MFA thesis exhibition

The MFA thesis exhibition spotlights work by 7 artists: Emile Boisvert, Angela Casagrande, Kylie Ford, Jacq Hunter, Jessalyn Levesque, Rand Renfrow and Golaleh Yazdani.

This year’s exhibition features work in a variety of media including video projection, sculpture, performance, photography and installation. These thesis projects are meant to hybridize a range of conceptual themes and material approaches as they relate to our cultural landscape and to contemporary art practice. This exhibition represents the synthesis of each student’s experience in MECA’s MFA in Studio Art program.

Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art at Maine College of Art
The interdisciplinary approach of the Master of Fine Arts at Maine College of Art (MECA) asks students to think across traditional academic boundaries, expand their art practice, and challenge their intellectual curiosity. Whether a student chooses the full- or low-residency option, this highly individualized program begins with the Summer Intensive, an 8-week immersive experience featuring a distinguished roster of visiting artists, curators, cultural producers and/or activists in addition to renowned core faculty. Studio-based, the curriculum provides a transformative learning experience for students as they define a sustainable vision for their own art practice through individualized research, critical analysis and curatorial experimentation, along with a high degree of faculty contact time, and structured travel to important cultural sites. 

Starting with the first eight-week Summer Intensive in the artistically vibrant city of Portland, Maine, and culminating with the final Thesis Residency, students challenge their own art-making assumptions and habits, identify and contextualize an emerging point of view, develop verbal, written and presentation skills, and deepen responsibility for their own practice in their artistic community locally and globally.

24/7 access to individual graduate studios and 200,000 square feet of state-of-the-art facilities in painting, printmaking, sculpture, metals, wood, ceramics, fashion and textiles, photography, digital media, sound and expanded practices. Full and low residency options available.

Graduate Faculty
–Chris Stiegler, Assistant Professor of the MFA in Studio Art + Art History, and Chair of the MFA in Studio Art
–Gail Spaien, Professor of the MFA in Studio Art + Painting
–Adriane Herman, Professor of the MFA in Studio Art + Printmaking + Digital Media
–Joshua Reiman, Joshua Reiman, Assistant Professor of the MFA in Studio Art + Sculpture
–Julie Poitras Santos, Julie Poitras Santos, Adjunct Assistant Professor of the MFA in Studio Art
–Lauren Fensterstock, Adjunct Assistant Professor of the MFA in Studio Art
–Katie Vida, Adjunct Assistant Professor of the MFA in Studio Art

Learn more about the MFA program.

Summer Visiting Artist Lecture Series 2018
The MFA Summer Visiting Artist Lecture Series brings a national and international roster of visiting artists, curators, and scholars to Portland, Maine. In addition to the schedule of public lectures listed below, visiting artists conduct studio visits and attend critiques with graduate students during their week-long visits.

Sterling Allen: June 18
Faythe Levine: June 25
Kris Grey: July 2
Tad Beck: July 9
Kathy Bradford: July 16
Caroline Wells: July 18
Dario Robleto: July 23
Jamillah James: July 30

Lectures are free and open to the public from 5:30–7pm in MECA’s Osher Hall. 
Learn more details about the MFA Visiting Artist Lecture Series.