Bio — Merri Cyr

About

Originally from Adamsville, Rhode Island, Merri Cyr lived in New York City for 30 years working as a fine art and commercial photographer. Primarily focused on portraits of musicians and artists, her clients include Disney, Columbia Records, Sony, Vimeo, Warner Brothers, Verve, Polygram, Rolling Stone, among many others. Merri was in house photographer from 2009-2019 for Apple Events in NYC Soho store, photographing actors, musicians, designers and movie folks for podcasts. As part of an Apple Events team, Merri worked in tandem with creatives collaborating on artwork for the Apple website, photographing more that 800 events. To see Merri’s South Coast Arts and Culture blog click ***here***
photo by Mark Walker

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Portraits of musicians and Apple podcast guests

Books on musician JEFF BUCKLEY

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Four of Merri’s generative digital fine art works on metal were commissioned by Google to be displayed in their new building in Cambridge MA in 2022

In 2019 Merri returned to Westport where she became a member of the Cultural Council from 2020-23. In response to the Pandemic she started the Westport Artist in Residency Program at the Westport Land Conservation Trust. Thanks to grant money from the Helen Ellis Trust and Bank of America, she curated five artist residencies over a period of three years at the Westport Woods on Adamsville road, where the residency is ongoing.

She has facilitated two Wampanoag events working with members of the Mashpee tribe. In 2022 she helped produce and raise funds for a Native American dwelling: a wetu that was installed at Round the Bend Farm. In 2023 she coordinated a project with The Trustees, Westport Land Conservation Trust and Westport River Watershed Association (WRWA) inviting members from the Mashpee tribe to burn out a canoe known as a mishoon. The mishoon was presented at the WRWA on River Day, June 24, 2023.

Additionally, Merri created the online art and culture blog South Coast Arts and Culture, which profiles artists and features cultural events in area. She received four grants to support her blog and projects from the Mass Cultural Council (MCC), the Fall River Cultural Council (FCC), and the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA). In 2022 Merri received grants from the FCC and the New Bedford Cultural Council. Merri continues to work as an artist and believes that creating a South Coast Art and Culture Center in collaboration with fellow creatives in her beautiful home town of Westport will improve the quality of life for all that live in the community. She hopes the center will help stimulate positive growth both spiritually and fiscally.