Maine College of Art

Maine College of Art
Motto Educate artists for life.
Type Private Art School
Established 1882
President Laura Freid
Undergraduates 454
Postgraduates 58
Location Portland, ME, USA
Website www.meca.edu
The historic Porteous Building, a 1904 beaux arts style building, houses Maine College of Art's classrooms, libraries and galleries.

The Maine College of Art (MECA) is a fully accredited, degree-granting art college located in the Arts District of Portland, Maine. Founded in 1882, the Maine College of Art is the oldest arts educational institution in Maine. In addition to offering a Bachelor in Fine Arts, Masters of Arts in Teaching, Master of Fine Arts, and a Salt Graduate Certificate in Documentary Studies, the school has a Continuing Studies Program for adults and youths. MECA is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD),[1] a consortium of thirty-six leading art schools in the United States, and is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NASAD[2]).

In July 2017, MECA welcomed new president, Laura Freid Ed.D. President Freid previously led Yo Yo Ma's foundation, Silk Road Project and prior to that, served in senior leadership roles at Brown University and Harvard University.

Location

Maine College of Art's renovated the Porteous Building in the late 1990s.[3] With 125,000 square feet (11,600 m2) of space, this former department store is now a five-floor vertical campus.[2]

Academic programs

Undergraduate Program[4]
The four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree is awarded in 11 studio disciplines: Ceramics, Graphic Design, Illustration, Metalsmithing & Jewelry, Digital Media, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Textile & Fashion Design, and Woodworking & Furniture Design. Five minors are available in Art History, Public Engagement, Art & Music, Writing, and Drawing.

Master of Fine Arts Graduate Program[5]
The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) at MECA is an accredited full-time program. The program allows students to complete four semesters of coursework and studio requirements off-campus, requiring two intensive summer semesters in Maine.

Master of Arts in Teaching Graduate Program[5]
The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Program is an accredited, full-time, 10-month residency, which prepares students into becoming art educators. Upon completion the program and after passing the Praxis exams, students are eligible to be certified art educators in Maine and 40 other states.

Salt Graduate Certificate of Documentary Studies[5]

The Salt Graduate Certificate of Documentary Studies is an accredited, 15-week program, which educates students in media arts. There are currently two tracks of study: Radio & Podcasting and Short Film & Photography. Maine College of Art acquired Salt Institute of Documentary Studies[6] in the spring of 2016.

Continuing Studies Program[7]
The Continuing Studies Program at the Maine College of Art offers open-enrollment courses for adults, youth, and children.

Facts about Maine College of Art

  • There are 454[8] undergraduate students and 58 graduate students.[8]
  • Roughly 32% of MECA students come from Maine and 68% are from the New England area outside Maine.[8]
  • The five “arms” in the E within the MECA logo, designed through a charrette process with MECA students, represent the school's five floors.[9]

The Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art

The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at MECA offers a range of educational experiences and hosts exhibitions and events.

Recent exhibits include:[10]

  • Confabulations of Millennia: October 6, 2017 to December 8, 2017
  • 'American Genre: Contemporary Painting' Exhibition: July 20, 2017 - September 15, 2017
  • UNLOADED: March 16, 2017 - April 14, 2017
  • Collective Actions: February 1, 2017 - March 3, 2017
  • Anguish: October 28, 2016 – January 14, 2017
  • Ann Hirsch: Sharing Love: July 1–August 15, 2016
  • MFA Thesis Exhibition: May 6–27, 2016
  • Tinderbox: January 11–March 5, 2016
  • Thomas Moser Legacy in Wood: July 22–September 20, 2015
  • Residual Utopia, Alumni Biennial 2015: October 9–December 15, 2015
  • The Wrong Kind of Bars: August 21–October 12, 2014
  • Idea of North: February 22, 2014
  • Kate Gilmore: Mind the Square: June 3–August 4, 2013
  • Alex Da Corte: Fun Sponge: June 3–August 4, 2013
  • MEGAWORDS: August 16–October 6, 2012
  • Lisi Raskin + Kimberely Kay: MotorPark: June 13–October 6, 2012
  • Lili Reynaud-Dewar: Cléda’s Chairs: April 26–29, 2011
  • Fracturing the Burning Glass: Between Mirror and Meaning: January 26–April 10, 2011
  • Mind Bending with the Mundane: September 1–October 17, 2010

Alumni[11]

BFA:

  • Connie Hayes ’80 (Painting), painter, Rockland, ME
  • William Mills ’80 (Painting), Gepetto Studios, NY, NY
  • Stefanie Briggs ’81 (Metalsmithing & Jewelry), luxury jeweler Addison Delisle ‘11, metalsmith, apprentice to master blacksmith Doug Wilson
  • Leopoldo Palis ’81 (Graphic Design), Graphic designer at PalisDesign, Miami, FL
  • Laurie Lundquist ’84 (Sculpture), environmental artist and co-founder of Deep Creek School, Tempe, AZ
  • Vivian Beer '02, furniture designer and maker, Manchester, NH
  • David Hutchins ’87 (Graphic Design), lead animator, Walt Disney Feature Animation, Los Angeles, CA
  • Karen Siatras ’91 (Graphic Design), graphic designer, Smithsonian American Museum of Art, Washington D.C.
  • Carrie Zeisse ‘92 (Photography), United Way, Executive Vice-President for Operations MECA photo alum, MBA from MIT's Sloane School of Management.
  • Brian Wilk ’95 (Printmaking), design director, Hasbro Inc., Pawtucket, RI
  • Eric Hongisto ‘97 (Painting), artist and professor, San Francisco, CA
  • Kari Radash ’97 (Ceramics), ceramic artist kariradasch.com
  • James Zilian ’99 (Ceramics), designer, Simon Pearce, Quechee, VT
  • Ryan Greene ’02 (Sculpture), Historic Preservationist for Bernacki & Associates, Chicago, IL
  • Gary Robinov ’04 (Digital Media), founder, White Dog Arts
  • Ahmed Alsoudani’ 05 (Painting), painter, New York City, NY
  • Adam deGrandis ’05 (Digital Media), game artist
  • Micheal Desouza ’05 (Graphic Design) and Justin Velgos ‘05 (Graphic Design), founders of taptapas.com, Portland, ME
  • Nat Edmunds ’05 (Digital Media), art and design teacher, Baxter Academy
  • Caitlin Riordan ‘06 (Printmaking), printmaking technician and visiting instructor at Pratt Institute, NY, NY
  • Julianna Swaney ‘05, artist and illustrator, Portland, OR
  • Blake Almstead ‘07 (Graphic Design), digital and user experience lead, Lochbridge, Detroit, MI
  • Bradly Werley ’09 (Digital Media), art department production assistant, LAIKA, LLC
  • Chun-Hua Chang ’14 (Digital Media), co-founder and artist, O’Chang Comics
  • Joel Tsui ’16 (Digital Media), freelance digital photographer
  • Jay York '80 (photography), Portland, Maine

MFA:

  • Aaron Stephan MFA ‘00, artist
  • Seth Goldenberg MFA ‘05, founder of the Epic Decade
  • Catherine D’Ignazio MFA ’05, assistant professor of data visualization and civic media at Emerson College
  • Randy Regier MFA ‘07, artist
  • Gina Siepel MFA ’08, artist, lecturer in studio foundations, Mount Holyoke College
  • Kimberly Vose Jones MFA ’12, sculptor, installation artist, lecturer, writer
  • Jarrett Mellenbruch MFA ’14, adjunct professor, Kansas City Art Institute
  • Tessa Green O’Brien MFA ’16, painter and co-founder of the Portland Mural Initiative

References

  1. ↑ "What is AICAD? - AICAD". AICAD. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  2. ↑ "National Association of Schools of Art and Design". Wikipedia. 2016-08-05.
  3. ↑ "Porteous Building". Greater Portland Landmarks. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  4. ↑ "BFA Majors - Maine College of Art". Maine College of Art. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  5. 1 2 3 "Graduate - Maine College of Art". Maine College of Art. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  6. ↑ "Maine College of Art Announces Acquisition of Salt Institute of Documentary Studies - Maine College of Art". Maine College of Art. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  7. ↑ "Continuing Studies - Maine College of Art". Maine College of Art. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  8. 1 2 3 "MECA at a Glance - Maine College of Art". Maine College of Art. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  9. ↑ LLC, UnderConsideration. "Brand New: New Logo for MECA". www.underconsideration.com. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  10. ↑ "Past Exhibitions - Maine College of Art". Maine College of Art. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  11. ↑ "Alumni Directory - Maine College of Art". Maine College of Art. Retrieved 2017-01-19.

Coordinates: 43°39′21.05″N 70°15′39.88″W / 43.6558472°N 70.2610778°W / 43.6558472; -70.2610778

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