Charlie Miller

“I love working with cultural institutions to remove barriers for people with disabilities and low-income folks. Art has no value unless its accessible to all people.”

Charlie Miller is consumed with a single question: “Who is being left out?” He knows the feeling, having grown up in a single-parent home that relied on government assistance. But this insistent query has sent him all over the globe to work for social justice and equality. It led him to work for an international peacemaking organization, leading outreach and engagement efforts in Colombia, Iraq, Lesvos, and Israel/Palestine.  And that question made him the perfect fit for Art-Reach, a Philadelphia non-profit that partners with over 400 organizations to make arts and culture more accessible to people in the disability and low-income communities. From 2014-2018, Charlie held various positions there, including deputy director.  

In 2019, he returned to Art-Reach to lead the ACCESS Philly program. ACCESS Cards endow people with disabilities—and their companions-- the opportunities to purchase $2 tickets to thousands of performances and exhibitions. Charlie has conceived two large accessible dance projects with the Pennsylvania Ballet, both culminating in feature-length documentaries. Originally from Central Pennsylvania, Charlie loves his adopted city of Philadelphia, which he enjoys exploring for hidden cultural gems.

Where do art & your discipline meet?

“I love working with cultural institutions to remove barriers for people with disabilities and low-income folks. Art has no value unless its accessible to all people, so I always work within that framework and belief.“

Who are your local heroes? 

“Basically the entire staff of Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, Sarah Cooper & Samantha Dunster at PA Ballet, Christine Cox at BalletX, Olivia Thomas at Please Touch Museum, Naomi Gonzalez at Mann Center, Alison Titman at the Helicopter Museum, Marcie Bramucci at People's Light, Lisa Sonneborn at Temple's Institute of Disabilities, the Visitor Services Team at both the National Constitution Center & the Museum of the American Revolution, Meredith Sellers at the Mutter, Amanda Agati at PNC, Cheryl Kauffman at Woods Services, Sue Daugherty at MANNA, Susan Sherman at Independence Foundation, Michelle Ullman, Franzi Peterman, and Julianne Shrader-Ortega at PHS, Nicole Sardella, Linda Payton & Theresa Babin at Legal Clinic for the Disabled, Vicki Landers at Disability Pride PA, Molly de Aguiar & Nuala Cabral at Independence Public Media Foundation, Dani Rose at Ticket Philadelphia/Kimmel, Laura Westmoreland at Brandywine River Museum, Nicole Krom at Longwood Gardens, Val Gay at the Barnes, Last BUT NOT Least: Dr Roger Isheishi (International Thought Leader on Sensory Friendly experiences) and the 5 people I get to work with everyday at Art-Reach: John, Kelly, Lauren, Katie, and Alex!”

Biography:

Charlie Miller returned to Art-Reach in November 2019, after having worked for an international peacemaking organization leading their outreach & engagement efforts in Colombia, Iraq, Lesvos, and Israel/Palestine. From 2014-2018, Charlie held various positions, including Deputy Director at Art-Reach, a Philadelphia non-profit working to make the arts and cultural sector more accessible to people with disabilities, and low-income communities. Charlie has conceived two large accessible dance projects with the Pennsylvania Ballet, both culminating in feature-length documentaries. In all of his work, he is consumed with a singular question: “who is being left out?” and this query has sent him all over the globe to work for social justice and equality. Charlie loves his adopted city of Philadelphia, which he enjoys exploring for hidden cultural gems.