Patrick Mills: A Celebration is an in-depth & triumphant look at the work of one of Hampton Roads’ most respected visual artists. Working primarily in acrylic and oil, Patrick Mills’ work poignantly illustrates the black experience, the American experience, and how the two are inextricable from one another. While some of his works speak to the happenings in society past and present, Mills also depicts his family’s history and lineage- using himself and his family’s history as a mirror upon which the viewer sees their own lives and history. The subjects of his paintings range from jubilant jazz, to pious religiosity, to historical figures, to serene scenes, to the transatlantic slave trade, to the pandemic.
The exhibition will be on view in our Newport News Community Gallery from November 8 – December 6, 2025 with an opening reception on November 8, 2025 from 1:30-3:30pm. At the reception, Patrick Mills will be represented by special guests from his home gallery of Art Central Gallery Phoebus (founded by the late ‘pictorial storyteller’ Everna Lee Taylor), located in Downtown Phoebus in Hampton, VA. RSVP for the reception is appreciated. Free & open to the public. Light refreshments served.
About Patrick Mills
Mills began to pursue his interest in art following graduation in Long Island, NY. This pursuit of art as a career began when his high school art teacher and guidance counselor encouraged him to pursue his interest following graduation.
Patrick engaged in coursework at several schools and colleges, including NY State University at Farmingdale and Empire State College at Old Westbury. At Old Westbury, he completed the associate’s degree in Visual Arts.
Patrick worked as an instructor in creative art programs such as the Hands Across Long Island Outreach Center (HALO). These programs provide therapeutic modality for people with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities.
Patrick Mills has exhibited and sold his art work in the metropolitan NY area, at African American art exhibits such as the museum in Baltimore, at the James Gallery in Washington, D.C., at a juried African American art show at Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, and at numerous shows and galleries throughout Virginia. Mills has shown at the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center several times including “Ella 100”, “(-ism)”, “We Still Here”, “Iconic Art”, and represented DGCAC at the Port Warwick Art & Sculpture Festival. At the latter two, Mills won awards for his work.
You can contact artist at pjmillsart@hotmail.com