Hailed as a true visionary and leader, Milenko was born in 1947 in Ljubljana, Slovenia (then the republic of Yugoslavia), and studied art history at the University of Ljubljana. In the 1960s he was a member of the Slovene neo-avant-garde movement OHO — a collaborative of visual artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians and theorists. After a few years, the movement transformed into the OHO Group (1966-71), where Milenko, one of the four founding members, started with visual poetry, drawings, paintings and objects. As part of the group, Milenko held to the stated goal of challenging the status quo of what art was and how we can experience it in our everyday lives. This quickly graduated to conceptual projects, actions and happenings.
In the summer of 1969, Milenko found a more collaborative approach to his art: instead of just making objects, he focused on highlighting his own relationships with fields, parks, walls, rivers, sunsets, night skies, and people. The principles he invented in those years influenced all his later work.
After a few years, members of the OHO group started to question their involvement with traditional arts venues. Their experience of the art world, through exhibits such as the International Show at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 1970, seemed the antithesis of the original pursuit — to push art into life. In April of 1971, the OHO Group left the art world and moved in separate directions; Milenko stopped identifying solely as an artist and started to explore new territory at the nexus of art and community. This next phase led him to the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland, where he found a venue to explore his musical passions, serving there as the music and educational director. In 1973, he immigrated to the United States. He traveled the country performing original folk music with his wife, singer and storyteller Kathi Lightstone. They had two daughters, and settled outside of Seattle in Issaquah, WA, where Milenko founded the non-profit Pomegranate Center to explore how he might work outside the narrowly defined world of art and become active in building better communities. Pomegranate Center began facilitating collaborative community projects and gathering spaces in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. During these years he regularly worked with the artist and architect James Hubbell on the Pacific Rim Parks around the world, from China to Russia, USA and Mexico. Milenko believes that, when it comes to society, “together, we always know more” and that empowering communities is the most efficient, foundational way to improve society. “Communities are healthier, stronger and safer when they include public spaces where people can gather - where all ages interact, neighbors meet and individuals enjoy the benefits of art and nature. These “multiple victories” were the focus of Pomegranate’s work.
In 2017, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Ljubljana hosted his exhibit Waves - 50 years of Milenko Matanovič Art. On display were six rooms of original installations, as well as his inks, watercolors and photos from the OHO and Pomegranate years. He continues to create what he refers to as his “art fitness”: watercolors, inks and small sculptures.
As a musician, Milenko has written original music and performed on several albums, beginning with his early years directing a men’s choir in Slovenia, singing with a music group at Findhorn, and the folk duo Kathi & Milenko. When they discovered their daughters had musical abilities, Milenko began setting traditional children’s poetry to music and the family made several albums of music for children, collaborating with Grammy-award winning musician Nancy Rumbel. Their first album, Good Morning Good Night, won a Parent’s Choice award in 1987. The family continued performing together for the next decade and his youngest daughter, Anya, went on to become an internationally renowned opera singer.
Milenko is a popular speaker, consulting with governments and nonprofits on community engagement, collaboration and “creative placemaking”. He has written multiple books and publications on his personal artistic philosophy and his work with communities. Since 2013, he has served as an Affiliate Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Washington, College of Built Environments.
Using all the experience gained in the years of projects and community meetings, Pomegranate Center now focuses on training others to carry out the same unique methods of facilitation and collaboration. Milenko stepped away from his job as Director at Pomegranate Center in 2016 to focus on consulting, writing, and art. His daughter, Katya, now serves as CEO, and together they train future leaders in the Pomegranate Method. Katya and Milenko regularly consult with government agencies and non-profit organizations in fostering collaborative practices.
You can view and download Milenko’s full c.v. here.