"Artful Presence" call to action is
being made to alumni who care
about art and art history at WSU.
In 1999, The Shocker asked groups of Wichita State alumni and faculty to cast their ballots for the “Top 40 Shockers of All Time.” Mira Merriman, art historian and professor emeritus of art and design, came in at No. 32.
That was no surprise to the thousands of students who passed through her classroom. Known as a tough, but talented and artfully inspiring teacher, she came to WSU to establish the art history department in 1966 — creating its library of more than 100,000 slides.
As a scholar, she is the foremost authority on the Bolognese Baroque artist Giuseppe Maria Crespi. She is also one of the most avid — and astute — supporters of WSU-educated artists.
In 2006, during the 50th year of WSU’s MFA program, efforts were begun to rename McKnight Art Center’s Room 210 in her honor. Other changes are under way as well.
The slide library is now digital and soon will move into new quarters on the third floor. The next step is to convert the old space into a modern seminar room and school library.
Toward this end, a Mira Pajes Merriman Art History Dedication Fund has been set up through the WSU Foundation. Please send contributions to Merriman Art History Fund, 1845 Fairmount, Wichita, KS, 67260-0002.
