BUILDING STRUCTURE

Woodworking and furniture design have deep New England roots - a tradition of transforming Mainegrown timber into functional artwork. At MECA, you’ll quickly move beyond basic woodworking skills into designing and crafting complete projects. You’ll learn to take your concepts from sketch to technical drawings, find your raw materials at the local lumberyard, mill them down to the required size and then get creative with steaming, bending, planing and joinery, using both classic and modern tools. The knowledge and connections you make here will prepare you for a career in wood craftsmanship—part of the next generation of talented New England-trained artists.

Abby Mechanic '13

Hometown

Bio

Abby Mechanic likes to work hard. Now in her junior year at Maine College of Art, she is strategically building her career as an artist by taking advantage of opportunities to get the most out of her college education. Abby’s impressive resume is no accident -- she knows where she’s headed and is quite intentionally preparing herself for life after MECA.

Abby came to Maine College of Art from Sparta High School in New Jersey already knowing she wanted to be a woodworking artist.  “The Woodworking & Furniture Design department was my main reason for choosing MECA,” she says. “The close-knit community that the College provided seemed to be ideal for me, and I believed the teacher-to-student ratio would allow for more hands-on education.”

She was absolutely spot on.  Even before entering the major, Abby landed a position as studio assistant for Woodworking & Furniture Design Professor Matt Hutton. Her work in Professor Hutton’s studio has ranged from technical tasks to conceptual critiques.  Hutton says, “Abby asks the necessary questions and then gets the job done -- precisely what I look for in a studio assistant.” Along with this work, Abby serves as the student representative to the National Furniture Society Conference & Exhibitions, to be hosted by MECA in June 2012. During the spring semester last year, Abby was a key member of the conference planning team and she will continue to work on the event over the coming year. When all is said and done, Abby’s work with the conference will add invaluable communications, organizational and planning skills to her professional repertoire.

This summer, Abby was awarded a full scholarship to attend Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Aspen, CO where she was able to work side by side with artists from around the country. The experience helped her elevate her studio practice and make valuable connections within her field. She’s feeling refreshed, energized and ready to dive into her major this year.

What does Abby see in her future?  “I plan to get an MFA with a concentration in woodworking and/or furniture design so I can teach at the college level, and provide others with opportunities like the ones I have been so fortunate to obtain through my professors.” Abby came to MECA because she believed an accessible and caring faculty of active professional artists would give her the tools she needed to be successful. Two years into her college career, she knows she was right, and firmly believes that the faculty have opened doors that will help ensure her success. “The connections I’ve made at MECA through my faculty will be critical to my progress as an artist after I graduate, she says.”

Work

Erika (Hoffman) Melhus '08

Hometown

Bio

Living in Stavanger, Norway since 2008
Working at Tjerand Fine Fumiture in Szmdnes, Norway as a designer and maker of custom high quality furniture since 2009.

I greatly loved the four years I spent at MECA. Everything from the classes to the community put me into a creative lifestyle. I especially enjoyed the ability to cross discipline my education. I, as well as my work, benefited greatly by having the ability and support to explore multiple mediums and creative processes. In combination with the great communal atmosphere that surrounds MECA. lt was an amazing place to study and live. My career is greatly benefited by the diverse education I received from MECA, and all of the great faculty that helped to develop my work and my creative process,

Work

Erika (Hoffman) Melhus '08 Gallery