522 Congress St
Portland, Maine 04101
United States
Hours: Monday–Sunday 7am–9pm
T +1 800 699 1509
info@meca.edu
MFA cohorts visit exhibitions & participate in self-guided research.
“This trip offered me a chance to experience art as waking dreams, and to reimagine and reconsider what is possible for me as an artist… The scale and exuberance of expression of the works in the Biennale inspired me to imagine more and give myself permission to manifest it.” —2023 MFA Candidate Grace Hager reflects on the 2022 Maine College of Art & Design trip to La Biennale d’ Arte in Venice, Italy
No artist acts alone. Work comes from research and dialogue, and Maine College of Art & Design believes artists benefit from engaging with others—sometimes even working collectively to elevate the field of art.
“Artmaking is an inherently cross-disciplinary activity,” shares Julie Poitras Santos, MFA professor and Director of Exhibitions in the ICA at the College. “As artists we draw from the world around us to reflect on our past, challenge our present, and manifest new futures.”
“As an artist, writer, and curator, I actively seek to animate dialogue across disciplines; inviting scientists, anthropologists, musicians, or poets, for example, to collaborate and inform my practice. As a professor, I draw from a variety of sources when working with students. I seek to inspire both a deep love of research as an expansive tool, and also to inspire a vigorous interest in taking a work and an idea to great clarity and depth,” Poitras Santos expands.
To help encourage this exposure and engagement with the broader community of contemporary artists across the globe, last month the candidate and faculty cohort from Maine College of Art & Design’s Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art (MFA) program traveled to La Biennale d’ Arte in Venice, Italy. The group of artists spent a full week visiting exhibitions and participating in self-guided research.
“I really appreciate the program for making a tremendous effort in taking our students to experience artwork internationally,” said Ling-Wen Tsai, Professor of Sculpture, Foundation, and the MFA programs at Maine College of Art & Design. “The impact on the students is always transformative and invaluable.”
Recent cohorts have visited: Venice, Italy; Berlin, Germany; London, UK; Montreal, Canada; Philadelphia, Pennsylviania; Portland, Oregon; San Francisco, California; Los Angeles, California; New York City, New York; Stonington, Maine; Boston, Massachusetts.
“Nothing compares to those moments deep in conversation with fellow students and professors while strolling down an unfamiliar street. Tied in with research and coursework, these trips deeply inform our students’ making practices,” reflects Poitras Santos.
Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art
Supported by renowned local, national, and international faculty, visiting artists and carefully selected graduate advisors, the MFA in Studio Art curriculum emphasizes the intersection of production, individual research, and critical analysis. Students choose a low residency option to combine intense periods of on-campus instruction with the ability to work from any location around the world or a full residency option to gain 24/7 access to private studios, staffed fabrication facilities, and local access to peers and faculty.
Summer 2023 application deadlines
Full tuition scholarship deadline: Friday, January 20, 2023
Priority application deadline: Friday, February 24, 2023
Rolling admissions: Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, as space permits
An interview with faculty members guaranteed for applications completed by the full tuition scholarship deadline on Friday, January 20, 2023.
