Green has been Ben Millett's favorite color since childhood. It appears on him in vibrant pops, from his wire-frame glasses to his fading fingernail polish and bright neon sneakers.
It also shows up frequently in the artist's quilts, now on display in a landmark exhibition at the Des Moines Art Center.
“Its usage helps reinforce my presence in the quilt," he said in an interview with exhibit co-curator Laura Burkhalter.
On view through Nov. 2, the exhibition marks the first solo show at the museum dedicated entirely to quilt-making. It highlights Millett’s layered, vividly colored textile work, which draws on traditional techniques while exploring queer identity, color theory, personal memory and communal storytelling.
A plant pathologist who began quilt making in his 30s, Millett's pieces range from wall-sized installations to wearable garments, often combining bold geometry and saturated hues with symbolic nods to queer culture and history.
For Millett, quilts can be as beautiful and complicated as they are functional.
“Quilts themselves... can live in that liminal space of mixed purpose, and that really resonates with me,” Millett said on IPR's Talk of Iowa.
The centerpiece of the show, "If I Had Said Yes," is a monumental installation composed of 21 individual quilts that take up an entire wall. Inspired in part by the multiverse concept seen in pop culture, each quilt represents a version of Millett’s life in an alternate timeline, reflecting on 21 moments when he could have come out earlier in his life, but chose not to.
Each quilt shares a consistent block pattern and features a unique shade of Millett’s signature green. Embedded within the design are additional colors from Gilbert Baker’s original 1978 pride flag. Together, the 21 quilts form a kaleidoscopic autobiography of possibility and self-acceptance.
Color plays a deeply symbolic role throughout Millett’s practice. In "Progress Pride Stars," rainbow hues burst into a traditional starburst motif, acknowledging the presence of queer people across generations, even when their contributions went unrecognized. Next to it, "Hanky Code" references the subtle bandana-based communication system once used by queer men to signal interest and identity.
One of the quietest works, "Not Everyone Wears a Rainbow," honors those who cannot safely express who they are. Names like “asexual,” “demisexual” and “nonbinary” are stitched in white thread on white fabric — nearly invisible until light reveals a rainbow backing.
That theme of hidden meaning carries into Millett’s wearable works as well. In "Say Gay!," a black shirt that stitches the word "gay" with barely legible yellow thread conceals a vibrantly striped interior. Two jackets inspired by the folk horror film Midsommar bring Millett’s quilt textures into three-dimensional form — garments he often debuts at QuiltCon, a national convention for modern quilters. He completed a full-length coat made from all 365 shades of Kona cotton just three weeks ahead of his first QuiltCon appearance in 2020.
Millett’s journey to quilt making was unexpected. Raised in St. Louis, he moved to Iowa after graduate school and found creative outlets in photography, blogging and crafting with his grandmother. His first real quilt began as a family project: assembling quilt blocks from relatives into a wedding gift after his grandmother could no longer finish it herself. The process sparked something new.
In 2019, Millett created "Spinning Into Control," a spiraling quilt that uses ombré fabrics by Iowa designer Vanessa Christensen. Initially meant for his bed, it quickly took on a new life.
“Once I finished this quilt, I realized that I didn't actually want it on my bed," he said. "It would be perfectly functional as a quilt on the bed, but with this, I could take a more artful approach to the quilt-making process. This was one of the quilts that really helped me recognize that I could have it be more than just utilitarian."
For Burkhalter, the decision to include Millett in the museum’s ongoing Iowa Artists series was clear.
“To me, the best thing about Ben Millett’s art isn’t that it's quilted, or that it has amazing colors, or that it tells stories and makes statements — it’s how all of these elements work together," she said. "Although I’m thrilled about it, I didn’t actually put together that it would be the first solo exhibition of quilts until I’d already invited Ben to be the Iowa Artist for 2025. That being said, the [Des Moines] Art Center has a history of collecting and exhibiting artists who blur lines between the arbitrary categories of 'craft' and 'fine art, and I’m proud this exhibition continues this tradition."
The exhibition came together during a challenging chapter in Millett’s life. Diagnosed with colon cancer shortly after accepting the invitation, he continued designing through surgery and chemotherapy and returned to the sewing machine once treatment ended. Now in remission, Millett called the opening “surreal” and deeply meaningful.
“It's been great to hear how people have been impacted by quilts such as 'If I Had Said Yes.' Some fellow quilters knew at a high level what that series had been about, but seeing it on the wall was really impactful to them," he said. "Having people be positively impacted by the quilts has been really rewarding.”
Millett's quilts will remain on display through Nov. 2. Upcoming events tied to the show include a gallery talk with Burkhalter and Millett Aug. 23, a live hand quilting demonstration Sept. 14, a lecture Oct. 16 and a guided tour Nov. 1.
