Michael Mercil, ART IS GOOD FOR YOU, 2023
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
6 PM Reception; 6:30 PM Lecture
Please join us for an artist talk by Columbus, Ohio–based interdisciplinary artist Michael Mercil. Exploring realms of “the near, the low, the common,” Mercil’s work recontextualizes culturally significant reference material through dynamic multimedia compositions. His practice incorporates an expansive use of many mediums, including drawing, painting, needlepoint, sculpture, landscape architecture, film, performance, teaching, and farming. Mercil will share a special presentation of his career, process, recent projects, and 2023 mural for Murals of La Jolla, ART IS GOOD FOR YOU on Wednesday, February 21, 2024. The reception at 6 p.m. will be followed by a lecture at 6:30 p.m.
Mercil’s recent mural for Murals of La Jolla entreats the embrace of the arts, both in its creation and consumption. Comprising a complementary color palette, the eye-catching text, ART IS GOOD FOR YOU, running horizontally across the site in orange letters outlined boldly in red, pops out on top of a placid blue background. Using text as a creative tool, Mercil inspires the viewer to appreciate the holistic benefits of a daily infusion of art as an integral aspect of our collective humanity. Painted directly on-site, this lively imperative reminds the viewer of the importance of art as a crucial and ubiquitous aspect of daily life.
Mercil was born in Crookston, Minnesota, in 1954. He received a BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design in 1978 and an MFA from the University of Chicago in 1988. He is currently a professor emeritus of the Department of Art at The Ohio State University (OSU). His work has been featured in many prominent institutions, including exhibitions at Beeler Gallery, Columbus College of Art and Design and Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio; Socrates Sculpture Park, New York City; North Dakota Museum of Art in Grand Forks; Arnoff Center for the Arts, Cincinnati; Ebert Art Center, Wooster, Ohio; The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia; and DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, Massachusetts. His many other notable projects include The Living Culture Initiative, in collaboration with Ann Hamilton at OSU; The Beanfield (2006), The Virtual Pasture (2008-2011), and Site set-aside (2017–present) at Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus; and the Art Market™, an ongoing, Columbus-based studio project. He has received many awards and much recognition, including a Battelle Engineering, Technology and Human Affairs Endowment Award (2016, 2009); Greater Columbus Arts Council Media Artist Fellowship (2012); Wexner Center for the Arts Film/Video Artist Residency (2011–2012); Harpo Foundation Visual Artist Award (2010); Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship (2009, 2005); ASLA Design Honor Award (2009, 2003); and Environmental Design Research Association Place Design Award (2002).
Mural Members and Makers attend FREE and will receive an email to RSVP for the lecture.
The lecture will be in person at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There are no physical tickets for this event. Your name will be on an attendee list at the front door. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Seating is first-come; first-served. This event will be presented in compliance with State of California and County of San Diego health regulations as applicable at the time of the lecture.
Masks optional. If you have a fever, cough, or flu-like symptoms, please stay home.