Sarkis Sarkisian (1909-1977)

Sarkis Sarkisian has become an artistic beacon not only for Detroit and Michigan but also for the promise of America. He was born in Smyrna in 1909, and came to Detroit in 1923 at the age of 14. His formal studies were performed under John P. Wicker at the Wicker School of Fine Arts and for the next fifty years he grew steadily into a leadership role in the artistic community of the city.

Portrait of Anna Werbe

Sarkisian studied for one year with John Carroll at the Art School of the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts and, in 1934, became a painting instructor there. He continued teaching for over thirty years and was named director of the art school in 1947, a position held until his retirement in 1967.

From
Sarkis by Gordon Orear, Sarkis, Elizabeth Orear