PARENTS & FAMILIES
Welcome to the MECA community. Whether you are a parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or friend of a MECA student, you play a vital role in the success and experience that your student can achieve at this institution.
Our goal is to offer some of the necessary resources to help ensure your student has a smooth transition and exceptional college experience. Your encouragement, guidance, and support are crucial in helping your student develop the necessary skills to emerge into adulthood and develop as a professional.
At MECA, we are focused on our core values of artistic excellence, creative entrepreneurship, and civic engagement. Here, students are challenged to become well-rounded and well-grounded individuals who strive toward reaching their greatest potential.
General Info for Parents & Families
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We hope you will find what you are looking for on this page or via the tabs above; however if not, please give us a call or send an email and we will answer your questions. For general questions, contact Anna Schwartz at 207.699.5034; otherwise, see below for specific staff members. We also love feedback, so tell us what you do and do not like about our web resources so we can provide the most helpful information possible.
Stay in Touch
If you want to keep up on what’s happening at Maine College of Art, sign up to receive our monthly email. The signup form is on the homepage. This monthly email communication is full of information about visiting artists, special events, great art projects and breaking news about the College.
If you want more, see our Publications page for links to our MECA Newsletters, Annual Reports and archived monthly emails.
Contact us
Anna K. Schwartz, Director of Student Engagement. Anna is responsible for developing college-wide activities and events. She works with our student clubs and organizations and identifies areas within the Portland community for our students to get involved. Anna can be contacted at aschwartz@meca.edu.
Jessica Tomlinson, Director of Artists at Work. Jessica helps our students prepare for life after MECA by connecting them to employers, internship providers, and more. Check out our MECA Online Job Opportunities (MOJO) to see how or contact Jessica at jtomlinson@meca.edu.
Dan Gardner, Director of Residential Education & Housing. Dan is responsible for residential life at MECA and also works with students who request ADA accommodations. If you have questions about living on-campus, our residence halls or DisAbility Services at MECA, contact Dan at dgardner@meca.edu.
Sheila Geant, Counseling Coordinator. A licensed clinical professional counselor, Sheila is one of two counselors on campus who provide free and confidential clinical counseling, crisis intervention and outreach to students. Shelia can be contacted at sgeant@meca.edu.
Erin Hutton, Associate Director of Retention & Special Projects. Erin oversees our mentoring program, which connects students and faculty advisors. She also manages a host of student-related events throughout the year. Erin’s e-mail address is ehutton@meca.edu.
Commencement
Commencement will take place at 10am on May 11th at the historic State Theater located one block from the college. Students will be provided with Commencement announcements in March. There are no tickets or limits to the number of guests that graduates may bring to celebrate this event.
Immediately following commencement graduates and their families are invited to a reception at the Porteous Building.
Questions may be directed to Anna Schwartz, Director of Student Engagement: aschwartz@meca.edu
Lodging
The Holiday Inn by the Bay is reserving a block of rooms at a special rate of $129 for two double beds or a queen bed (price does not reflect 7% sales tax). Rooms need to be reserved by April 10th. Any rooms not reserved by that date will be released for general reservations. This rate and hold applies to both Friday, May 10th and Saturday, May 11th. When making a reservation, be sure to ask for the MECA Commencement rate.
Directions to the State Theatre
Directions to Maine College of Art, Porteous Building:
From the North
Take Interstate 295 to Exit 7, Franklin Street
From the South
Take the Maine Turnpike northbound to Exit 44, Interstate 295. Follow Interstate 295 to
Exit 7, Franklin Street
Directions to the Porteous Building at 522 Congress Street:
Stay on Franklin Street until you hit the top of the hill and take a right onto Congress Street.
You will pass City Hall on your right; continue on Congress several more blocks, past
Monument Square. Porteous is the large building on the left with a brown awning.
Parking
There is a public parking garage at 45 Spring Street, on the right just past the Cumberland County Civic Center. To go to the Porteous Building from the parking garage, leave the parking garage through its rear exit, onto Free Street; the Porteous Building will be immediately across the street from you.
On-street 2-hour parking is available on Congress, Casco (directly across from the Porteous Building entrance) and surrounding streets.
Portland Parking Garages and Lots
One City Center Parking Garage, Monument Square, 773.2761
Midtown Parking Lot, 44 Fore St.
Top of the Old Port Parking Lot, 119 Pearl & Congress Sts., 828.1212
Temple Street Parking Garage, 11 Temple St., 772.5762
Cumberland County Parking Garage, Newbury St., 871.8275
Custom House Sq. Parking Garage, Pearl & Fore Sts.
Fore Street Parking Garage, 439 Fore St., 772.7738
Casco Bay Parking Garage, Commercial St. at Maine State Pier, 774.8653
Cotton & Center Parking Lot, 57 Center St., 879.8983
Public Market Parking Garage, 315 Cumberland Ave, 774.2829
Spring St. Parking Garage, 45 Spring St., 874.2842
Gateway Parking Garage, 181 High St., 761.1568
Harbor Plaza Parking Garage, Union St., 775.3788
Monument Square Parking Garage, Cumberland and Brown Sts.
MECA’s Academic Calendar has our vacations, deadlines and key institutional events.
Here are some favorites to check out:
- Parent and Family Weekend
- Annual Holiday Sale of student and alumni work
- Art Honors Gala to recognize leadership in the arts
- First Friday Art Walk
Where to stay. Maine College of Art offers discounts at a number of area hotels. Click on lodging [PDF] to find a place to stay on your next trip to Portland.
Where to eat. Portland has no shortage of amazing places to eat, and new places seem to pop up all the time. See our restaurant list [PDF] to see our short list of ideas. You can also visit Portland Food Map to see what others are saying about eats in Portland.
What to do. Almost anything… Go whale watching, hiking, shopping, walking, skiing, sailing, running, eating, browsing, bowling, dancing, listening, or just about anything else. Go to our Portland link for a potpourri of options including places to park while you’re in town.
How do you educate students about staying safe while living in a city?
As part of Orientation, first-year students attend a session on personal safety where an officer from the Portland Police Department speaks with them about ways of protecting themselves when walking around the city. The Portland Police Department has some safety tips on their website that we encourage all students to read over.
How can I get a meal plan?
You can visit the Cafe FAQ to learn more about your meal plan options.
When is the Cafe open?
The Cafe is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday-Friday and for brunch on Saturday and Sundays. Where do we buy books & supplies? Faculty provide book and supply lists. Most supplies are available at Art Mart right in the Porteous Building. Many books are pre-ordered and available at Longfellow Books down the street or can be ordered on-line.
Is there someone my child can speak to about personal issues?
Everyone from faculty members to the counseling staff to the Resident Assistants in the residence halls to the Student Affairs staff members are all here and willing to help out whenever we can. If your son/daughter would rather talk with someone off-campus, our counseling staff will assist him him/her on finding an off-campus resource to talk to.
Where do I find out about tuition and fees?
Click here: Tuition & Fees
What is FY-In?
All first year students participate in FY-In, our innovative first-year seminar. This seminar involves studio work, academic research, and involvement with a community partner. Its intent is to fully immerse students in art and design, to involve them in the MECA and Portland communities, and to place their creative efforts in a real-world context. FY-In teaches the critical importance of combining research and practice, and serves as an introduction to collaborating with one another and with a community partner. Students read, write, research, make art, discuss and critique while working on specific projects in their section.
Do you have a career services office?
Yes! Go to Career Services and learn about MOJO, internships, on- and off-campus jobs, and more.
Are students allowed to have a microwave or other appliances in the residence halls?
Students living in Oak and Shepley are allowed to bring with them appliances such as microwaves, George Forman grills and coffee pots. Toasters and toaster-ovens, or similar appliances that have an exposed heating coil are not permitted in the residence halls.