Biography

Marq Mervin (he/him) is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, activist, TEDx speaker, social design researcher, and lover of cartoons, anime, and video games. The Florida native earned his Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Animation at Jacksonville University and Masters of Fine Arts in Computer Graphics - Animation at New York Institute of Technology. Marq’s career led him to design and animate for local startups, broadcast news, and non-profit organizations. His tenure in broadcast led to the Emmy Award-winning documentary, Challenger: A Rush to Launch.

Currently, Marq is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design/Design & Visual Communications at the University of Florida. He’s also an advocate for accessible art and design education for marginalized and under-resourced communities. Some of his work includes: formerly serving as a Public Education Ambassador for the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, speaking about equitable representation in arts education at TEDxFSCJ, contributing as a member of Adobe’s Partners by Design program, and formerly leading the Education & Community Committee for AIGA’s Diversity & Inclusion Task Force.

Marq’s passion for art and design led him to moderate VyStar’s International Artist Lecture Series Q&A with Disney legend Floyd Norman. He is also the host of the Real Talk with Rev podcast, author of One Day, I Hope That…, a collection of prose and poetry, founder and host of Behind the Scenes: Visiting Artist Lecture Series, and organizer of the student-led social media festival, 1 Minute Fest. When he’s not traveling for gaming tournaments or speaking engagements, he’s catching up on his favorite shows or performing at open mic nights.

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