the Zets brothers and Robert Qualters.

            While the project itself is only a few years old, Wendi’s name has helped them get a good foot hold in the city as many people from all walks of life may have known about Wendi. Even if she was just that wonderful frame shop lady.

            Their archive is also very new, not yet fully processed, but making great strides towards a working archive. Getting to work with them was a joy. Aiding in some part of the archival process and creating an exhibit showcasing everything the archive has to offer was very fun! It’s the work I’ve been wanting to do for some time now, and I’m very glad I was able to do it.

            The exhibit turned out wonderfully! I truly thank those who came. I hope it was inspiring and heartwarming to see it all. See the life of a very lovely and wonderful woman. For those who weren’t able to go, I have quite a few pictures from the exhibit!

            I greatly look forward to continuing to work with the Wendi Miller Legacy Project as they continue going through their archive and turn the frame shop into a welcoming community space. Hopefully soon, we’ll be working together on another project, but that’s all I’ll hint at for now.

            If you’d like to support them in their efforts, you can visit their funding page here: https://www.newsunrising.org/project/the-wendi-miller-legacy-project/