Francis Sumner Merritt
American fine artist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Francis "Fran" Sumner Merritt (1913–2000) was an American painter, teacher, and arts administrator.[1] He was a co-founder and first director of Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.[2]
San Diego Academy of Fine Arts,
Massachusetts School of Art,
Yale University
Francis Sumner Merritt | |
|---|---|
Francis Merritt (1937) at the Abbot Academy | |
| Born | April 8, 1913 Danvers, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | December 27, 2000 (aged 87) Belfast, Maine, U.S. |
| Other names | Francis Merritt, Fran Merritt |
| Education | Vesper George School of Art, San Diego Academy of Fine Arts, Massachusetts School of Art, Yale University |
| Occupations | Painter, teacher, arts administrator |
| Known for | Fine art |
Biography
Francis Sumner Merritt was born on April 8, 1913, in Danvers, Massachusetts.[2] He studied at the Vesper George School of Art, the San Diego Academy of Fine Arts, the Massachusetts School of Art, and at Yale University.[3]
Merritt taught at Abbot Academy, Cranbrook Academy of Art, and the Flint Institute of Arts (from 1947 to 1951).[3] In 1950, the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts was founded in Liberty, Maine, and Merritt served as the school's first director.[3][4] His wife Priscilla worked on the arts administration for the school.[4] For many years they lived at Centennial House, just outside the town of Deer Isle, Maine.[5]
Merritt died on December 27, 2000, in Belfast, Maine.[2] His work is included in the museum collections at the National Gallery of Art,[6] and the Hudson Museum.[7]
