Eh? Aye! The artwork of Lorna Miller is the first ever solo exhibition to showcase the editorial talents of visual political satirist and cartooning illustrator Lorna Miller.
The exhibition will display an extensive collection of Miller’s published works – from titles including The Guardian, CommonSpace, Bella Caledonia, Private Eye and The Canary – alongside her first comics, created after graduating with a BA(Hons) in Drawing & Painting from The Glasgow School of Art in 1994. The exhibition runs from 7th – 27th March in the Reid Gallery Corridor at The Glasgow School of Art.
From being made to stand outside her chemistry class in high school for caricaturing her teacher, to being piled on by hundreds of angry Nicola Sturgeon fans on line, Lorna Miller has sharpened her pencil and become one of the most successful editorial cartoonists in the UK. In 2014 she became the first woman to have a position created for her in Private Eye: illustrating the Rotten Boroughs column. From 2018 – 2021 she was the only woman in the UK to have a weekly cartoon with Scottish media platforms CommonSpace and Bella Caledonia, and began working regularly for the Guardian in 2020.
Miller has received global attention for her work as a comic artist, editorial cartoonist and campaign artist. She has predominantly worked in the medium of traditional dip pen or brush and Indian ink line art, with watercolour or digital colouring; creating satirical art, concept art and illustrations for newspapers, magazines, web sites, books and exhibitions. She has been a digital colourist for the UK’s most popular children’s comics. In 1999 she was the first Scottish woman to have a book of comic art published that gained international acclaim called Witch (leading to a series of comics published in the US by Slave Labor Graphics).
An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon, is an illustration containing a commentary relating to current events, often lampooning politicians and political parties. Traditionally printed in newspapers, on line platforms have increased the reach of the medium. In spite of their popularity, there are fewer opportunities for artists today and the art form has mostly died out in Scotland. Worldwide, editorial cartoonists increasingly face the threat of sacking, imprisonment and even death. Editorial cartoons are a form of mass communication, a farce that is a potent force in moulding public opinion; they bulldoze through social and educational barriers. As an editorial cartoonist Miller has free rein to create narratives of her own choosing – a powerful position to have.
In recent years Miller has overcome a series of debilitating health challenges, which led to being diagnosed with Mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) and Hypermobility syndrome (HMS). These conditions are more prevalent amongst autistic people and Miller was also diagnosed autistic in 2024, age fifty-one. The diagnosis has provided a valuable insight into her creative process, work dedication, as well as setbacks along the way. She has found great benefit from becoming a Reiki practitioner in 2023.
Preview Thursday 6th March 5pm – 7pm. Tickets are free but please pre-book through Eventbrite.
For further information please contact press@gsa.ac.uk
NOTES FOR EDITORS
Image Credits (l to R):
Five Go Rogue – Lorna Miller May 2023. Guardian Opinion Cartoon.
The Second Cumming – Lorna Miller May 2020. Bella Caledonia Cartoon.
Shut out of Europe by Covid-19 – Lorna Miller June 2020. Guardian Opinion Cartoon.
“Witches at their Incantations” after Salvator Rosa c. 1646 – Lorna Miller Oct 2020. Bella Caledonia Cartoon.
Time is Money – Illustration – Lorna Miller Dec 2024. Morning Star Short Story by lan Currie.
About Lorna Miller
Throughout her thirty-year career, Lorna Miller has exhibited in Europe, the US and the UK: from a pub in Greenwich to the Barbican Centre. She has had articles written about her work in The Observer, Bella Caledonia, The National, Iscot, Vice, Idn and a Channel 4 publication. Her work has been printed in various anthologies in Europe and the US and on sites Femen and The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. She has worked as an editorial cartoonist for The Guardian, Bella Caledonia, The Morning Star, The Observer, The Independent, Private Eye, The Drouth, Chartist and The Canary. She has been interviewed on Radio 4 Women’s Hour, Radio 3 Free Thinking and had a film made about her by Phantom Power. Her work is in the permanent collection of The Royal Shakespeare Company; The People’s History Museum, Manchester; The SNP; University College, London; Minneapolis Institute of Art, US, Jeremy Corbyn and a Tory MP from Dorsington. Miller curates and manages Drawn Together on Facebook, featuring work by her, Martin Rowson, and neurodivergent artists Tom Johnston and Jamie-Max.
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA)
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is internationally recognised as one of Europe’s leading independent university-level institutions for education and research in the visual creative disciplines. Our studio-based, specialist, practice-led teaching, learning and research draw talented individuals with a shared passion for visual culture and creative production from all over the world.
Originally founded in 1845 as one of the first Government Schools of Design, the School’s history can be traced back to 1753 and the establishment of the Foulis Academy delivering a European-style art education. Today, the GSA is an international community of over 3500 students and staff and 22,000 alumni across architecture, design, fine art and innovation and technology in our campuses in Glasgow and Altyre (in the Scottish Highlands). www.gsa.ac.uk
