Georgann DeMille was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. but spent her summers on her grandparent’s farm in rural Shelby County, Tennessee. During these visits her grandmother gave DeMille instructions about how to sew and quilt while also providing tips on other needlework skills. Originally intended to keep young DeMille busy and out of trouble, these lessons worked themselves into lifelong practices that continue today.
After a few semesters of college, DeMille set out for a new life direction. She spent almost thirty years working as a dental assistant and orthodontic lab technician but continued to put her fabric skills to work by creating children’s clothes. When her husband took a career move and went to graduate school, DeMille decided to persue her dream of becoming a professional artist and enrolled at the University of Memphis where she received her BFA in studio arts.
As a mixed media artist, DeMille combines those skills learned as a child with a love of materials that are meant to be used and then discarded. She repurposes materials such as fabric dryer sheets, prayer books, magazines and vintage prints to refashion and give form to her work.
DeMille was awarded the 2017 Tennessee State Fellowship from SouthArts. Her work has been shown nationally including the Liturgical & Sacred Art Exhibit, Springfield, IL, Women’s Works 2014-2017, Woodstock, IL, the Tennessee Arts Commission Gallery as well as the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, TN. She currently resides in Germantown, Tennessee.
