Issuu

Brian Smith, mfa ’20 Rachel York, mfa ’20

Maine of Design of Fine

College Art & Master Arts

John Quigley mfa ’20 studio

Associate Vice President of Enrollment Andy Crawford Editor Leah Brooks Designer Claire Christensen ’23 Photographers Annabelle Collette ’22 Kari Herer Natalie Conn Salt ’07 Typefaces OH no Type Company: Degular Jamra Patel: Expo Serif Pro Printer Edison Press

The entirety of this publication was created by our students, alumni, and staff. Maine College of Art & Design is an equal opportunity institution committed to nondiscrimination. © 2026 Maine College of Art & Design All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form by any means without written permission of the publisher.

Contents: 3 About 11 MFA Program Outline 15 Eight-week Summer Intensive 18 In Conversation with Molly Knobloch MFA ’26 23 MFA Visiting Artists 25 Choosing Low or Full Residency 32 Cultural Exposure 34 In Conversation with Stephen Medeiros MFA ’26 39 Creating a Thesis Exhibition 43 In Conversation with Julie Poitras Santos, MFA Chair 49 Graduate Faculty 51 Recent Alumni Highlights 53 Grants & Residencies 57 Joanne Waxman Library 58 ICA at MECA&D 59 Life in Portland 64 Application Details

Chandler Hubbard mfa ’21 Lindsay Mercer mfa ’21

Whether you want to exhibit and lecture about your work, teach, curate, design a catalog, create an artistrun collective, or do something completely different, Maine

College of Art & Design’s Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art (mfa) program is designed to encourage and support your path as you follow your work where it needs to go.

Visiting Artist, Garrick Imatani discussing work of student Jax Perry MFA ’27

6 Photo by Joel Tsui ’16, Salt ’17, MFA ’19

works by Caitlin Perrigo mfa ’26, Harley Ngai Grieco mfa ’26, and Johnathan Spath mfa ’26 2026 Master of Fine Art Thesis Exhibition Institute of Contemporary Art

Johab Silva mfa ’22

Working alongside renowned local, national, and international faculty, Visiting Artists, and carefully selected graduate advisors, MFA candidates participate in a six-term curriculum that emphasizes the intersection of art production, individual research, and critical analysis. This terminal degree gives you the tools, resources, and freedom to propel your art forward. Embedded into the MFA program is a level of flexibility—including both Low and Full Residency options, 24/7 access to our studio facilities, and graduate advisors wherever you choose to set up your studio practice—which tailors our support to your needs as they develop and change throughout your time here. Students come to Maine College of Art & Design to pursue interdisciplinary approaches, dive deep into a medium, develop research and practice that helps define them as professionals, and contribute to conversations within the contemporary art community.

Two years spent earning your MFA sets you up for the next chapter of your life Our College offers a studio-based curriculum focused on creating a transformative learning experience for students. Graduate students in our program can define a sustainable vision for their own art practice through individualized research, critical analysis, and curatorial experimentation. Along your journey, our experienced faculty offer 1:1 time for feedback, continued development, and exposure to important contemporary art exhibitions.

“Art is not a singular focus; it is a field and a conversation. Part of what sets our program apart is that we offer an interdisciplinary approach that gives our artists the freedom and flexibility to follow their work where it needs to go and make something they never expected to create along the way. The thinkers and makers we bring into our Summer Intensives are selected because of the talent, success, and leadership they demonstrate in interdisciplinary work.” Rachel Katz MFA ’00 Administrative Director of Graduate Programs at Maine College of Art & Design

Photo by Joel Tsui ’16, Salt ’17, MFA ’19

Midori Morrow MFA ’24 2024 Master of Fine Art Thesis Exhibition Institute of Contemporary Art

MFA Program Outline YEAR ONE

Your first year is designed to help you explore new techniques and research ideas, providing a framework to develop your vocabulary and broaden resources to support your work.

Summer Intensive: Context (8 weeks*)

Fall Term: Expansion (15 weeks**)

Spring Term: Expansion (15 weeks**)

*The Summer Intensive runs

**Low Residency students

in Portland from mid-June to early August. All Low and Full Residency students reside in Portland for this term.

work from their home studio, and Full Residency students work on campus in Portland.

The academic year begins in June with an on-campus Summer Intensive focused on creation, critique, and experimentation. Weekly feedback from peers, faculty, and Visiting Artists inspires your making. Classes, lectures, and group critiques propel your work forward.

✧ Studio I

During the Fall term, you’ll become deeply immersed in making and research, working closely with faculty and advisors to continue to develop your studio practice and academic work.

✧ Studio II

Full Residency students have the opportunity to work as Teaching Assistants during the Fall term.

✧ Studio Seminar I ✧ Studio in Context: Applied Theory and History

✧ Studio Seminar: Research Methodologies (online) ✧ Studio in Context: Views on Contemporary Art (online)

✧ Permission to proceed to Spring Term from MFA Chair

During the Spring term, continued immersion in studio practice, studio visits, and classes allows your work and thinking to expand. Full Residency first-year students have the opportunity to work as Teaching Assistants during the Spring term. ✧ Winter Intensive (online, full cohort) ✧ March NYC Studio Research Trip (full 1st Year cohort)

✧ Studio III ✧ Studio Seminar: Studio Writing (online) ✧ Studio in Context: Approaches to Critical Theory (online)

MFA Program Outline YEAR TWO

During your second year, you’ll coalesce ideas and influences across your practice. Through rigorous making, studio visits, and presentations, you’ll create and refine language that reflects what is important to your work and your viewers.

Summer Intensive: Convergence (8 weeks*)

Fall Term: Convergence (15 weeks**)

Spring Term: Synthesis (15 weeks**)

*The Summer Intensive runs

**Low Residency students

in Portland from mid-June to early August. All Low and Full Residency students reside in Portland for this term.

work from their home studio, and Full Residency students work on campus in Portland.

The academic year begins in June with a second on-campus Summer Intensive. You’ll deepen your practice through group critiques, lectures, and interviews with Visiting Artists.

✧ Studio IV ✧ Studio Seminar IV ✧ Studio in Context: Critical Writing

✧ Permission to proceed to 2nd Fall Trimester from MFA Chair

During the second Fall term, you’ll dive deep into your student practice and align it with your individualized research.. Working closely with faculty and advisors, you will continue to develop and clarify your work, with an eye towards your thesis exhibition and written thesis.

✧ Studio V ✧ Studio Seminar: Professional Practices (online) ✧ Studio in Context: Thesis Proposal (online)

Full residency students have the opportunity to work as Teaching Assistants during the Fall term. ✧ International Studio Research Trip (full 2nd Year cohort) ✧ Winter Intensive (online, full cohort)

The final Spring term synthesizes studio and academic work towards earning the MFA in Studio Art degree across all courses. In the culminating Spring Intensive, you will present both a written thesis and a thesis exhibition in the Institute for Contemporary Art at MECA&D on campus. ✧ Spring Intensive (on campus, full 2nd Year cohort) ✧ Permission to graduate from MFA Thesis Panel and Chair

✧ Studio VI ✧ Studio Seminar: Thesis Exhibition (online) ✧ Studio in Context: Thesis Composition (online)

Focus on the Summer Intensive Each summer, Maine College of Art & Design hosts an eight-week Summer Intensive, where all Low and Full Residency students come to Portland for an immersive studio experience. During the Summer Intensive, you will connect with a distinguished roster of Visiting Artists, curators, cultural producers, and activists in addition to our renowned core faculty. During the legendarily beautiful summer in Maine, you will have access to the full suite of College facilities; the perfect opportunity for you to make something you never expected. The two summer trimesters are a chance to bond as an artistic cohort while exploring an interdisciplinary conversation that will challenge and shape the art you create throughout the program. Starting with your Summer Intensive, you will experience a truly individualized education and focus on becoming an inventive, skilled, self-disciplined, engaged maker in the world and in your own community.

Jane Love mfa ’20

In Conversation with

Molly Knobloch 2026 MFA Graduate FULL RESIDENCY

Molly Knobloch is a painter and sculptor based in Portland, Maine. Tell us about your work and approach.

Throughout my time in the MFA program, my work has mostly focused on being experimental and open-ended in process. Sometimes it is about experimentation and exploration conceptually, and sometimes that has just been my approach to the studio process. I saw the MFA program as a place to take risks and try new things, so I tried to let that guide me.

First of all, I loved talking to the admissions counselors! They were so friendly and helpful and made me feel excited about visiting. I was also excited about the interdisciplinary program, since I wanted to experiment with sculpture and other three-dimensional mediums. It was nice knowing I’d be pushed out of my comfort zone and given the opportunity to try new materials. Plus, I loved Portland and wanted to spend more time here. What surprised you most about the program when you started?

What made you choose Maine College of Art & Design to pursue your MFA?

I was surprised by how independent you have to be as a graduate student. There is some professor oversight and structure to the program, but mostly you’re on your own to set your own goals and ask for the help you need. In some ways, this was challenging when I was exploring a new medium or concept and didn’t know who to reach out to, but in some ways it was empowering and let me really cook up some strange stuff and find my voice without being swayed by others’ opinions.

I learned that I’m capable of much more than I thought! And that I can handle a more independent program where I guide myself forward in experimentation. I also learned how to give feedback in a neutral and curious way.

What did you learn about yourself and your practice while you were here?

Molly Knobloch mfa ’26 Roadmap For A Fool’s Errand, 2026 2026 Master of Fine Art Thesis Exhibition Institute of Contemporary Art

Photo by Joel Tsui ’16, Salt ’17, MFA ’19 Photo by Joel Tsui ’16, Salt ’17, MFA ’19

Molly Knobloch mfa ’26 Roadmap For A Fool’s Errand, 2026 2026 Master of Fine Art Thesis Exhibition Institute of Contemporary Art

The summer intensives are fun and intense and kind of scary! They can feel really unhinged at times, like you don’t know what’s going on but you just have to forge ahead. Having to make very quick decisions and receive lots of feedback on them is very difficult! But it trains you up on being open to feedback and also open to changing course quickly and fluidly. I found that it made me take my work less seriously so I could let go and play. It can be very tough though! Sometimes you don’t like the art, sometimes you don’t like the feedback, and you just have to keep rolling. How have the faculty, Visiting Artists and graduate advisors influenced your work?

It has been great to have a lot of different perspectives come in. I found it was a good exercise in being selective about what feedback I take. You have a lot of critiques and ideas coming at you and you have to decide what you agree with and what doesn’t serve you.

The MFA program helped me create work I’m really proud of, it got me in the habit of titling, measuring, and documenting each piece I make, and helped me network with many local Maine artists and artists from around the world. But as someone who plans to stay in Maine, it did a good job of exposing me to the Maine art world and some of its most prominent artists, curators, and gallerists. What advice would you give someone considering the Full Residency MFA program at MECA&D?

How would you describe your time during the summer intensives?

How did the MECA&D MFA program prepare you to expand your career in art?

The advice I would give is to go in very open minded and let yourself experiment with many different concepts and materials. And be open to feedback of all kinds, while knowing you don’t have to take it on if you don’t want to! Feedback can hurt when it doesn’t align with how we see our work, but you receive such a wide range of opinions in an MFA program, some of it is bound to not agree with us. Sometimes feedback hurts because we know it’s true and we need to act on it, and sometimes feedback hurts because it’s not relevant and we can disregard it. It’s a process of learning the difference and working through the emotions. It’s not always easy—it’s often very hard—but I am so glad I got my MFA! It made me a better artist and a more articulate, adventurous, interesting person. Good luck!

Recent MFA Visiting Artists A critical piece of what brings creativity to life in the MFA program is the intimate exchange between our emerging artists and the prestigious talent of the Visiting Artists on site each week for lectures, critiques, and studio visits.

Anne Buckwalter MFA ’12 Dr. Nadia Buyse Liz Collins Paul D’Amato Demian DinéYazhi' Annika Earley MFA ’16 Pap Souleye Fall Taraneh Fazeli Heather Guertin Summer J. Hart Anne Harris Garrick Imatani Yoko Inoue

Jocelyn Lee Faythe Levine Anina Major Cristóbal Martínez, PhD Jeffry Mitchell Deepanjan Mukhopadhyay Boru O’Brien O’Connell Jess Perlitz Allison Schulnik Colin Self Brian Smith MFA ’20 Andrew Roberts Sonya Schönberger Tawni Shuler

Photo by Joel Tsui ’16, Salt ’17, MFA ’19

Jason Brown AKA Firefly the Hybrid

Sheida Solieimani Aaron T Stephan MFA ’02 Nyugen E. Smith Gail Spaien Vincent Tiley Jane Wong James Meyer mfa ’23 2023 Master of Fine Art Thesis Exhibition Institute of Contemporary Art

Low or Full Residency Option Crucial to your success as an artist is the ability to determine where to set up your studio. That is why we offer both Low and Full Residency options to our MFA candidates during our Fall and Spring terms. Among the first programs of its kind in the United States, our Low Residency option combines intense periods of on-campus instruction with the freedom and independence of working from any home location, anywhere in the world. Full Residency means that you take classes in person and online with your peers and have access to all the available facilities at the College.

Getting the best of both worlds Whether you opt for the Low or Full Residency, you’ll have access to the same classes, as well as group and individual opportunities for feedback. If your needs change from one year to the next, you may switch between Low and Full Residency at that time. We collaborate with you to determine and arrange what best supports your creative work and future aspirations.

Low Residency Studio Advisors With more than two decades of experience, our MFA program has established an extensive network of Studio Advisors across North America and abroad who support students living in any location. Advisors meet one-on-one with students in their personal studios to offer mentorship, critique, and feedback.

Reasons to choose Low Residency On campus for Summer Intensive, additional intensives, and research field trips 24/7 access to campus and your own studio space during Summer Intensive Fall and Spring terms from your personal home studio One-on-one studio mentorship with carefully selected Non-Resident Studio Advisor (NRSA) Research and studio seminars held online and asynchronous during the Fall and Spring terms to maintain ongoing connection with your full cohort Structure promotes flexibility and independence

Reasons to choose Full Residency On campus for Summer Intensive, Fall term, Spring term, additional intensives during the academic year, and research field trips 24/7 access to 200,000 square feet of state-of-the-art facilities and your studio space One-on-one studio mentorship with faculty Research and studio seminars are held online and asynchronously during the Fall and Spring terms to maintain ongoing connections with your full cohort Teaching Assistantship during Fall and Spring terms Structure promotes collaboration and cross-pollination

*You may choose to live in Portland and still pursue the Low Residency option.

Mattie Hinkley mfa ’22 Low Residency mfa Graduate Located in Chico, California Photo by Dani Padgett

Photo by Joel Tsui ’16, Salt ’17, MFA ’19

Isaac Kim mfa ’25 The Garden of Earthly Delete, 2025 2025 Master of Fine Art Thesis Exhibition Institute of Contemporary Art

Samantha Shields mfa ’24 Hug, 2023

ENTITA Alicja Kwade König Galerie, Berlin , Germany

Cultural Exposure One of the biggest myths about making art is that of the solitary, artistic genius. But no artist creates alone. The best work comes from shared research and dialogue. Artists benefit from engaging with other artists, other artworks, and new places. To encourage this exposure and engagement with the broader community of contemporary artists across the globe, each MFA cohort has an opportunity to travel together to visit exhibitions and participate in self-guided research.

Past cohorts have explored: Venice, Italy Berlin, Germany London, UK Montreal, Canada Philadelphia, PA Portland, OR San Francisco, CA Los Angeles, CA New York City, NY Stonington, ME Boston, MA Rockland, ME

mfa class of 2023, PS1, New York, NY, 2022

In Conversation with

Stephen Medeiros 2026 MFA Graduate low RESIDENCY

Stephen Medeiros is a research-based, interdisciplinary artist. Tell us about your work and approach.

My practice explores beautiful disruptions as a methodology to self-identify within my Portuguese heritage and its traditional practices. I make non-traditional Portuguese Azulejo tiles with wood, ballpoint pen, tempera, beads, neon colors and pattern; I create timebased performative video works to explore Catholic rituals; and I use reflective materials, rosary beads, and objects to explore sculptural abstractions of tile and repetition. These materials grant me agency to participate in traditional Portuguese practices through acts of disidentification.

Maine College of Art & Design was my wildcard school. I had always thought I would pursue an MFA in Graphic Design. Before coming to grad school, I was working in NYC as an Art Director for the past 20 years. I believe a bit of discomfort is necessary to make great work so when I looked at my options to enroll, MECA&D was the only option that felt like a mystery to me. I had always wanted to return to Studio Art so I took it as an opportunity to throw myself into a completely new experience. What did you learn about yourself and your practice while you were here?

What made you choose Maine College of Art & Design to pursue your MFA?

I learned that curiosity fuels a studio practice. The more curious I became, the more chances and opportunities I was willing to take. After my long career in design, the most important thing I learned was what I make and say with my work when there isn’t a creative brief or a client on the other side of the project.

My time during the summer intensive felt like a time to experiment. Being a low-res student, I don’t have access year-round to all the amenities the school has to offer. It is a time to experiment and see how far you can push your work. I took advantage of large installation spaces and opportunities to learn skills I would not otherwise have acquired, like comfortably navigating a woodshop and how to create sound art. The summer was a time to focus in the studio without the distractions of juggling other responsibilities.

How would you describe your time during the summer intensives?

36 Photo by Joel Tsui ’16, Salt ’17, MFA ’19

Stephen Medeiros mfa ’26 Onda, 2026 2026 Master of Fine Art Thesis Exhibition Institute of Contemporary Art

Stephen Medeiros mfa ’26 2026 Master of Fine Art Thesis Exhibition Institute of Contemporary Art

How have the faculty, Visiting Artists, and graduate advisors influenced your work?

The faculty, Visiting Artists, and graduate advisors are the glue that hold the program together. They are all practicing artists, and each come with their own skillset and areas of expertise. During the summers, faculty and visiting artists play an integral role in getting you to experiment with new ideas and materials. During the Fall and Spring, my non-resident studio advisor was vital to my success in the program. The one-onone discussions, mentoring, critiques, and artistic relationships that developed took my work from where I was to where I wanted to be.

The program has a big emphasis on writing as an important part of the studio practice. Learning different ways to write has left me with a level of confidence and readiness to engage in all the necessary communications the art world expects artists to have a grasp of. The program also pushed me to redefine what my practice is and has taken me to a place where the making, writing, and speaking about my practice are in alignment. How has the freedom to remain in your home city/ town/state influenced your work?

How did the MECA&D MFA program prepare you to expand your career in art?

Low residency allowed me to pursue my lifelong dream of earning an MFA while working and tending to family life. You are confronted immediately with the part that others only experience after graduation: you, alone in a studio without faculty members at arms’ reach. It really prepares you to learn how to sustain a practice on your own and connect with your local arts community for support. And everyone at MECA&D is just one zoom call away.

If you have even the slightest bit of interest in getting your MFA and Low Residency is the option you need to take… Just go for it! I was afraid at first that I would feel disconnected from my cohort, but I realized it was up to me to decide how much of that interaction I wanted. You take three courses a semester. One is your studio and the other two are asynchronous and online. The asynchronous courses are designed to get everyone involved in each other’s processes of making, writing, and critiquing. Sometimes those courses involve virtual calls as a group and other times you get a series of one-on-one calls with faculty.

What advice would you give someone considering the Low Residency MFA program?

Creating a Thesis Exhibition Your MFA Thesis Exhibition will serve as a culmination of your artistic growth while at MECA&D. Along with your cohort, your work will be on view in the Institute of Contemporary Art. Thesis Exhibitions typically feature work in a variety of media, including drawing, video, performance, sculpture, ceramics, painting, printmaking, virtual reality, fiber, photography, and installation. Your written Thesis Document will identify your research interests, art historical and cultural contexts, and serve as a resource for your professional career. A copy will live in the Joanne Waxman Library for future artists and designers to explore. Seen together, the MFA Thesis projects hybridize a range of conceptual themes and material approaches as they relate to visual culture, the political landscape, and contemporary art practice. Upon completion of the program, you will be well-prepared to pursue future artistic endeavors and make vital contributions to cultural dialogue.

40 Photo by Joel Tsui ’16, Salt ’17, MFA ’19

Taylor Glenn mfa ’24 2024 Master of Fine Art Thesis Exhibition Institute of Contemporary Art

Photo by Joel Tsui ’16, Salt ’17, MFA ’19

Emily Buchalski mfa ’24 2024 Master of Fine Art Thesis Exhibition Institute of Contemporary Art

In Conversation with

Julie Poitras Santos Program Chair of MFA in Studio Art

Artist, curator, and writer Julie Poitras Santos’s cross-disciplinary practice connects ecological thinking and earth science disciplines with immersive experience and community engagement. Her work has been exhibited widely, including at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, ME; Queens Museum, NY; Karlskrona Konsthall, Sweden; Center for Contemporary Culture, Barcelona, Spain; and Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, CO, among others. Her writing has been published in The Brooklyn Rail, The Chart, Living Maps Review, and Performance Art Journal. Poitras Santos served as Director of Exhibitions at the Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design from 2019 to 2023 and has taught in the Studio Art MFA program at MECA&D since 2009.

Tell us about your background and artistic philosophy.

I am a bridge builder by instinct, and I have an enduring interest in cross-disciplinarity for its potential to inspire new ways of thinking and provoke new perspectives on our place and time. Enlivening the connections between ideas and things allows us to think expansively with others beyond the limitations of discipline or experience. I received my undergraduate degree from Tufts University and have Master of Fine Arts degrees in both Visual Art and Poetry. I grew up in rural Maine, but have lived and worked in Europe and traveled widely. My experiences living in Spain continue to influence the way I think and work today, provoking cultural considerations of time, translation, public space, and the collective.

Maine College of Art & Design is a small community and a supportive place where you get to know your peers and faculty well. Our interdisciplinary approach allows you to focus deeply in one medium or to work across different mediums. Founded in 1998, the MFA in Studio Art was one of the first Low Residency studio art programs in the country; we also welcome students who want to live year-round in Portland for Full Residency. The full cohort comes together for an eightweek Summer Intensive, where they work closely with peers, faculty, and Visiting Artists. What major shift have you seen in art coming out of the Maine College of Art & Design MFA program over the past few years?

What sets the MFA program at Maine College of Art & Design apart?

There is a resurgence of interest in critiquing our world systems, but also interest in offering alternatives and solutions that embrace care and transformation. This critique arises through the lens of the self, and graduate students are well-positioned to challenge the status quo, be that in asserting their presence through abstract painting that encodes challenges to the art historical canon or in found object sculpture that imagines new worlds. In a sense, there is an increasing acknowledgment that our systems are broken and the creative work needed to repair and re-envision them is close at hand: we know the work of culture is vital and important. Finding ways to encounter and live into this moment as artists takes tenacity, rigor, inventiveness, and a caring community. These are all qualities our students bring to the campus and that influence the work they make.

Graduate school is a really special time; in many ways, it is a crucible for radical growth and transformation. It is also a place where friendships and connections that will last a lifetime are formed. In the MFA in Studio Art program, we offer the opportunity to dive deep into a personal practice, while always connecting that work to the important work of culture. Through their studio practice and research, students participate in some of the crucial conversations of our time. Locally, we connect with arts institutions throughout Maine through exhibitions, public talks, and events. Further afield, our networks established over nearly 30 years in graduate studio art education allow us to connect with communities all over the country, and in some cases, the world. Our international travel expands student vision to include the vitality and rigors of a multi-centered global art community, deftly allowing for hands-on connections to be made between local and global contexts. How does the College continue to engage MFA graduates after they leave your program?

How does the MFA program acknowledge and react to the cultural and physical environment of Portland and the world?

I love to hear from former students who are doing amazing things out in the world! The College celebrates our alumni and shares their professional achievements throughout our networks. Students of our MFA in Studio Art program receive guidance and support from our Artists at Work office, which connects individuals with job listings, career guidance, grants, and residency opportunities, and continues to provide support to our alumni after graduation. When opportunity arises while traveling with the cohort or attending National Portfolio Days, we have met up with alums in Portland, NYC, San Francisco, and Venice.

Your voice is crucial! The value and power of imagination and visionary insight are more necessary than ever. The work of diving deep into your chosen metier takes both grit and joy. Friendships and community will sustain you in your practice, and we are thrilled to be a part of yours.

What is the most important thing for emerging artists to keep in mind as they move forward in their careers?

Photo by Joel Tsui ’16, Salt ’17, MFA ’19

Kaitlyn Gallaugher mfa ’24 2024 Master of Fine Art Thesis Exhibition Institute of Contemporary Art

MFA in Studio Art Faculty Julie Poitras Santos

Kyle Patnaude

Program Chair of MFA in Studio Art, Associate Professor

Associate Professor of Metalsmithing & Jewelry and MFA in Studio Art

Bianca Beck

Seth Rogoff

Adjunct Assistant Professor of MFA in Studio Art

Adjunct Professor of MFA in Studio Art

Stephen Benenson

Christopher Stiegler

Adjunct Assistant Professor of MFA in Studio Art and Foundation

Assistant Professor of MFA in Studio Art and Art History

Patricia Brace ’06

Ling-Wen Tsai

Visiting Assistant Professor in Painting, Sculpture, and Foundation

Professor of MFA in Studio Art, Sculpture, and Foundation

Philip Brou

Iris Williamson

Professor of Painting

Director of Exhibitions

Dylan Hausthor ’15

Yuri Yuan

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Photography

Adjunct Assistant Professor of MFA in Studio Art

Adriane Herman Professor of Printmaking and MFA in Studio Art

Matt Hutton Professor of MFA in Studio Art and Chair of Woodworking & Furniture Design

Rachel Katz MFA ’00 Administrative Director of Graduate Programs and Adjunct Instructor of MFA in Studio Art

Recent Alumni Highlights Susan Bickford MFA ’01

2024 group exhibition, Bodies of Weather at SPACE Gallery in Portland, ME

Anne Buckwalter MFA ’12

2024 group exhibition Arcus at the Rachel Uffner Gallery in New York, NY 2025 solo exhibition, Manors at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, ME

Michel Droge MFA ’10

Drew Eastwood MFA ’24

Winner of a Fulbright Fellowship for the project Light, Salt, and Stone Solo artist in residence at the Kolaj Institute in New Orleans, LA

Marina Eckler MFA ’13

Teaches visual art at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, CO

Sandra LaPage MFA ’13

2022–2023 Pollock Krasner Foundation grantee Awarded residencies at the Bogliasco Foundation and Art OMI

Rebecca Laws MFA ’23

Maria Yolanda Liebana MFA ’13

Jarrett Mellenbruch MFA ’14

2023 group exhibition, Inner Links at Art Share L.A. in Los Angeles, CA 2025 solo exhibition, The Venus Crusades at Kravets Wehby Gallery in New York, NY Awarded a $100,000 Creative Capital Award Teaches at Kansas City Art Institute

Tessa Greene O’Brien MFA ’16

Curated a group exhibition at Platform Project Space 2025 As We Are group exhibition at the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, ME Joined the board of Surfpoint Foundation in York, ME

Deborah Santoro MFA ’23

Best in Show in Juniper Rag’s 2024 PULP online exhibition

Johab Silva MFA ’22

2024 solo exhibition, Tales of the New World at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Arlington, VA

Brian Smith MFA ’20

2024 Lunder Institute for American Art Fellowship at Colby College in Waterville, ME 2025 As We Are group exhibition at the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, ME

Ben Spalding MFA ’17

Attended the summer residency at the Ōtawara City Institute of Art-Cultural Studies in Tochigi, Japan 2026 solo exhibition, Go Bang!, at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, ME Loews Miami 2024 Artist in Residence, with his installation Structures of Revolution

Photo by Jeffu Warmouth

Aaron T Stephan MFA ’02

Deborah Santoro MFA ’23 Perseverance Amidst the Regolith

Grants & Residencies Artists at Work offers a multitude of residencies, grants, and fellowships each year to support selected projects by our alumni, faculty, and staff.

“These unique opportunities provide a critical launching point for graduates to build their creative careers. We are grateful to those supporters who make this professional development possible.” Jessica Tomlinson, Former Director of Artists at Work

“To make work in the studio, preserved just as Stephen Pace had left it, overlooking the ocean is a dream come true. Pace House is such a special place. The landscape, the history, and Pace’s paintings collectively offer a space to contemplate and be inspired.” Jenny McGee Dougherty ’05, Director of Artists at Work

Recent Residents Dana Bell MFA ’04 KT Coleman MFA ’20 Annika Early MFA ’16 Kylie Ford MFA ’18 Amelia Garretson-Persans MFA ’16

Pace House Residency Located in the picturesque island town of Stonington off the coast of Maine, the Pace House is a special gem for Maine College of Art & Design faculty, students, staff, and alumni. This seaside home, studio, and gallery was gifted to the College by Stephen and Palmina Pace to create a working residency and space for artists to deepen their practice. Each year, through Artists at Work, the College provides summer residencies for its community of artists at this turn-of-the-century sea captain’s residence set on a ledge overlooking Penobscot Bay. Select mid-career artists in residence also receive a stipend of support from the Stephen and Palmina Pace Foundation.

Jenny Family Residency Each year, MECA&D alumna Barbara Rita Jenny MFA ’02 and her family donate the use of the family’s summer home in New Edinburgh, Nova Scotia. This rural waterfront artist residency program is inclusive of artist’s partners and families and includes a travel stipend.

Recent Residents James Parker Foley MFA ’20 Brian Smith MFA ’20

Recent Residents John P. Gardiner ’07, MFA ’14 Kate Holcomb Hale MFA ’07 Nick Vyssotsky MFA ’21

Monson Arts Residency Monson Arts is a residency program in Monson, Maine. An initiative of Maine’s Libra Foundation, Monson Arts began programming in 2018 as a way to spur economic development in Piscataquis County. Monson Arts provides time and space for creative work through a combination of residencies, community/school programs and initiatives, and exhibitions. Through the College’s partnership with Monson Arts, one alumni applicant is selected to attend the Monson Arts Residency each year and is awarded a $1,000 stipend. Six students and alumni are also selected each year to attend Monson Arts workshops free of charge.

The Studios at MASS MoCA The Studios at MASS MoCA is an artist and writers residency program situated within the museum’s factory campus and surrounded by the beautiful Berkshire Mountains. Operated by MASS MoCA’s Assets for Artists program, the residency runs year-round and hosts up to 10 artists at a time. The College partners with MASS MoCA to offer a fellowship to cover the cost of the residency for a BIPOC alumni artist each year.

Recent Fellows Sandra Lapage MFA ’13 Ben Spalding MFA ’17 Evelyn Wong MFA ’19

Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture Scholarship Alumni who apply to and get accepted to Skowhegan receive a scholarship of $3,000 from MECA&D that is matched by Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, covering the cost of attendance. This opportunity is available to alumni for up to ten years after graduation.

Above & Beyond Grant The Above and Beyond Grant supports enrolled BFA, MFA, and MAT students by providing them with opportunities and experiences beyond our classrooms and facilities. The grant helps students acquire basic grant writing skills to secure funding for activities such as conferences, workshops, or professional events, with a maximum request of $500.

Learn more about the opportunities available at meca.edu/alumni/ grants-and-residencies

Recent Awardees Sandra Lapage MFA ’13 Ben Spalding MFA ’17 Evelyn Wong MFA ’19

Epic Grant Epic grants from Canopy Portland Waterfront support Maine College of Art & Design alumni who positively impact Portland and contribute to its culture through their work. Recipients of the $2,500 Epic Grant are expected to create an activation on-site at the Canopy hotel within six months of receiving funds. Possible examples include a pop-up shop, a workshop, a retail display, or an event.

Joanne Waxman Library Our Joanne Waxman Library is one of the largest independent libraries in Northern New England. It is a central hub for gathering and sharing knowledge. Sunlight bathes the reading and study areas through Chicago-style windows that overlook Portland’s bustling Congress Street. A home to the Writing Center, rotating exhibitions, and the Rare Books Room, which includes a one-of-a-kind collection of Vietnamese and Southeast Asian art books, the Library touches every aspect of the campus experience. Our Library holds an art collection numbering over 44,000 volumes, including artist books, art books, graphic novels, zines, and many rare, out-of-print titles. The Library also offers craft publications, e-journals, media, zines, and artist books to support curricula across all studio and academic studies departments. The Writing Center supports students from all backgrounds and within each course of study, where Writing Coaches work with students one-onone to strengthen academic and professional writing. The Library aspires to promote information literacy and lifelong learning in a changing information environment and to foster cooperative endeavors and resource sharing within our artistic and educational community.

Facts Books: 44,000+ volumes E-books: 33,000+ books Periodicals: 22 print subscriptions E-Journals: 5,000+ subscriptions Videos/DVDs/streaming: 230 titles Artist Books/Zines: 455 titles 85% of the collection geared to the study of art and design; 15% of the collection geared to support Academic Studies; 95% collection can be borrowed.

Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design Located in stunning galleries in Maine College of Art & Design’s landmark Porteous Building, the Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design (ICA at MECA&D) cultivates engagement and dialogue regarding contemporary visual art practices, aiming to foster discourse on the critical conversations of our time and to enhance understanding of visual culture. The ICA at MECA&D presents an exhibition calendar of ambitious work by emerging, mid-career, and established contemporary artists, accompanied by a dynamic series of public programs. Notably, the ICA collaborates with MECA&D’s Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art program to host MFA Thesis Exhibitions, attracting respected curators, collectors, and art audiences each year. The ICA at MECA&D serves as both a living laboratory for students, offering opportunities to experiment with exhibition strategies and learn from and connect with living artists, and as a hub for public programming on contemporary art that engages with the local, national, and global art communities. The ICA is dedicated to working collaboratively across platforms and thinking with others to inspire creative action, reimagine futures, and create compassionate communities through visual art.

Life in Portland Located on the southern coast of Maine, one of Portland’s greatest assets is its size. The city is easy to navigate on foot, filled with arts and culture, and just minutes from beaches, lakes, and forests. Its commitment to arts and culture makes Portland an East Coast nexus where artists, musicians, small businesses, and start-ups thrive. Creative workers flock here to explore new ideas, create new markets, and invigorate the city’s culture. People are drawn to Portland from all over the world and choose to visit and live here because of its unique blend of dynamic communities, easy access to Maine’s natural treasures, and creative scene.

“There is no greater time to be an artist here than today, and MECA&D is at the forefront of generating the future’s talent." Sayantan Mukhopadhyay Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Portland Museum of Art

Other Highlights 30+ galleries & museums to explore 15+ music and performance venues Pop-up shops Independent, shared, and professional studio spaces Nationally-regarded design and animation agencies Affordable and direct bus and train access to Boston & nyc

✧ Visit the latest exhibitions at the Institute of Contemporary Art ✧ Experience Portland’s First Friday Art Walk ✧ Hop on a ferry around Casco Bay and visit the surrounding islands ✧ Head to the Eastern or Western Promenades, a beach, or a bike trail ✧ Eat your way through Portland’s food scene (one of the country’s best) ✧ Create a feast with locally-grown food from the Portland Farmers’ Market ✧ Use our alumni map to see our impact within the local community ✧ Visit the world-class Portland Museum of Art (students get in free) ✧ Enjoy a cup of locally roasted coffee at Speckled Ax, Arabica, Bard, Another Round, or Coffee By Design ✧ Watch a performance or film in Congress Square Park ✧ Check out the shops in the Old Port or local thrift stores ✧ Participate in public art events around town

Application Checklist ✧ Complete online application form ✧ Personal essay ✧ Portfolio of 20 images (or 15 minutes of film) ✧ Transcripts from all undergraduate & graduate level programs/institutions ✧ Two letters of recommendation ✧ Resume or CV ✧ Non-refundable $70 application fee

Graduate Programs at Maine College of Art & Design Maine College of Art & Design offers a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art (MFA), Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Online Master of Arts in Education (MAEd), Online Graduate Certificate in Expressive Art Therapy, Online Graduate Certificate in Arts Leadership & Administration, and a Salt Graduate Certificate in Documentary Studies. Our community is diverse, and each new student adds immeasurably to the vibrancy of our community. Applications are evaluated individually, with consideration given to the strength of the portfolio and academic achievement.

Get Started! meca.edu admissions@meca.edu @mecaart—@mecad_mfa 522 Congress Street, Portland, me 04101

Maine College of Art & Design is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). MECA&D is also a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD), a non-profit consortium of leading art schools in the United States and Canada, as well as international affiliates.