As a lifelong video gamer, Marq Mervin had always dreamed of working in computer animation, but as he entered his senior year of college, he began to despair for one simple reason: no one in the industry looked like him. Eventually Mervin found a mentor who, as a person of color, inspired him not only to believe in himself, but to believe in the unfinished fight for diversity in fine arts education. Like a sumptuous meal still lacking its full range of spices, American arts education will lack its signature flavor until we embrace the full diversity of our people.


Marq Mervin is a graphic designer and CG artist focusing on visual identity/branding, animation and digital illustration. He has over seven years of experience as a professional artist, developing animations and graphics for clients such as WJXT Channel 4 and several start-up businesses. Mervin holds a Master's of Fine Arts in Computer Graphics from New York Institute of Technology, as well as a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Animation from Jacksonville University. A native of Jacksonville, Marq is a passionate advocate for developing young artists in his hometown.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx