Francis Sumner Merritt

Francis "Fran" Sumner Merritt (1913–2000) was an American painter, teacher and arts administrator. Francis Sumner Merritt was born on April 8, 1913, in Danvers, Massachusetts. He had his education at the Vesper George School of Art, the San Diego Academy of Fine Arts, the Massachusetts School of Art, and at Yale University.
 Early life and works 
Merritt lectured at Abbot Academy, Cranbrook Academy of Art, and the Flint Institute of Arts (from 1947 to 1951). In 1950, the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts was founded in Liberty, 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, Maine.

Merritt died on December 27, 2000, in Belfast, Maine. His work is included in the museum collections at the National Gallery of Art, and the Hudson Museum.

 References 

Category:1913 births
Category:2000 deaths
Category:American painters
Category:American teachers