Thomas M. Miles is a Philadelphia-based artist working across sculpture, drawing, photography, video, and technology. His practice is rooted in curiosity—about materials, systems, and the human stories that shape the objects we live with every day.

“I still remember the first time I realized I cared as much about how something was made as about what it looked like, about how to engage with it.”

It wasn’t a dramatic moment. Organic in nature. No applause. Just a problem in front of me—and the quiet satisfaction of figuring out how to meaningfully engage it.

That instinct (practice) has stayed with me.

Before sculpture became my primary language, I studied sociology and theology. I was interested in people—how they live, what they believe, and how meaning takes shape over time. Those early studies continue to inform my work, even when the results are physical rather than philosophical.

"I’ve always been interested in what happens when materials meet intention."

My formal training in sculpture brought me to Philadelphia and later to Boston, where I earned my MFA from Boston University. Along the way, I found myself drawn not only to form, but to process. I wanted to understand scale, structure, and the mechanics behind making something durable—especially when it needed to exist in public space.

That curiosity led me to explore digital tools early. Long before it was common practice, I began working with 3D scanning and CNC machining to enlarge sculpture while maintaining precision and integrity. What started as experimentation gradually became a specialization.

And then, unexpectedly, collaboration.

Over the years, as a hired gun,  I was invited to work alongside artists and architects I deeply respected—Frank Stella, Jeff Koons, Larry Bell, and John Portman, among them. Often, my role was simply to help make something possible. To solve a problem. To translate an idea into reality.

"Some of the most interesting work I’ve done carries someone else’s name—and I’m okay with that. It was a gift."

My own sculptures have found homes in public spaces throughout Philadelphia. Big Ben at Franklin Town (co-created with Alexander L. Generalis) and The Sign Boy are works people pass every day—sometimes noticing, sometimes not. 

Outside the studio, I’ve remained committed to the broader arts community through years of board service and institutional support. Building the infrastructure that allows artists to work has always felt inseparable from making the work itself.

At this stage of my life, I’m still doing what I’ve always done: paying attention, asking questions & solving problems. Letting materials and ideas guide the next step.

"I’m still curious. And that feels like the most important thing. Creativity is not a God-given talent; it is a system of working that we all possess."