Merill Comeau, Art History 101
Professional Development Cohort
Merill Comeau
October 2026 – March 2027
$100 for members
$150 for non-members
Join us for a unique SDA opportunity! We’re merging our popular member meetup series with our workshop format to bring you our very first Professional Development Cohort!
We welcome professionally practicing artists at all different stages of their careers to grow their professional practices together in community. We’ll be dreaming big, setting goals, identifying tasks, and turning ideas into actionable items so you can see real growth. We’ll chat about tips and tricks, collaborate over shared resources, and hold one another accountable over a period of 6 months.
You can expect to meet with our larger group once a month from October through March with additional small group monthly meetings of 4-6 artists to provide real time processing and support. Homework will be assigned each session and can be self-tailored to meet your specific needs.
Together we’ll share wisdom, facilitate skill sharing, encourage deep listening to yourself and others all while moving you towards your professional goals. Grow amongst a group of like-minded individuals and build lasting relationships and community!
Large Group Live Sessions
October 14 at 12PM – 2PM EDT (convert timezone)
November 11 at 12PM – 2PM EST (convert timezone)
December 9 at 12PM – 2PM EST (convert timezone)
January 13 at 12PM – 2PM EST (convert timezone)
February 10 at 12PM – 2PM EST (convert timezone)
March 10 at 12PM – 2PM EST (convert timezone)
Small group live sessions will be assigned after our very first meeting in October to best meet your needs and schedule.
While our large group sessions are recorded to preserve knowledge, please make every effort to attend live sessions when you are able. Recordings will be available to participants until March 2028.
Scholarships are available for those facing barriers to participation. Please contact events@surfacedesign.org for more information.
Gallery
About Your Instructor
Merill Comeau’s work has been featured in over 90 exhibitions, at venues including the Fuller Craft Museum, Danforth Art Museum, Fitchburg Art Museum, Museums of Old York, MA; and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute of Boston. Her installation Family of Origin was included in FiberArt International 2019. The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston’s Art Lab is hosted her interactive project Threads of Connection in 2020. Highlights of her residencies include Hambidge Center for Art and Science, Southern New Hampshire University, Turkey Land Cove, and three month-long stays at Weir Farm National Historic Site in CT. She has exhibited at many academic institutions including Simmons College, Lasell University, Stonehill College, Dana Hall School, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, and Phillips Exeter Academy. Numerous publications have showcased her work, including Surface Design Journal, TextileArtist.org, Fiber Art Now, Textile Study Group of New York’s blog, The Boston Globe, Massachusetts Cultural Council’s ArtsSake blog, and World of Threads Artist Interviews.
In addition to her solo studio practice, Comeau facilitates the emergence of artistic voices through moderating artist panels and jurying exhibitions. As a member of Surface Design Association’s Events Committee she has moderated many of SDA’s Textile Talks hosted by SAQA. She has executed over 30 public projects resulting in individual and collaborative artworks. Comeau is the founder and lead organizer of Gather, a month-long series of fiber and textile art events held in Greater Boston in April 2025. Comeau also provides lectures on her work, narrative fiber artist, and fiber arts in a postmodern context.