Skip To Content
Filter search
Cal Poly Pomona
  • LIBRARY
  • ONLINE SERVICES
  • DIRECTORY
  • MAPS
  • CALENDAR
  • About Cal Poly Pomona
  • Cal Poly Pomona Overview
  • Visitor Information
  • Campus Maps & Tours
  • News
  • Events
  • Administration
  • Annual Security Report
  • Campus Safety Plan
  • Admissions
  • Undergraduate Admissions
  • Graduate Admissions
  • International Admissions
  • Continuing Education Admissions
  • Military & Veterans Admissions
  • Financial Aid & Scholarships
  • Student Accounts & Fees
  • Outreach, Recruitment, & Educational Partnerships
  • Academics
  • Colleges & Departments
  • Majors & Degrees
  • University Catalog & Academic Schedules
  • University Library
  • Research
  • Academic Resources
  • Registrar
  • Campus Life
  • Student Services
  • Student Activities
  • Recreation & Fitness
  • Health & Wellness
  • Housing & Dining
  • Diversity
  • Calendars & Events
  • Campus Safety & Emergency Info
  • Athletics
  • Visit Athletics Website
  • Alumni
  • Visit Alumni Website
  • Giving
  • Why Give
  • Ways to Give
  • Where to Give

PolyCentric University News Center

Main Menu
  • About Our University
  • Admissions
  • Academics
  • Campus Life
  • Athletics
  • Giving
  • Expand/Collapse Menu
Browse: Home / 2010 / September / In Memoriam: Patrick Merrill

PolyCentric

University News Center

Menu

Skip to content
  • About
    • Submissions
    • Contact
    • Department of Strategic Communications
    • PolyCentric
  • News
    • Browse by Topic
    • View All Stories
    • In Memoriam
    • Archives
  • Achievements
  • Announcements
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photos
  • Social Media Directory
  • Events
  • For the Media

In Memoriam: Patrick Merrill

Posted on September 1, 2010

In Memoriam: Patrick Merrill

Patrick Merrill, curator of the W. Keith and Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery from 1997 to 2009Patrick Merrill, longtime curator of the W. Keith and Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery, died Aug. 31 at age 61 after a long battle with cancer.

Merrill, who oversaw the gallery from 1997 to 2009, was instrumental in expanding the annual Ink & Clay competition and show to include hundreds of entries from the best ceramic and print artists in the Western United States. 

Other notable shows he curated include “Sensate” and “Represent” in 2001.

“The art department is mourning the passing of a true friend and colleague,” says Babette Mayor, professor and chair of the art department. “Patrick Merrill was a curator and exhibiting artist who knew the value and importance of art in our society. 

“As director of the W. Keith and Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery, he had a tremendous impact on the university and surrounding communities. He helped to propel annual art exhibitions like Ink & Clay and DPI into the national and international limelight. He featured local artists as well as those from around the world and highlighted topics such as war, identity and race. He was a great supporter and contributor to our department and we will work to keep his legacy alive.”

Colleagues say he was known for his kindness and concern for people, as well as his dedication to the university’s art program.

“Patrick was an extraordinary person, unique in his openness and his ability to communicate his perceptions through his artwork,” says Noel Vernon, assistant to College of Environmental Design Dean Michael Woo. “It is his own humanity, honesty and quest for social and environmental understanding and justice that we see transformed and reflected in his art.”

Merrill was regarded as one of the great print makers and mixed-media artists in Southern California. After serving in Vietnam, he returned to the Los Angeles area and earned his bachelor’s of fine arts from Cal State Long Beach and his master’s of fine arts from Cal State Fullerton.

Since the 1970s, his work often addressed issues of gender, race, class, politics, current events and addiction and has been displayed in museums in China, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and throughout the United States.

His works will be featured in an upcoming show, “Patrick Merrill: Revelation,” at Cal State Fullerton’s Begovich Gallery from Oct. 30 to Dec. 9. In addition, a book of Merrill’s artwork with essays by art historians is under preparation.

A memorial service has been planned for Oct. 30, the evening of his exhibit opening. More details will be announced on PolyCentric when they become available.

The Diamond Bar resident is survived by his wife, Debra Winters.

Posted in News | Tags art, artist, Cal State Fullerton, College of Environmental Design, CSU Fullerton, curator, ENV, exhibit, fine arts, Fullerton, gallery, in memoriam, obituary, printmaking, prints, staff, University Art Gallery, W.K. Kellogg University Art Gallery

POPULAR

  • COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Hub Opening at Cal Poly Pomona

    9568 views / Posted February 4, 2021
  • Newly Launched Vaccination Hub at CPP to Serve Thousands in the Region

    2675 views / Posted February 5, 2021
  • Budget Brief: Early Exit Program Helps Fill Budget Gap, Prompts Reimagining Work

    864 views / Posted February 23, 2021
  • CLASS Dean Iris Levine

    CLASS Act: Dean Levine Sets High Bar for Herself and Others

    785 views / Posted January 11, 2021
  • A group photo of Cal Poly Pomona’s Reading, Advising, and Mentoring Program

    RAMP Receives $2.2 Million Grant For Underrepresented Students

    731 views / Posted January 15, 2021

Picture of the Day »

Lettuce Research

Lettuce Research

Cal Poly Pomona in the News »

Interest Surges in Top Colleges, While Struggling Ones Scrape for Applicants

This article was originally published by The New York Times.

Best of the Inland Empire: Best Schools / College


CPP opens mass COVID-19 vaccination site


Cal Poly Pomona opens COVID-19 vaccination site


Cal Poly Pomona Site Capable of Vaccinating Up To 10,000 a Day Opens Friday


Tags
art, artist, Cal State Fullerton, College of Environmental Design, CSU Fullerton, curator, ENV, exhibit, fine arts, Fullerton, gallery, in memoriam, obituary, printmaking, prints, staff, University Art Gallery, W.K. Kellogg University Art Gallery
About Cal Poly Pomona Feedback Privacy Accessibility Document Readers

3801 West Temple Avenue,Pomona, CA 91768

©2018 California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

All Rights Reserved