ART WORKS—AS A LANGUAGE

Caren Miller was only 8 when her beloved mother, Beezie, died at the age of 29.

But what the mother passed down to her daughter continues to impact lives positively decades later.

“My mother gave me the gift of art,” Miller, a lifelong art teacher who grew up in Skokie, says from her seat at Curt’s Café in Highland Park, her hometown since 1983. “We painted and drew together. We communicated and bonded through our art.

“What I learned at a young age, and what I still experience now, is that art is a fun way to use time with meaning. I’ve drawn for hours and sculpted for hours, sometimes becoming so immersed in what I was doing that I forgot I was hungry.”

An art teacher to “thousands” in her career, Miller has dedicated her life to nourishing those with intellectual and developmental disabilities by helping them express themselves through art. Among the other strengths on Miller’s crowded palette of gifts is the ability to figure out what people can do that they never thought they could do.

Miller, who taught art to at-risk youth and young adults at the North Shore Academy in Highland Park for 15 years, first met Josh Devires about seven years ago at Northbrook-based TotalLink2 Community, a nonprofit that helps individuals (age 18 or older) living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Devires, now 33, lives with autism.

Miller taught art to Devires and became a mentor to him as well.

“Art is a way for Josh to communicate with the world around him and elevate his selfesteem at the same time,” Miller, also known as “The Autism Whisperer,” says. “While Josh may process information and express himself differently than others, he has an unbelievable learning drive, and his artwork is full of an incredible amount of meaning.”

Devires is an artist, athlete, and musician. He also works at First Bank of Highland Park.

The mass shooting at the Independence Day parade in Highland Park last year devastated Devires, who, with guidance from Miller, turned to art to cope and heal.

“Josh did not know any of the victims, but he felt connected to all of them,” Miller says. “Together we made eight peace poles out of Wolmanized wood, each with a drawing and each four feet tall. We created them as partners. It was therapeutic for both of us after the terrible losses.

“Art can be a helpful way to deal with sadness,” she adds.

The eight peace poles—seven commemorating the people who died on July 4, 2022, and one for the community of Highland Park—are on permanent display outside The Art Center Highland Park, thanks to the leadership of Executive Director James Lynch. Lynfred Winery in Highland Park hosted the “Art of Wine & Art” event on April 23, celebrating Devires’ artwork during downtown Highland Park’s Arts in Focus month.

For a portion of her senior year at Niles North High School in Skokie in the late 1970s, Miller focused more on a labor issue than anything else as her school’s senior class president. Word got out that a plan was in place to dismiss all of the teachers at Niles North, Niles West, and Niles East (it closed in 1980) high schools.

“Contract negotiations had broken down, and the superintendent announced the district’s decision at an assembly,” Miller says. “I couldn’t believe it. I remember asking, ‘Who’s going to teach us?’ Senior class presidents of the other schools were there, too. We got organized, and the schools staged a walk-out that lasted three days.

“Fortunately, a mediator was chosen and the schools ended up retaining all of the teachers,” she adds.

Miller attended Bradley University in Peoria and earned a degree in TV/Radio Broadcast Communications. Way up there on her Bucket List is to write a sitcom pilot that gets a nod from a network.

On her 60th birthday not too long ago, Miller crossed off a Bucket List goal after performing a stand-up routine at a comedy bar in Chicago. She was the fourth entertainer on stage that night. Her gig lasted 22 minutes.

“I killed it,” she recalls with a hearty laugh. “It helps to have a sense of humor as a teacher. Laughter can be instrumental in the classroom. So can being able to pivot quickly.”

Caren got married to Brad Miller at the age of 22. They raised Erica, now 38, and Jonathon, 35. Caren Miller was miserable while working in marketing when Brad, out of the blue one day, told his wife, “I want to learn how to sculpt.”

Brad asked Caren to join him for an art class at the Jewish Community Center in Skokie.

“That’s where I found my passion for art again,” Caren says. “And that was my husband’s plan all along.”

Miller served as an art teacher at a number of places, in addition to the years (1998- 2013) she spent inspiring grade-schoolers and young adults at the North Shore Academy. Miller taught at Hyde Park Day School and in the GADOL (Giving Adults Daily Opportunities for Living) program at Keshet, an organization in Northbrook for individuals with special needs.

She also was an artist-in-residence at Evanston Township High School for several months.

“Art facilitates learning in the classroom,” says Miller, adding she once created a board game to assist her in teaching the American Revolution.

She has also worked with a former Art Institute of Chicago instructor who has early-onset Alzheimer’s.

“When she painted, it was like she was talking to me,” Miller says. “Art can be a wonderful way to express emotions for so many people.”

Mr. and Mrs. Miller have three grandchildren, with another on the way. Caren cherishes time with them and friends, as well as opportunities to walk when she’s not teaching in a classroom or in her basement studio.

“Sitting down with someone and talking about art over coffee, like we’re doing right now, I love this,” she says.

Beezie’s gifted daughter then beams.