Welcome to MECA

There’s a great deal going on for a small school. Take a look around our web site and see what we’re all about.  As the 2010-11 academic year progresses, you will see MECA accelerate its efforts to deliver a curriculum that prepares students who are skilled across different mediums and have a strong sense of civic responsibility. It is becoming clear to many people outside the art world that artists, with their understanding of the world and their ability to innovate, are becoming the new problem solvers of our time -- our creative entrepreneurs. In our world of increasing homogeneity, the visual artist can create distinctive and authentic products that are aesthetically pleasing or that have a strong message not easily represented in other mediums. Society has a growing appetite for this approach.

The College’s new Artists at Work Center will provide a platform for creative entrepreneurship to flourish in an environment where students, faculty, staff, community artists and businesses work together to improve our communities through active and innovative partnerships. A centerpiece in this effort is the creation of a new staff position, Assistant Director of Career & Entrepreneurial Services, who will work with further develop our student internship program and help students prepare for their lives as makers, innovators and creative thinkers. This work is complemented by our Director of Public Engagement, who helps students understand and create public art and connect with the community via public service. In combination with our strong curriculum and professional development opportunities, Maine College of Art has made a real commitment to help our graduates be visionaries and public intellectuals willing to take on problems and solve them in creative and passionate ways.

Not surprisingly, many of our alumni are already taking their entrepreneurial skills into the world. They work across art mediums, solve problems and add value to their workplaces. In many cases, they also maintain their own studios. In short they are working for themselves and for others as an artist while also being active in their respective communities.

All of this great work is happening in the heart of one of America’s most desirable, hip and accessible cities. Just Google® Portland, Maine. Even better, come for a visit. Portland serves as a fantastic incubator for creative people of all stripes. It is a city committed to “buying local” and supporting a vibrant arts and cultural community. MECA sits in the epicenter of the Portland Downtown Arts District and is a vital part of Portland’s and Maine’s arts scene.

As we look to the future, MECA is well positioned to have its graduates be working artists that are also public intellectuals and visionaries about what is possible in our society. MECA is about creating artists who make things better for society during their lifetimes.

Sincerely,

Donald Tuski
President
dtuski@MECA.edu