Maine College of Art

Maine College of Art
Maine College of Art
Established:	1882
Type:	Private Art School
President:	James Baker
Location:	Portland, ME, USA
Website:	www.meca.edu

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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 in the city of Portland, Maine. Founded in 1882, it is the oldest arts educational institution in Maine. In addition to offering Bachelor, Post-Baccalaureate in Art Education and Master of Fine Arts degrees, the school has a continuing studies program for adults and high school students. MECA is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD), a consortium of thirty-six leading art schools in the United States. MECA is located in the heart of Portland and educates artists at all stages of their creative careers.

[edit] Impact on Portland

Maine College of Art's renovation of the landmark Porteous Building at the center of Portland's Arts District has been a major catalyst for downtown revitalization and has received national attention as a model of urban renewal. New classrooms and studios feature panoramic views of Casco Bay. The annual influx of new students has risen between 1998 and 2005 and the college has become the largest employer of visual artists in the state.

[edit] Mission and Values

Maine College of Art educates artists and designers to think critically and to create. It is a small, student-oriented community led by artist educators. The baccalaureate and graduate degree curricula, together with a continuing studies program are conceived for students of all ages and stages of creative development.
In an ever-changing world which is transformed by technologies, communities and cultures, the Maine College of Art believes that the best education is found where students can do the following:

shape their own educational experiences;
live and learn in a nurturing and diverse environment;
learn the fundamentals of art, design and critical thinking across multiple disciplines and emerging art forms;
excel when challenged by working artists, designers and scholars who teach at all levels of the curriculum;
explore individual visions and define their own creative voices;
experience classroom teaching integrated with experiential learning;
connect to communities, professions and issues of the times.

[edit] Timeline

1882 Founded as part of the Portland Society of Art
1911 First organized curriculum
1920s First diplomas awarded by School of Fine & Applied Arts
1972 Name changed to Portland School of Art
1973 NASAD and NEASC accreditation received
1975 First BFA degrees awarded
1982 School separated from Portland Society of Art
1983 School acquired Baxter Building
1992 Name changed to Maine College of Art
1993 Porteous Mitchell & Braun department store building purchased
1996 4th and 5th floors of Porteous Building completed
1997 Institute of Contemporary Art at MECA opened in Porteous Building
1998 MFA in Studio Arts program launched
2001 Joanne Waxman Library opened on 2nd floor of Porteous Building/Media Department created
2002 New Mission & Values Statement adopted/Strategic Plan Framework adopted
2004 Program approval for new majors in Illustration and Woodworking & Furniture Design as well as Post-Bacc in Arts Education and Post-BAcc in Studio Arts
2005 Secured new residence hall on Oak Street
2006 Secured Shepley Apartments residence on Shepley Street

[edit] Academic Programs

Community members of the Maine College of Art engage in a rigorous creative learning process grounded in multidisciplinary educational philosophy.

Undergraduate Program
The Maine College of Art is noted for its strong foundation program which precedes study in the major. During the first two years, students acquire a broad grounding which is beneficial in their chosen field, enabling diversification and interdisciplinary exploration. Formal critiques at the end of each semester provide valuable feedback, helping students understand and evaluate their strengths and areas for growth.
The four year professional Bachelor of Arts (BFA) degree in awarded in eleven studio disciplines. Majors are offered in Ceramics, Graphic Design, Illustration, Metalsmithing & Jewelry, New Media, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Woodworking & Furniture Design, and Self-Design. Minors are possible in Art History, Drawing and Illustration.
Students have free access to professional quality studio space, individual studio spaces for all majors, a 10:1 student ratio, and an average class size of 17.

Graduate Program
The Master of Fine Arts in Studio Arts program is a two year program designed for emerging artists. The program encourages students to think across boundaries and integrate studio practice with conceptual and interdisciplinary theory. Each student pursues an individualized studio curriculum in their chosen area of concentration.
Semesters consist of intensive residencies and sustained non-residency study. An eight-week summer class and a ten-day January class are held in both the first and second year; a five-day spring residency is held for graduating students. The curriculum is supported by a roster of internationally recognized visiting artists and scholars. Fourteen-week non-residency periods include studio practice which is individually guided by non-resident instructors with theory courses directed by the college's graduate faculty.
The graduate program encourages dialogue between forms of making and critical thinking, offering a close-knit working environment for students and faculty. The objective is to assist the student on a critical level, to engage their work on a creative basis within a larger context, and to participate in emergent personal, social, cultural, and historic forces.

Art Education K-12 Certification
The Post Baccalaureate Art Education Program is an accredited, full time, 10-month residency, which blends the worlds of artist and educator. Students will gain an in-depth, comprehensive understanding of how skills intersect through exploration of artistic development and educational practices. Students who have obtained a BFA or BA degree, including 30 studio art credits and 12 art history credits from an accredited institution, may apply. Upon completion the program and passing the Praxis exams, students are eligible to be certified art educators in Maine and forty other states.

Continuing Studies Program
The Continuing Studies Department of the Maine College of Art offers open-enrollment courses for adults, youth and children. Adult Continuing Studies courses and classes for young artists are offered in fall, winter/spring and summer semesters.

[edit] Facts About Maine College of Art

Roughly 40% of MECA students come from Maine and 80% are from New England.
500 teenagers and children participate in the Saturday School and summer classes for grades 4–12.
The Early College program is a four-week summer course for advanced high school students.
Maine College of Art promotes the national Scholastic Art Awards, a juried exhibition of artwork from high school and middle school students across Maine.
The ICA at MECA offers several programs to deliver contemporary art education to grades K-12.
The Creative Community Partnerships program, started in 1989, links undergraduate students with organizations to bring opportunities for artistic creativity to underserved communities, youth-at-risk, disabled adults and rural schools.
MECA at Cathedral School is in collaboration with MECA students to design and implement an arts curriculum for a private K-8 school.
The Summer Lecture Series, sponsored by the MFA program, features leading figures in contemporary art from around the country.
The Joanne Waxman Library is dedicated to the professional study of studio art and design. The Library is open to the public and is utilized by museum and gallery professionals, scholars, historic preservationists, K-12 art teachers, and area artists.
MECA's primary facilities are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Housing is provided for nearly 200 students.

[edit] The Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art

The ICA at MECA features exhibitions and public programs which showcase new perspectives and trends in art. Located in the galleries of the Porteous Building, the ICA presents works by influential and emerging artists. Public programs enhance the ICA's exhibition schedule, including talks by artists and critics, forums on current issues in art and design, and interactive workshops for young people.

Recent exhibits include:
2006
Robert Indiana and MECA Prints From Baja to Bar Harbor: Transnational Contemporary Art
The Body Eclectic: Selections from the RBC Dain Rauscher Collection

2005
Michael Queenland: Photographs, Sculptures and Shaker Classics
Back From Nature: The Sportsman Redux

2004
Living Green: Examining Sustainability
Wenda Gu: Middle Kingdom to Biological Millennium Curators' Intuition