Richard L. Myers (b. Massillon,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, 1937) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

experimental film Experimental film or avant-garde cinema is a mode of filmmaking that does not apply standard cinematic conventions, instead adopting Non-narrative film, non-narrative forms or alternatives to traditional narratives or methods of working. Many e ...

maker based in northeast

. He holds a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA). Background ...

degree (1959) and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree (1961), both from

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...

Kent, Ohio Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County, Ohio, Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeast Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 28,215 at the 2020 United States ...

. Myers taught at Kent State University in the art department beginning in 1964 and is particularly known for his 1970 film ''Confrontation at Kent State'', which he filmed in Kent during the week following the

Kent State shootings The Kent State shootings (also known as the Kent State massacre or May 4 massacre"These would be the first of many probes into what soon became known as the Kent State Massacre. Like the Boston Massacre almost exactly two hundred years before (Ma ...

of May 4, 1970; it is an important document of the period. Myers began to produce independent films in the early 1960s. Many of his films are highly personal, with non-narrative or loose narrative structures derived from his dreams. Although some films (as, for example, his 1993 film ''Tarp'') feature no actors at all, instead focusing entirely on inanimate objects, most films feature nonprofessional actors and are produced on very small budgets. Myers is the recipient of two (due to a name spelling error)

Guggenheim Fellowships Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

as well as grants from the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...

and the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

. The

Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of mot ...

preserved several of Richard Myers' films, including ''Akran'', ''The Path'', and ''Allison Beth Krause''. Now retired from Kent State University, Myers lives with his wife in

Munroe Falls, Ohio Munroe Falls is a city in east-central Summit County, Ohio, United States, along the Cuyahoga River. The population was 5,044 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of Akron and is part of the Akron metropolitan area. History Like much of the ...

Selected list of films

*1960 – ''The Path'' *1964 – ''First Time Here'' *1965 – ''Coronation'' *1966 – ''Hiram-Upward Bound'' *1969 – ''Akran'' *1970 – ''Akbar'' *1970 – ''Bill and Ruby'' *1970 – ''Confrontation at Kent State'' *1971 – ''Allison'' *1971 – ''Deathstyles'' *1972 – ''Zocalo'' *1973 – ''Da'' *1974 – ''37–73'' *1978 – ''Floorshow'' *1984 – ''Jungle Girl'' *1990 – ''Moving Pictures'' *1993 – ''Tarp'' *1996 – ''Monstershow'' *2003 – ''Marjory's Diary''

References

External links

Richard Myers page from Canyon Cinema site
(archived March 31, 2009)
Official site
(archived January 30, 2020) People from Kent, Ohio Kent State University alumni Kent State University faculty 1937 births Living people Film directors from Ohio {{US-film-bio-stub