about thya merz

artist statement

Making art is the way I make sense of the world. As I explore and attempt to breach the social contradictions of modern daily life - famine in a world of plenty, migrants rebuffed by a nation founded by immigrants, the unending, unbearable casualties of war - I do not seek to take on these issues directly. Still, making art while considering these realities emboldens me to stay present, to notice, and not turn away. My hope is that viewers of my work find presence as well.

Though I live comfortably in a region of stunning beauty and am immersed in a culture of creativity, I am not immune to the ways in which these troubling themes make their presence felt in my own community. I offer my art as a small voice in the cacophony that demands our attention asking, “Please, do not turn away.”

biography

In the early 1970s, I studied design and ceramics at the Aarhus Art Academy in Denmark. During that time of technical growth, I was exposed to art-making as a social responsibility. Our weekly critiques were based equally on considerations of aesthetics and social practicality — including the economic impact of each piece.

As a young American new to this way of thinking I felt both intrigued and constrained. In response, I found myself pushing self-set boundaries to create more sculptural and unique work, which was difficult to analyze from a production standpoint. However, the cultural understanding of artist-as-integrated-citizen, rather than outsider, took hold and continues to inform my thinking about inclusive social constructs and being an artist.

resume highlights

select exhibitions

  • 2023 - “Small Expressions”, Northwind Art, Port Townsend WA

  • 2022 - “Small Expressions”, Northwind Art, Port Townsend WA

  • 2017 - 2021 Restaurant Finestere, Port Townsend WA

  • 2019 - “Thya Merz Solo”, The Meadery, Port Townsend WA

  • 2019 - Expressions Northwest, Northwind Art Center, Port Townsend WA

  • 2019 - “Women On Wax”, Edmonton Arts Festival, Edmonton WA

  • 2018 - Alderwood Restaurant, Sequim WA

  • 2016 - “Radical Change”, Group Exhibition, Northwind Arts Center, Port Townsend, WA

  • 2015 - “Alchemy of Abstraction”, Group Exhibition, Northwind Arts Center, Port Townsend, WA

  • 2015 - “Expressions Northwest”, Group Exhibition, Northwind Arts Center, Port Townsend, WA

  • 2015 - “Art Port Townsend – Open Studios”, Port Townsend, WA

  • 2013 - “The Sketchbook Project Traveling Exhibition”, Brooklyn, NY

  • 2012 - “Gowanus Open Studios”, Brooklyn, NY

press

education

  • 2003 - M.S. Educational Leadership, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

  • 1991 - B.A. Painting / Art Education, Norwich University, Montpelier, VT

  • 1975 - Museum School of Fine Arts, Boston, MA

  • 1971-1973 - Arhus Kunstakademie, Arhus, Denmark