A Manitoba artist with deep family ties to Portage la Prairie is returning to Prairie Fusion Arts & Entertainment Centre with a new collection exploring self-reflection, change and contentment.
Jordan Miller’s Exploration of Contentment is on display at Prairie Fusion through Oct. 22, featuring more than 60 abstract acrylic and alcohol ink paintings.
The exhibit’s opening reception is Sunday, Sept. 20, from 1 to 4 p.m.
Jordan Miller holds an invitation to her Exploration of Contentment exhibit at Prairie Fusion Arts & Entertainment Centre in Portage la Prairie. Photo submitted/Jordan Miller
Miller, who lives and works in St. Andrews, says the collection developed during a period of significant change in her life.
“I’m learning a lot about myself right now, and I’m 47 years old, that sounds kind of funny, but I’m really looking deep inside of myself when I’m creating on a more intuitive level,” Miller said.
Finding contentment
Miller says the paintings reflect an ongoing process of looking inward and working through self-doubt.
Layers are built up and scraped away throughout the collection, with bold abstract pieces alongside softer works.
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“It’s about finding the calm and also putting a little bit of excitement in the work in small and subtle ways,” Miller said.
In her exhibition statement, Miller says the work reflects resilience and acceptance, while inviting viewers to consider how contentment can exist alongside uncertainty and change.
She says creating art full time has also provided a different kind of balance.
Miller closed her former business, Cre8ery Gallery and Studio, in May 2025 after operating it for 19 years.
She says she has now been working solely as an artist for 17 months.
“I’m really excited about this chapter,” Miller said.
A return to Prairie Fusion
Miller’s decision to exhibit in Portage la Prairie is rooted in her family history.
Her grandparents moved to Portage in the 1950s. Her grandfather, Clive Miller, was a judge, while her grandmother, Virginia Miller, was involved in the arts and served on the board of the Portage District Arts Centre, now known as Prairie Fusion.
Miller says some of her earliest memories of visiting the arts centre came when she was about five years old and attended exhibitions and performances with her grandmother.
One of Jordan Miller’s abstract paintings featured in her Exploration of Contentment exhibit at Prairie Fusion Arts & Entertainment Centre in Portage la Prairie. Photo submitted/Jordan Miller
Her grandmother also helped inspire Miller’s own career in the arts.
Miller previously held an exhibition at Prairie Fusion in 2019. She says she had been excited to tell her grandmother about the show, but she died before she could see it.
Miller’s father attended the 2019 opening, which she remembers as a proud moment.
He died in 2024, around the time Miller approached Prairie Fusion about holding another exhibition.
“I feel like I’m honoring my family again by doing this show again,” she said.
Miller says the return also gives her an opportunity to support the arts centre, with sales from the exhibition going through Prairie Fusion.
Meet the artist
Miller will return to Prairie Fusion for an informal Meet the Artist event on Oct. 17 from 1 to 4 p.m.
The event will be a come-and-go format rather than a formal artist talk.
Miller says she may make another appearance later in October and will post updates through her Instagram account.
She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts honours degree from the University of Manitoba and an Arts and Cultural Management diploma from the University of Winnipeg.
Miller received the Woman of Distinction Award for the arts in 2011 and was one of three finalists for the Future Leaders of Manitoba Awards in 2015.
She is also a volunteer board co-chair with Artists AccessAbility Network Manitoba, where she advocates for artists with invisible disabilities.