Remembering Noah Phillip MacMillan, BFA11
2022-09-12 • Sam Fox School
The Sam Fox School is deeply saddened by the passing of artist and illustrator Noah Philip MacMillan, a Sam Fox alumnus and former instructor in the Communication Design program. He passed away in his childhood home in Takoma Park, Maryland, after a battle with colon cancer. He was 33 years old.
After receiving his BFA degree in Communication Design from WashU in 2011, Noah worked in St. Louis as a freelance illustrator and taught in the Communication Design program. His career took him to LA and then New York, where he received his MFA in the program for Illustration as Visual Essay at the School of Visual Arts.
Noah said of his work, “I make pictures that tell stories with clear ideas, simple design and obsessive attention to color.” His illustrations were featured in The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, Bloomberg Business, Sports Illustrated, and often in the Riverfront Times, among many other publications. His large-scale work could be found across the country as well as locally, including murals at the City Museum and Yellowbelly Restaurant, specialty beer labels for Schlafly Beer, and bus wraps for St. Louis MetroMarket. Soccer was a favorite artistic subject, and his work was commissioned by Major League Soccer, EA Sports FIFA, and Howler magazine.
As for his time at Sam Fox, Noah is remembered for both his talents and his sense of community.
“After teaching 18 years, there are always a handful of students you will never forget. Noah MacMillan was one of those,” remarked John Hendrix, professor and chair of the MFA program in Illustration and Visual Culture. “Noah had a rare and sophisticated visual language that cut across both design and images. I was in awe of his ability to draw, use color and think graphically about edge and shape so seamlessly. … I honestly think I didn’t teach him very much; he had it all inside when I met him. His voice simply had to find a home.”
“I particularly appreciated his effect on others,” recalled Professor D.B. Dowd. “He brought honesty, rigor, and generosity to his community of fellow students. That later carried over to his teaching in our first-year digital design course and to his citizenship in the illustration community. Noah was both a leader and a compatriot.”
Created in his memory, the Noah Philip MacMillan Portfolio Plus Scholarship will support a high school art student in the summer program at Washington University in St. Louis, which was a pivotal early step for him and his development as an artist. Make a scholarship donation in honor of Noah.
Find more about Noah’s work on his website, www.noahmacmillan.co.