Born 1951 Pittsburgh

He earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Carnegie Mellon University 1973 and studied at the Yale University summer program on a fellowship.

Mentzer has exhibited in over thirty juried shows since the ealy 1970’s. These include: the Black Forest International painting and Sculpture Exhibit in Colorado Springs, Colorado; the American Art Annual at the Middletown Fine Arts Center in Middletown, Ohio; the Minot national Print and Drawing Exhibit in Minot, North Dakota; and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition.

Interesting Fact: Mentzer has created at least one drawing a day for the past 16 years.

He has had several one person exhibitions including shows at Marshall University and Jane Haslem gallery in Washington, D.C.

He is a former recipient of the William H. and Frances S. Ryan Award (for devotion and effectiveness in teaching), which is a very prestigious honor bestowed on teachers at Carnegie Mellon University. Additionally, his awards include the Hornbostle Teaching Award from CMU; the Fletcher thorne Thomsen Award; the Ryan Cooke & Zuern Architects Award; the American Art Annual Award; the Colorado National Award; and the Zaner Gallery Award in Rochester, New York.

Mentzer has taught and lectured at universities in Cologne, Germany; Southampton, England; Barcelona, Spain; Seoul, Korea; Rome, Italy; Tours, Framce; Edmonton, Canada.

Mentzer maintains a studio in the Lawrenceville area of Pittsburgh. His work may be found in numerous public and private collections in the U.S. and abroad. He is Professor and Associate Head of the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University.

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