In post-9/11 America, there
has been a movement to accept unquestioningly government policies and actions.
America has moved away from the system of checks and balances created by the
Founding Fathers that demanded our active participation in government through
the rights of freedom of speech, dissent, and the vote and the responsibility
to question our government. This is the path that Dan Mills questions, doubts,
and challenges. In Mills pun-laden, mocking rhetoric, bombastic imperialistic
machinations are bombarded with irony and absurdity. Through his art, he
provokes to do likewise. In less capable hands, the result would be
small-minded and mean-spirited. In the hands of Dan Mills, it is captivating.
—Barbara Rothermel, Dan Mills: Empire exhibition brochure, October, 2007
