She Merges Art and Mission at Carpenter Art Garden

Memphis native Jazmin Miller has a love of theatre and a heart for missions. The Rhodes College theatre graduate has traveled the world in service of both but found her greatest heart’s desire right here in her hometown. “I realized in my late 20s that I wanted to find the place where art and missions intersected,” she says.

Jazmin returned to Rhodes for her graduate degree and accepted a full-time job at Crosstown Arts as their Youth After-School Director, working with kids in Story Booth. When Crosstown Theatre was complete, she became the Director. Though she loved her role at Crosstown, she found what she was looking for when Carpenter Art Garden came calling — that special place where she could combine her two cherished passions. Meet Carpenter Art Garden’s newest Executive Director and our latest FACE of Memphis, Jazmin Miller!

What was your childhood like?

I had a really sweet upbringing. My parents were both doctors with their own practice about a mile from where we lived in Whitehaven. I went to school next door to their practice. Our church was close, too, about a quarter of a mile from home. All of my friends lived in the neighborhood. I was on a swim team that was within walking distance of our house. We did life together in this closely connected community.

Tell us more about your career path before starting your Carpenter Art Garden job.

In my 20s, I started doing mission work and touring a one-woman show called Journey of Truth, based on the life of Sojourner Truth, which I wrote and performed. For half the year, I was Sojourner Truth. For the other half, I went to Africa to work with Maasai women, who were not allowed to be educated. They were allowed to be entertained, though, so the Maasai men welcomed me — I wasn’t educating their women; I was entertaining them. But through theatre, we were able to teach. I also did mission work in Haiti and Honduras.

I went to graduate school with a specific goal in mind — to work at Crosstown Theatre and get the community engaged in after-school theatre programs. As the Theatre Director, I was responsible for managing the venue in addition to the after-school programming.

I did not apply for the Carpenter Art Garden job. It sort of found me through a friend. The more I learned about it, the more I realized that Carpenter Art Garden was what I was looking for — that place where art and mission intersect.

Can you expound more on what drew you to Carpenter Art Garden?

Carpenter Art Garden provides an oasis of art programs right in between a school and a major housing development. School-age children can enjoy art at the Purple House, participate in the bike program across the street, get tutoring at Aunt Lou’s House, and learn gardening and cooking with the help of two organic vegetable gardens. Neighborhood teenagers with a vocation in art, gardening, cooking, or biking can get a job with us.

I saw a reflection of the way I grew up, but what really drew me were those gardens. I don’t know anything about gardening; I feel bad about that because that is part of my legacy. My family has owned land on the Mississippi River in St. James, Louisiana, for generations — cultivating it, growing fruits and vegetables, and having enough to share with others. During the pandemic, I was able to do a lot of research on my family and the Jonesland property.

Can you tell us more about your research into your family and what came from it?

I’ve always known my family owned this land on the river, but I wanted to learn more. Our genealogy goes back to one woman named Sedonia Dennis. She was my great-great-grandmother, the first family member to own Jonesland.

That area, which is between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, is known as “Cancer Alley.” Recently, light has been shed on how and why the oil, gas, and plastic industries were able to use dangerous, toxic processes there. It’s because the land was considered empty, with no people; it was essentially a sacrifice zone for the people who actually did live there.

I knew about that sad legacy, so I was focused on the beautiful legacy of people of color owning land for that long, who lived in community with others, sharing what they had and taking care of one another. Another factor was the 2014 announcement that oil was on the land, and an oil company wanted to drill.

My research had turned into a documentary film titled Jonesland as I talked to the older generation about what they remembered. They were not surprised by the information that there was oil on our property. They had memories, not only of living on the land but of how they knew the natural resources were there and why they kept the knowledge a secret.

SB NOTE: An exhibit about ‘Jonesland,’ called Extractivism, is showing at Tulane University through April 14. “The film itself is in post-production, and we will screen it at the closing,” said Jazmin. “It is also the subject of a podcast with Monument Lab in Philadelphia.”

Going back to your career path, what are some of your achievements that you are most proud of?

For me, achievements have been when I see art and mission create a breakthrough for someone. I’ll never forget going to Haiti with therapists, counselors, doctors, and translators. I had recently graduated from college and didn’t feel like I was bringing much to the table except art.

We arrived at this little mountaintop village where the government was housing displaced children who had lost everything and everyone. The camp leaders would sit them around the table with counselors, therapists, and translators — and they would get nowhere. The kids would just shut down.

I had art supplies with me, and we broke out the colors and the markers; the children started drawing to answer the questions they’d been asked. They drew what happened and what they remembered. From that place, they were able to start talking and healing. It was a collective achievement, but that was the moment I realized how I wanted to define success for the rest of my life.

Switching gears a little, what do you love most about Memphis?

I love the heart of Memphis and how we are such a big small town. No matter where you go, you’ll know somebody that knows somebody. People check on me, and I check on them. We have problems, and we are segregated in a lot of ways that break my heart, but we are fighting to change that. I love that Memphis is just a fighter.

How do you make time for yourself?

My family owns a home in the country with a beautiful view. I bring my dog, and we have a great time. I’m also a triathlete, so I bike, swim, and run. I love to be in nature — that is my self-care.

What’s your best piece of advice?

Always be yourself. In an age of social media, people can sculpt how they present their lives. It’s easy to compare and to say you want to be like someone else. But at the end of the day, the best thing you have to offer the world is yourself.

Aside from faith, family, and friends, what are three things you can’t live without?

Time in nature, coffee, and my dog.

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