Emil Milan

United States, 1922–1985

BiographyEmil Milan was born in 1922 in New Jersey. A master at using the band saw, he was known for his contribution to studio woodworking. At a young age, he gained an understanding of manipulating materials from his father who was an industrial welder. Milan was trained in sculpture and worked in a Modernist style, focusing particularly on his craft of elegant carved object. Milan utilized machinery for perfection, speed and reproduction. He took classes for several years at the Art Students League of New York. In 1962, he relocated to a remote region in northeastern Pennsylvania and became an instructor in a USDA-Cooperative Extension Service craft education program. He helped set up the woodworking program at Peters Valley Craft Center in New Jersey, where he served as an associate, resident and taught throughout 1971-1984. In the mid-1960s, his teaching extended to Honduras where he worked with Joyce and Edgar Anderson.

Milan's work is included in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Museum's Renwick Gallery and Museum of Arts and Design. His notable exhibitions include Designer Craftsmen U.S.A 1953, co-sponsored by The Brooklyn Museum, as well as the Renwick Gallery's Craft Multiples (ca. 1975).