Francis "Fran" Sumner Merritt (1913–2000) was an American painter, teacher, and arts administrator. He was a co-founder and first director of
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, commonly called "Haystack," is a craft school located at 89 Haystack School Drive on the coast of Deer Isle, Maine.
History
Haystack was founded in 1950 by a group of craft artists in the Belfast, Maine area, ...
.
Biography
Francis Sumner Merritt was born on April 8, 1913, in
Danvers,
.
He studied at the
Vesper George School of Art, the San Diego Academy of Fine Arts, the
Massachusetts School of Art
The Massachusetts School of Art is an historic academic building at 364 Brookline Avenue in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. The four-story Gothic/Art Deco building was designed by the architectural firm of Henry & Richmond, a ...
, and at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
.
Merritt taught at
Abbot Academy
Abbot Academy (also known as Abbot Female Seminary and AA) was an University-preparatory school, independent boarding preparatory school for women boarding and day students in grades 9–12 from 1828 to 1973. Located in Andover, Massachusetts, Abb ...
,
Cranbrook Academy of Art
The Cranbrook Educational Community is an education, research, and public museum complex in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. This National Historic Landmark was founded in the early 20th century by newspaper mogul George Gough Booth. It consists of Cr ...
, and the
Flint Institute of Arts
The Flint Institute of Arts, also called FIA, is located in the Flint Cultural Center in Flint, Michigan. The second largest art museum in Michigan, it offers exhibitions, interpretive programs, film screenings, concerts, lectures, family events ...
(from 1947 to 1951).
In 1950, the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts was founded in
Liberty
Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom.
In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...
, Maine and Merritt served as the school's first director.
His wife Pricilla worked on the arts administration for the school.
For many years they lived at Centennial House, just outside the town of
Deer Isle
Deer Isle is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,194 at the 2020 census. Notable landmarks in Deer Isle are the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Stonington Opera House, and the town's many art galleries.
...
, Maine.
Merritt died on December 27, 2000, in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
,
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
.
His work is included in the museum collections at the
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...
, and the
Hudson Museum
The Hudson Museum is an anthropology museum that is operated by the University of Maine and is located in the Collins Center for the Arts in Orono, Maine. The museum's collections include Maine Native American baskets and basket-making tools, Pr ...
.
References
External links
Oral history interview with Francis Sumner Merritt, 1979 May 25-June 25 from
Archives of American Art
The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washingt ...
, Smithsonian Institution
1913 births
2000 deaths
Cranbrook Academy of Art faculty
People from Deer Isle, Maine
People from Danvers, Massachusetts
Painters from Maine
American male painters
Yale School of Art alumni
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