Brother Mel Meyer (June 5, 1928 – October 12, 2013) was an artist who created an estimated 10,000 pieces of art during his career. He was a

Marianist The Society of Mary ( la, Societas Mariae) abbreviated SM is a clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men (brothers and priests) commonly called the Marianists or Marianist Brothers and Priests. Its members add the nominal l ...

brother based out of Missouri.

Early life and education

Meyer was the fourth of seven children in his home and the only one to become a religious brother. His sister was

Rita Meyer (baseball) Rita Ann Meyer (later Moellering; February 12, 1927 – June 16, 1992) was a shortstop and pitcher who played from through for the Peoria Redwings of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 145 lb., Meyer batte ...

. He was raised in Old Town Florissant, a suburb of St. Louis, by his parents, Harry and Margaret Meyer. He graduated from McBride High School, taught by members of the Marianist order. He entered the order in 1947 and took his final vows in 1952. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Dayton in Ohio. He taught religion and social studies at Central Catholic High School in San Antonio in the early 1950s. He completed his master's degree at Notre Dame in art in 1960.

Works

His work included metal sculptures,

watercolors Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

, frescoes and acrylic on canvas paintings. He worked, as well, with handmade paper and textiles. He did much of his work at his studio on the campus at Vianney High School which he opened in 1969.

Awards and honors

Brother Mel was awarded an honorary PhD from

St. Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

. There is a sculpture garden in St. Louis devoted exclusively to his work. A book about his life, "Brother Mel: A Lifetime of Making Art,” was published in 2009.

Artist's philosophy

“Art is an outgrowth of what the person is," said Meyer. "I’m a happy person. The feeling of being happy finds its way into the art.”

Death

Brother Mel died on October 12, 2013, at the Marianist community residence on the campus of St. John Vianney High School in Kirkwood, Mo., of complications of heart disease. He was 85. Survivors include two sisters, Elsi Pondrom and Audrey Smith, and a brother, Gilbert Meyer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyer, Mel American artists Catholic sculptors American male sculptors Sculptors from Missouri 20th-century American sculptors 21st-century American sculptors University of Dayton alumni 1928 births 2013 deaths