Nicole Miller’s To the Stars is an immersive exploration of identity, voice, pain, and possibility. Commissioned by SFMOMA and designed specifically for the museum’s Phyllis Wattis Theater, this new work combines video and sound elements with a dynamic laser-light display.

Miller is a conceptual artist known for her inventive uses of video, often incorporating documentary-style methods into evocative mixed-media installations that deal with self-representation and the experience of looking. To create this work, Miller filmed interviews, performance rehearsals, and behind-the-scenes moments with prominent figures of color in the arts and sciences, including choreographer Alonzo King, opera singer J’Nai Bridges, violinist Jessica McJunkins, and NASA astronaut Yvonne Cagle, as well as youth in local schools.

Admission to public screenings of Nicole Miller’s To the Stars is free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis. Check below for dates and times of upcoming monthly screenings. To the Stars is also an ongoing feature of SFMOMA’s Stage and Screen school visit program, which includes free admission to the museum’s galleries; applications are required for this program.

Run time for To the Stars is approximately one hour.

Generous support for Nicole Miller’s To The Stars is provided by Marjory Graue and Martin Bloes.

Meaningful support is provided by Wayee Chu and Ethan Beard.

Header image: NASA astronaut Dr. Yvonne Cagle filmed by Nicole Miller for this commission.

Nicole Miller, To the Stars, 2019 (still); commissioned by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; image: courtesy the artist