Richard L. Myers (b.

Massillon Jean-Baptiste Massillon, CO (24 June 1663, Hyères – 28 September 1742, Beauregard-l'Évêque), was a French Catholic prelate and famous preacher who served as Bishop of Clermont from 1717 until his death. Biography Early years Massillon wa ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, 1937) is an American

experimental film Experimental film or avant-garde cinema is a mode of filmmaking that rigorously re-evaluates cinematic conventions and explores non-narrative forms or alternatives to traditional narratives or methods of working. Many experimental films, parti ...

maker based in northeast

. He holds a

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

degree (1959) and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) 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. ...

degree (1961), both from

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in A ...

Kent, Ohio Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in 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 Census. The city is counted as pa ...

. 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 May 4 massacre and the Kent State 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 bef ...

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 grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

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 motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

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 federa ...

. 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 m ...

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.

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
People from Kent, Ohio Kent State University alumni Kent State University faculty 1937 births Living people Film directors from Ohio {{US-film-bio-stub