Merrill Shatzman
Professor of the Practice Emeritus of Art, Art History & Visual Studies
Merrill Shatzman received her B.F.A. degree from the Rhode Island School of Design and M.A. and M.F.A. degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her work as an abstract printmaker includes images in relief, silkscreen, lithography, bookmaking and digital media. Over the past fifteen years her prints have been exhibited in ninety solo, invitational, group and juried shows throughout the United States and internationally, including a solo exhibitions at the Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University (April 2009), Roanoke College (2008). Shatzman's award winning prints are found in numerous museum and corporate collections in the United States including: the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Boston Public Library, The Fogg Museum, UCLA's Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, the Huntsville Museum of Art, the Mint Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum of Art, California State University Long Beach, Museum of Art, Texas Tech University, National Museum of American Art, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian Institution. Her abundantly detailed woodcuts explore the "universal language" created by signs, writing systems, symbols and pre-imagined images (such as maps, charts, photographs, texts and written language). Inspired by her passion for written forms from multiple cultures, including Middle Eastern, Far Eastern and Mesoamerican, her black-and-white relief images are rich with calligraphic marks, camouflage, patterning and symbols, which allude to signs and letters, condensed and illegible. Her symbolic interpretations of the visual letterforms respond to the rich cultural history of the civilizations from which they are inspired, contemplating ideas of relics and interweaving the domains of philosophy, religion, mysticism, linguistics and humanistic inquiry. Her most recent prints combine digital imaging and silkscreen printing, uniquely highlighting the similarities between these different media through her abstract, highly patterned written forms.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
- Professor of the Practice Emeritus of Art, Art History & Visual Studies, Art, Art History & Visual Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2018
Contact Information
- 114 S. Buchanan Blvd., Bay 10, Room 260, Durham, NC 27701
- Box 90766, Durham, NC 27708
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shatzman@duke.edu
(919) 684-2017
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http://merrillshatzman.com/
- Background
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Education, Training, & Certifications
- M.F.A., University of Wisconsin - Madison 1981
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Previous Appointments & Affiliations
- Professor of the Practice in the Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies, Art, Art History & Visual Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2013 - 2018
- Associate Professor of the Practice of Visual Arts, Art, Art History & Visual Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1998 - 2013
- Assistant Professor of the Practice, Art, Art History & Visual Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1991 - 1998
- Artist in Residence, Art, Art History & Visual Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1985 - 1991
- Recognition
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In the News
- Expertise
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Global Scholarship
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Research
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Teaching
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- Research
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Selected Grants
- Publications & Artistic Works
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Exhibitions, Screenings, & Performances
- International Print Triennial Krakow 2015 | International Print Triennial Krakow 2015 at Contemporary Art, Gallery Bunkier Sztuki, Krakow, Poland 2015
- 9th Biennale Internationale D’Estampe Contemporaine de Trois-Rivieres | 9th Biennale Internationale D’Estampe Contemporaine de Trois-Rivieres at Quebec, Canada 2015
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2013 | The Boston Printmakers 2013 North American Print Biennial at 808 Gallery, Boston University, Massachusetts 2013
- In Practice, Duke University Faculty Exhibition | In Practice, Duke University Faculty Exhibition at Power Point Gallery, American Tobacco, Durham, NC 2013
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2013 | In Practice, Duke University Faculty Exhibition at Power Point Gallery, American Tobacco, Durham, NC 2013
- Alphabetic Excursions, Corridor Gallery, Duke University | at Corridor Gallery, Duke University 2013
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2013 | Alphabetic Excursions: Silkscreen Prints by Merrill Shatzman at Corridor Gallery, Duke University 2013
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2012 | The Printed Image 4 at Mulvane Art Museum , Alice C. Sabatini Gallery, Topeka, KS 2012
- Word Maps Grid #4 -- The Printed Image 4 | The Printed Image 4 at Mulvane Art Museum , Alice C. Sabatini Gallery, Topeka, KS 2012
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2012 | The 2012 Harnett Biennial of American Prints at Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, University of Richmond Museums 2012
- Word Maps #1,5,3 -- The 2012 Harnett Biennial of American Prints | The 2012 Harnett Biennial of American Prints at Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, University of Richmond Museums 2012
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2012 | 6th Biennial Juried Print Exhibition at Northern Arizona University Art Museum, Flagstaff, AZ 2012
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2012 | Boundless: New Works in Contemporary Printmaking at Creative Arts Workshop, New Haven, CT 2012
- Word Map Grid #1 -- Boundless: New Works in Contemporary Printmaking | Boundless: New Works in Contemporary Printmaking at Creative Arts Workshop, New Haven, CT 2012
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2012 | Word Maps at Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art, Greensboro, NC 2012
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2011 | 22nd National Drawing and Print Exhibition at Gormley Gallery, College of Notre Dame of Maryland 2011
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2011 | American Impressions at Ben Shahn Galleries, William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey 2011
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2010 | The 2010 Harnett Biennial of American Prints at Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, University of Richmond Museums 2010
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2010 | Printed Image 3 at Alice C. Sabatini Gallery and Mulvane Art Museum, Topeka, KS 2010
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2010 | Works from Wood at Abecedarian Gallery, Denver, CO 2010
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2010 | Rock, Paper, Scissors, Printmaking and Book Arts Exhibition at Irvine Fine Arts Center, Irvine, CA 2010
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2010 | Syntax: /'sin-taks/ at Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 2010
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2010 | ARTPOEM at Corridor Gallery, Duke University, Durham, NC 2010
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2009 | Print Americas 2009 at Silvermine Guild Arts Center, New Cannan, CT 2009
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2009 | The Print Fantastic at Theater Art Galleries, High Point, NC 2009
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2009 | The Art of Math and Language, Prints by Merrill Shatzman and Paintings by Wayne Taylor at Capital Bank Plaza Gallery in Collaboration with Adam Cave Fine Arts, Raleigh, NC 2009
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2009 | Merrill Shatzman, Solo exhibition of woodcut prints, woodcut constructions and artist books at Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University 2009
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2009 | American Print 2009 at Foothills Arts Center, Golden CO 2009
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2009 | 2009 Pacific Lutheran University National Print Exhibition at Tacoma, Washington 2009
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2008 | North Carolina Printmaking at Adam Cave Fine Art, Raleigh, NC 2008
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2008 | 4th Biennial National Print Exhibition at Northern Arizona University Art Museum, Flagstaff, AZ 2008
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2008 | Signatures: Recent Prints by Merrill Shatzman at Horace Williams House, Preservation Society of Chapel Hill, NC 2008
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2008 | The Printed Image 2 at Alice C. Sabitini Gallery and Mulvane Art Museum, Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas 2008
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2008 | 7th National Print Competition and Exhibition at Janet Turner Print Museum, California State University Chico 2008
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2008 | Secrets, Symbol and Glyphs, Recent Prints by Merrill Shatzman at Roanoke College, Roanoke, VA 2008
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2008 | Printed: Contemporary Prints and Books by North Carolina Artists at Greenhill Center for North Carolina Art, Greensboro, NC 2008
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2008 | Whither Geometry at Radford University Art Museum, Radford, VA 2008
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2008 | The Constructed Form, Curated Exhibiton of Three Artsits at 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA 2008
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2007 | Prints USA 2007 at Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield, MO 2007
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2007 | Red Clay Survey, 2007 Exhibition of Contemporary Southern Art at Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL 2007
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2007 | Looking at the Collections: Red Clay Reunion at Hunstville Museum of Art, Hunstville, AL 2007
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2007 | Words at Muse Gallery and Foundation for the Visual Arts, Philadelphia, PA 2007
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2007 | American Print at Foothills Art Center, Golden, CO 2007
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2007 | 51st Annual National Juried Prints Exhibition at Hunterdon Museum of Art, Clinton, New Jersey 2007
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2007 | 27th Annual National Print Exhibition at Artlink Contemporary Art Gallery, Fort Wayne, IN 2007
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2007 | 18th National Drawing and Print Exhibition at Gormley Gallery, College of Notre Dame, Baltimore, MD 2007
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2007 | The Boston Printmakers 2007 North American Print Biennial at 808 Gallery at Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 2007
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2005 | Another View 2: Selected Works from Contemporary American Printmakers, in conjunction with the 18th National Exhibition of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society at Saddleback College Art Gallery, Mission Viejo, CA 2005
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2005 | 2005 Red Clay SurveyExhibitions at Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL 2005
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2005 | The 4th Minnesota National Print Biennial at Katherine E. Nash Gallery, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus, Minneapolis, MN 2005
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2005 | The Print Center’s 79th Annual International Competition, at The Print Center, Philadelphia, PA 2005
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2004 | Refresh Print Biennial 1 A National Touring Exhibition at Lawton Gallery, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay 2004
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2004 | Southern Printmaking Biennale at Hoag Gallery, North Georgia College and State University, Dahlonega, GA 2004
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2004 | Print National 2004 at Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster PA 2004
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2004 | Transferred: The Contemporary Art of Printmaking at Mesa Contemporary Art Center, Mesa, Arizona 2004
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2004 | Ink Under Pressure at Orange COunty Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA, 2004
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2004 | Florida Printmaker's 13th National Print Competition at University of Miami, College of Arts and Sciences Gallery at the Wesley Foundation, Coral Gables, FL 2004
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2003 | Prints USA 2003 at Springfield Art Museum, Springfield MO 2003
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2003 | The Print Center’s 77th Annual International Competition at The Print Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2003
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2003 | On/Off/Over Paper 2003
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2003 | The Boston Printmakers 2003 North American Print Biennial at 808 Gallery at Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 2003
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2002 | 22nd Annual National Print Exhibition at Artlink, Fort Wayne, Indiana 2002
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2002 | Earth Matters at Los Angeles Printmaking Society, Creative Arts Center, Burbank, California 2002
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2002 | Hollywood Biennial Juried Print Exhibition at Art and Cultural Center of Hollywood, Hollywood, Florida 2002
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2002 | Mid America Print Council 2002 Member’s Juried Exhibition at Northern Illinois University Museum, Dekalb, Illinois 2002
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2002 | Red Clay Survey, Eighth Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary Southern Art at Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, Alabama 2002
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2002 | Society of American Graphic Artists 69th National Print Exhibition at Art Student’s League of New York, New York 2002
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2002 | Southern Printmaking Biennale at North Georgia College and State University, Dahlonega, Georgia 2002
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2002 | “Masters of the Print” – International Juried Print Show and Exhibition at 416 West Gallery, Denison, Texas 2002
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2001 | 16th National Biennial Exhibition at Los Angeles Printmaking Society, Laband Gallery, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California 2001
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2001 | 28th Bradley National Print and Drawing Exhibition at Heuser Art Center and Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences, Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois 2001
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2001 | National Printmaking 2001 at The College of New Jersey, Ewing, New Jersey 2001
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2001 | On/Off/Over the Edge, American Print Alliance Traveling Exhibit at American Print Alliance, Atlanta, Georgia, 2001-2003 2001
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2001 | Pacific Rim International Print Exhibition at Traveling exhibition, Maui Arts and Cultural Center, Kahului, Hawaii 2001
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2001 | Pacific Rim International Print Exhibition at University of Hawaii at Hilo 2001
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2001 | Prints U.S.A. 2001 at Springfield Art Museum, Springfield, Missouri 2001
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2001 | The Print Center 75th Annual International Competition at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2001
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2000 | Millennial Biennial: National Works on Paper Exhibition at Marsh Art Gallery, University of Richmond Museums, Richmond, Virginia 2000
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2000 | Printwork ‘2K at Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, New York 2000
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Artistic Works & Non-Print Media
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Exhibits
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2013. Visual artist. 2013
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2012. Visual artist. 2012
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2011. Visual artist. 2011
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2010. Visual artist. 2010
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2009. Visual artist. 2009
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2008. Visual artist. 2008
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2007. Visual artist. 2007
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2005. Visual artist. 2005
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2004. Visual artist. 2004
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2003. Visual artist. 2003
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2002. Visual artist. 2002
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2001. Visual artist. 2001
- Merril Shatzman: Exhibitions, 2000. Visual artist. 2000
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Mixed Media
- ARTPOEM – The Letters Project. Designer, Visual artist. Film, Illustration, Installation, Motion Graphics. 2010
- Art Poem Digital Prints. Visual artist. Digital Media, Print. 2009
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Prints
- 9th Biennale Internationale D’Estampe Contemporaine de Trois-Rivieres. Creator, Visual artist. 2015
- International Print Triennial Krakow 2015. Actor, Creator, Visual artist. 2015
- Alphabetic Excursions, Corridor Gallery, Duke University. Creator, Visual artist. 2013
- In Practice, Duke University Faculty Exhibition. Creator, Visual artist. 2013
- Word Map Grid #1 -- Boundless: New Works in Contemporary Printmaking. Creator, Visual artist. 2012
- Word Maps #1,5,3 -- The 2012 Harnett Biennial of American Prints. Creator, Visual artist. 2012
- Word Maps Grid #4 -- The Printed Image 4. Creator, Visual artist. 2012
- Alphabetic Excursions Illuminated Manuscripts. Creator. 2011
- Word Map Grid. Creator. 2011
- Word Map Triptych. Creator. 2011
- Alphabetic Excursions. Creator. 2010
- Inaugural Address. Creator. 2009
- Calligraffiti and Letter Recognition. Creator. 2007
- Mayaglyphs and Zapotec. Creator. 2007
- Cryptiffiti and Graffiti Glyphs. Visual artist. 2006
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- Scholarly, Clinical, & Service Activities
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Presentations & Appearances
- Petrified Forest: Visual Chronicles of a Geologic Wonder. April 11, 2013 2013
- Artist in Residence, Petrified Forest National Park. December 22, 2012 2012
- Merrill Shatzman. August 6, 2012 2012
- Merrill Shatzman Word Maps. March 14, 2012 2012
- Merrill Shatzman. April 4, 2009 2009
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Art Department Colloquium Lecture Series. November 4, 2008 2008
- WUNC National Public Radio: The State of Things. February 19, 2008 2008
- Rivalries. January 31, 2008 2008
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Service to the Profession
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Service to Duke
- Advisor. Advisor in the Visual Arts Major. December 30, 2013 2013
- Reviewer supplementary materials. Office of Undergraduate Admissions. December 30, 2013 - December 30, 2013 2013
- Department of Dance review committee for Tyler Walters. January 15, 2013 - April 15, 2013 2013
- Organizer. Curriculum Innovations. December 17, 2011 - December 17, 2011 2011
- Organizer. Curriculum Innovations. December 17, 2011 - December 17, 2011 2011
- Organizer. Curriculum Innovations. December 16, 2011 - December 16, 2011 2011
- Majors Fair/Department Video Consultant. October 18, 2011 - October 18, 2011 2011
- Duke Blue Devil Days. April 11, 2011 - April 11, 2011 2011
- Projects, Special Collections, Perkins Library. December 19, 2010 - December 19, 2010 2010
- Reviewer of Photographic Supplements for Office of Undergraduate Admissions. December 19, 2010 - December 19, 2010 2010
- Organizer. Curriculum Innovations. December 13, 2010 - December 13, 2010 2010
- Organizer. Curriculum Innovations. December 13, 2010 - December 13, 2010 2010
- Organizer. Curriculum Innovations. December 13, 2010 - December 13, 2010 2010
- Organizer. Curriculum Innovations. November 2, 2010 - November 2, 2010 2010
- Majors Fair/Department Video Consultant. October 19, 2010 - October 19, 2010 2010
- NC/SC Admissions Open House. September 11, 2010 - September 11, 2010 2010
- Blue Devil Days. April 9, 2010 - April 9, 2010 2010
- Duke University Department of Athletics/Football Recruiting weekend. December 5, 2009 - December 5, 2009 2009
- Gallery Space Committe. January 4, 2008 2008
- Office of Undergraduate Admissions. January 4, 2008 - January 4, 2008 2008
- Office of Undergraduate Admissions. January 4, 2008 - January 4, 2008 2008
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