Dr. Clayton Merrell

Biography

Clayton Merrell is the Dorothy L. Stubnitz Professor of Art at Carnegie Mellon University. He grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, and Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela, and studied painting and printmaking at Yale School of Art, where he earned his MFA in 1995. He was awarded a Fulbright Grant to conduct research and create work in Oaxaca, Mexico from 1996 to 1997. His artwork has been exhibited widely, including shows at Slow Gallery in Chicago and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. His work is part of collections at the American Embassy in Belmopan, Belize, the Smithsonian Museum, Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art, and numerous private corporate collections. In 2005, he was recognized as Artist of the Year by the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, and in 2016, he was named Creator of the Year by the Pittsburgh Technology Council. He has received various awards and grants from institutions such as the Virginia Center for Creative Arts and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Notably, he completed a 69,000 square foot terrazzo floor design at the Pittsburgh International Airport in 2015. Currently, he continues to contribute significantly to the field of art through both teaching and his creative work.

Research Interests