About Marq Mervin
![[Image Description: A Black man with a beard and curly hair facing forward and smiling. He's wearing a forest green shirt with a burgundy blazer in front of a neutral background.]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f05d6dcc2374172c71d8f9b/1cd72d05-f38a-4ef1-89fa-6a4be5ffed3e/Marq+Mervin+Professional+Headshot)
The Renaissance Man
Marq Mervin is The Renaissance Man—a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and storyteller whose creative practice is rooted in understanding the nature and nurture of Self as one’s home. He describes the ethos of his practice as “homecoming” and “homegoing”, with “home” defined as one’s Self.
Marq investigates themes of Blackness, queer identity, masculinity, sexuality, physique, and manhood. As a Black gay man of size, his work examines the multiple interwoven threads that both form his identity and inform how he navigates, interprets, and experiences the world around and within him.
Marq has developed an expansive body of work using digital painting, music, and poetry. He describes himself as “a steward to the act of creation” with the intention of expressing three fundamental principles: permission, possibility, and freedom. He says, “The act of creation is a gift and responsibility. I know, intrinsically and intuitively, that everything will change when I finally understand home. The possibility of what could be. The permission to imagine a new future for myself. The freedom to simply be. And I think that’s why I make and create. To come home to me. And, maybe, that will inspire someone else to come home to themselves.”
Biography
Marq Mervin (he/him) is The Renaissance Man: award-winning creator, educator, TEDx speaker, proud nerd, and founder of 23Thirty Coaching. Marq’s career led him to work with broadcast news, non-profit organizations, and educational institutions. His tenure in broadcast led to the Emmy Award-winning documentary, Challenger: A Rush to Launch.
Formerly, he was a Professor of Design & Digital Media at both the University of Florida and Florida State College at Jacksonville. Marq’s career journey informed his advocacy for accessible Art, Design, & Digital Media education for marginalized and under-resourced youth. Examples include: serving as an Ambassador for the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, speaking about equitable representation in arts education at TEDxFSCJ, contributing to Adobe’s Partners by Design program, and formerly leading the Education & Community Committee for AIGA's Diversity & Inclusion Task Force.
Marq's passion for the creative arts led him to moderate VyStar's International Artist Lecture Series Q&A with Disney legend Floyd Norman. Additionally, he is the host of the Keep Sailing podcast, author of One Day, I Hope That..., founder and host of Behind The Scenes: Visiting Artist Lecture Series. When he's not traveling for game tournaments or speaking engagements, he's catching up on his favorite anime, taking on voice acting challenges, or performing at open mic nights.
Exhibitions
In Our Time SA+AH Faculty Exhibition, 2024 |
The Harn Museum | Gainesville, FL
Nudus, 2022 | Virtual
12th Annual Figurative Art Exhibition, 2022 |
Virtual
EGO Solo Exhibition, 2020 | Virtual
JaxByJax Literary Arts Festival VI, 2019 |
Jacksonville Public Library | Jacksonville, FL
Making It Now Alumni Art Exhibition, 2019 | Alexander Brest Gallery, Jacksonville University | Jacksonville, FL
Piercing The Veil, 2019 |
Yellow House | Jacksonville, FL
Mind Body Soul (Curator), 2017 |
Florida State College at Jacksonville | Jacksonville, FL
GAAM Fantasy Show, 2016 |
GAAM | Jacksonville, FL
Our Muses Do Ninety Alumni Art Exhibition, 2013 | New York Institute of Technology | New York, NY