this just in : 2005-06

Leonard Baskin Show

The Joanne Waxman Library at MECA presents "Leonard Baskin and The Gehanna Press: A Selection 1996 - 2006" featuring selected works of master printer and designer Leonard Baskin. On view from June 23 to July 31, this exhibition is mounted in conjunction with the Maine Festival of the Book being held in Portland on June 23rd and 24th. Philip Isaacson, reviewer for the Maine Sunday Telegram, delivers a lecture about Baskin's work at 3 p.m. on June 23 in the Waxman Library.

The Story Houses Project

A collaboration involving The Telling Room, MECA, Space Gallery and 15 local teenagers telling their stories of coming to America. This multi-media exhibit includes photographs, writings and three-dimensional houses. Opening reception is 6:30 p.m. on May 8 at Space Gallery, with a suggested donation of $5. Exhibit continues through May 11. Space Gallery is located at 538 Congress Street.

Art Honors

The 12th annual Art Honors gala will take place on May 10 at Portland Yacht Services. This celebration of leadership in the arts in Maine will honor light sculptor Pandora LaCasse with the award for Achievement as an Artist Entrepreneur. Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts will receive the Award for Leadership in Arts Education. The evening includes a ceramics exhibition, reception, dinner, awards and dancing. Tickets are $150. Call 775.5098.

Thesis Exhibitions

The 86 seniors in the BFA program will exhibit their juried thesis work in a show titled “Porteous Tractatus.” The expansive, accessible spaces of the Porteous Building are to be portioned out to invite association and thematic play. The range of media is a testament to Maine College of Art’s cultivation of creative diversity: materials includes nearly everything imaginable from soil and seeds to lead, from crochet to bronze, from paint to film, and from porcelain to fiberglass. From May 12 to 29 with an opening reception on May 13 from 4 to 6 p.m.

The nine graduates of the Master of Fine Arts in Studio Arts program will exhibit their thesis work in the Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art from May 12 to 25 with opening receptions on May 12 at 6 p.m. and May 13 from 4 to 6 p.m.

The ICA at MECA, located at 522 Congress Street, is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

96th Annual Commencement

Maine College of Art will hold their 96th annual commencement exercises at Merrill Auditorium at Portland City Hall on May 13th at 2 p.m. The ceremony will recognize the 86 students receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, 9 students receiving a Master of Fine Arts degree and the 7 students receiving a Post-Baccaluareate Certificate in Art Education. Tim Rollins, artist and founder of Kids of Survival, is the commencement speaker. There will be a reception for the BFA and MFA thesis exhibitions immediately following commencement at the Porteous Building and Institute of Contemporary Art at MECA.

MECA in PMA Biennial
Congratulations to the faculty, students and alumni selected to participate in the 2007 Portland Museum of Art Biennial exhibition. More than 920 entries were reviewed by jurors Ellen Miller, founder of Miller Block Gallery in Boston; Johnnie Winona Ross, nationally recognized artist and former faculty member of the Maine College of Art; and Judith Stein, freelance curator, art critic, and author. Jurors selected 98 works by 61 artists.

The exhibition runs from April 12 to June 10, 2007.

Daniel E. Davis, Alumni, '05
Melanie Fiander, MFA current student
Virginia Fleck, Attended '78 to '80
Jennifer Gardiner, Alumni, '93
Adriane Herman, Faculty
Penelope Jones, Alumni '84
Joseph L. Kievitt, Alumni '93
Sarah Malakoff, Faculty
Meg Brown Payson, Faculty
Tina Rath, Faculty
Justin Richel, Alumni '02
Lynn A. Simmons, Alumni '01
Gail Spaien, Faculty
Ling-Wen Tsai and Nathan Kolosko, Faculty

MECA Students in "Next Generation" at CMCA
Every other year, the Center for Maine Contemporary Art hosts Maine's only statewide exhibition of works by its college and university level junior and senior art majors. The submission process often serves as an educational experience for the applicants. For many students it will be the first time they have exhibited work outside of their college/university setting and they are able to use the experience as a catalyst for future exhibitions. This year's exhibition features the work of 29 students from 6 different institutions. Next Generation is an affirming look at the range and quality of work being created in various art departments throughout the state. Congratulations to the MECA students included in the show: Asherah Cinnamon, Jenna Crowder, Michael Gallagher, John Peter Gardiner, Heather Leonard, Dan MacLean, Tamara McElroy, Yumiko Murakami,
Michelle Stuckey and Nicholas F. Zalisk. The exhibition is on view until April 21, 2007.

The Vestigial Avengers
Students in the Practicing Theory class present An Appendix Worth Keeping
March 16, March 30, and April 13 from 4-6pm in The Rines Room of the
Portland Public Library

How long has it been since you have enjoyed the company of human beings, alive and thinking by their own free will and natural biochemistry? Dare you admit, it has been a while? Please accept this invitation to participate with students and members of the community, in an afternoon fueled with provocative questions, personal exploits and maybe just a little caffeine. Free and open to the public.

Complete Schedule

Illustration Faculty Exhibition
Pictures and Words is an exhibition by MECA Illustration Faculty members Ed Briant, Mike Gorman, Jamie Hogan, Lisa Jahn-Clough, Mary Anne Lloyd and Scott Nash. The work is on display at the Joanne Waxman Library at MECA from March 12 to April 12 with a reception and book signing on April 6 from 6 to 8 p.m.

GATHER! (Grieve & Act Together to Hope, Educate, and Reorganize!)
The public is invited to participate in a collective act of mourning on February 21 in Monument Square at noon. Following the Homelessness Marathon, the public is invited to lie down in the square to pay homage to those who have died and to recognize the need for our community to grieve for daily suffering. This public participatory act of grieving is organized by Stefanie Loeb, a MECA student, and Heather Curtis, president of the Portland Tenants Union.

MECA Metalsmithing & Jewelry Student Exhibition

Beginning Friday, March 2nd, and continuing throughout the month of March, the gallery at NielsenSmith Metalworks will be featuring works by students of the Maine College of Art.

NSM is proud to present pieces by members of the graduating class, as well as undergraduate students of MECA's respected metals program, bringing some of the momentum of Portlands established arts community to the blossoming arts scene of Bayside.

Nielsen Smith Metalworks is a studio, gallery and school for artists of all media, featuring jewelry and works of art by resident artists, students and local crafts people. They are located in the Bayside community of Portland, at 102 Portland Street, on the Corner of Forest Avenue and Portland Street.

2007 Merit Exhibition

The annual Merit Exhibition at Maine College of Art runs from February 14 to 27 in the Porteous Building, located at 522 Congress Street. This show of work by undergraduate students who have declared a major and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher serves as a competition for scholarship awards. Participants present five to ten examples of studio work, which represent a high quality of achievement and the breadth of the student’s studio curriculum. A total of 79 students will participate in this year's show. A closing reception is scheduled for February 23rd at 5 p.m. in the Porteous Lobby.

Printmakers Respond to Indiana Exhibition
Faculty and students in the MECA Printmaking Department have created a suite of prints in response to the current exhibition by Robert Indiana in the Institute of Contemporary Art at MECA. The suite, along with additional work by the printmaking majors, is on display in the Friedman Student Gallery from January 17 to February 4. "Affinity for Fixation" includes the work of Miranda Beglin, Melissa Ruiz, Sarah Clair, Brian Tucker, Colleen Foley and Nicole Ferguson. Exhibition programming includes a gallery talk with the artists at noon on February 1 and a closing reception on February 2 at 7 p.m.

MECA Painters: 10 Years Later
MECA trustee and alumni Margaret Lawrence '93, has organized the fifth annual exhibition of MECA painting alumni. "Seven MECA 1997 Painters: 10 Years Later" is on view at the June Fitzpatrick Gallery at 112 High Street from January 11 to 26. Participating artists include Robert Anderson, Peter Bals, Eve Bennett, Mari Dieumegard, Eric Hongisto, Joan Malkerson and Elizabeth Sinclair. A closing reception is scheduled for January 26 from 5 to 8 p.m.

MECA to Host Regional Scholastic Art Awards
MECA is pleased to present the regional program of The Scholastic Art Awards and Maine's Congressional District Art Awards. The Scholastic Art Awards are a national competition for young artists in grades 7 through 12
and are the longest running student recognition program for the visual arts in the United States.

This year’s competition brought 341 submissions from 287 young artists representing 11 middle schools and 36 high schools in Maine. MECA is proud to showcase the talents of these artists in the Porteous Building from
January 5 to January 27. The Porteous building is open to the public, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5:00 p.m.

Gold Key, Silver Key and Merit Award recipients will be announced at the awards ceremony at the Merrill Auditorium on January 27 at 1 p.m. Local awards will include scholarships to MECA’s Early College and Saturday
School programs. Gold recipients go on to compete nationally for more than $1,000,000 in scholarships from The Scholastic Art Awards.

MECA Staff Exhibition
Fourteen members of the Maine College of Art staff will display work at the June Fitzpatrick Gallery at MECA from January 5 to January 20, 2007. Participating artists include Hannah Barnes, Shannon Bilodeau, Merry Canillas, Jennifer Christian, Jo Cushing, David Gillis, Rachel Katz, Colleen Kinsella, Owen McKenzie, Stephen Quirk, Jessica Rodrigue, Phil Stevens, Karen Townsend and Annie Wadleigh. An opening reception is scheduled for January 5 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Senior Painting Show at Casco Bay Books
The 12 painting seniors at Maine College of Art present “The Bodies Collective,” an exhibition of paintings in response to student work from the College’s archives. Painting professor Ellen Lesperance randomly selected an assortment of figurative and portraiture drawings from the flat file collection of past student work. She then assigned current students to respond to the work. There was only one restriction – the surface size needed to match the original. The resulting works on display range between formal and conceptual responses. Photographs of the original work will be on display along with pieces by painting faculty members Ellen Lesperance and Joe Begnaud. The work is priced affordably and sales will help defray the cost of the senior fieldtrip to visit museums out of state. The exhibition runs from December 1 to December 29 with an opening
reception on December 1 from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. with music by DJ Nicotine, Brzowski, Graymatter, Shade and French. Casco Bay Books is located at 151 Middle Street, open daily 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Art Underfoot
Art Underfoot is a Community Artworks project of the Portland Public Art Committee, initiated by City Councilor Jill Duson during her term as  Mayor in 2004-2005. This project consists of 125 bronze tiles that have been cast from clay designs made by community members. By October 1, 2006 tiles will be installed in Longfellow Square, in the brick field that runs between State Street and Congress Street. The project was coordinated by artist Natasha Mayers with MECA student Patrick O'Brien and MECA sculpture professor Anthony Tafuri taking charge of casting the pieces.  MECA trustee Alice Spencer and architect Rick Renner provided guidance to the project.

Opening Reception: Suspended Desire: The Bride and her Bachelors
Friday, August 4, 5 to 8 p.m.
Porteous Window Gallery, 522 Congress Street, Portland
Richard Metz, MFA '00, presents an installation of painted suits and a wedding gown that questions a contemporary marriage ritual and the masks that the characters wear in order to participate in it. The suits and dress are emblems of gender stereotypes - masculine power and the submissive bride, that are both prevalent and destructive to individuals and society. On view through August 30.

Subaltern
August 4, 6 p.m.
ICA at MECA, 522 Congress Street, Portland
A performance by MFA student Christopher Sullivan and MFA faculty member Iain Kerr. The term "subaltern" refers to marginalized groups and lower classes. This performance attempts to explore the power struggle experienced between two groups who are separated by barriers (social, political, and physical).

Faculty Show in York

The George Marshall Store Gallery in York Harbor, ME will open "Connections" a selection of work by MECA faculty on June 9, with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Joel Eckhaus, of the Woodworking & Furniture Design faculty, provides music on his hand carved ukelele. The show features work by faculty in each of the 11 studio majors available at MECA. "Connections" is on view through July 16.

MECA at Cathedral

MECA at Cathedral is a unique program where students from Maine College of Art design and implement art education for grades K-8 at the Cathedral School. Each year there is an exhibition to showcase the student work. This year's exhibition will be Sunday, May 21 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, located at 307 Congress Street in Portland.

Junior Awarded National Scholarship
Melanie Duarte, a junior graphic design major, was awarded one of seven scholarships from The Type Directors Club. The $1000 scholarship is awarded to students whose work demonstrates exceptional talent, sophistication, and skill in the use of typography. In addition to the scholarship award, Duarte will receive a one-year student membership in the TDC. The seven selected students will receive a certificate at the June TDC event in New York City.

Creative Capital Visit
Ruby Lerner, Executive Director of Creative Capital, will give a presentation on May 26 at 3:30 p.m. in the Baxter Building at MECA, located at 619 Congress Street. Creative Capital is a national grantmaking organization committed to partnering with individual artists to help them navigate the complex environment in which they work. They have granted more than $5 million to 242 artist projects in 28 states and Washington, DC.

Creative Capital is currently working with a team of consultants to assess the types and level of support that are available to artists working in Arizona and Maine. The purpose of this research is to determine the interest in, and feasibility of, adapting Creative Capital's core program of support to serve artists on a state level. Meet Ruby Lerner, Creative Capital's executive director, to learn more about this project and to discuss the life of a working artist in Maine. This session is free and open to the public.

MECA students collaborate with students in China
Professor George LaRou of MECA and professor Tom R. Chambers of Zhaoqing University in China had their students collaborate on a self-portrait project. In each country, the new media students were asked to construct a digital self portait. Images were then shared electronically, exhibited on campus in China and included in a group show in Russia. View the gallery of images here.

Alumna wins Monhegan Residency
Painter Nicole Duennebier is one of two artists awarded the Carina House residency on Monhegan Island this summer. The residency is designed to give back to Maine artists part of their heritage and tradition, including a period for creative experimentation and exploration. Other MECA alumni who have won the residency include Connie Hayes, Joe Kievitt and Martha Miller.

Design alums win awards
Graphic design alumnus Eric Eation received honors from the New England Museum Association for his work on the publications that accompanied "The City Awakes" at the Maine Historical Society. Along with his collaborater John Mayer, Eaton received first place for the exhibition announcement card and second place for the exhibition poster.

Alumnae Karen Siatras won a Best in Show award from the American Associations of Museum publications design competition. The judges awarded "the Franny" to the Smithsonian American Art Museum for the book America's Art, designed by Siatras, and published by Harry Abrams, New York. Published to mark the occasion of the museum's reopening after a six-year renovation, the lushly illustrated, 321-page volume impressed judges with its classic typography and treatment of images.

Illustration Student Wins Grand Prize
Phoenix Zoellick, a senior majoring in Illustration, won the grand prize in the 2006 Masterpieces in Motion Snow & Skateboard Art Competition. She takes home a $1000 cash prize.The competition is co-sponsored and managed by originalsnowboardart.com, the leading gallery and source for original snow and skate board art, and was open to artist of all ages and backgrounds who create imagery reflective of the board art form. Entries were judged by a jury of respected members of the creative and board riding community with value placed on successful presentation of the vitality and creative energy for which snow and skate board riders of all disciplines are known.

MECA & PHS partner up for prints
Maine College of Art printmaking major Martha Miller presents “INKcredible SIX” a print and portrait exchange between MECA students and Portland High School students. The work will be on display in the Friedman Student Gallery at MECA from April 28 to May 5, 2006 with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on May 5. The Friedman Gallery is located inthe Porteous Building at 522 Congress Street.

Since October, Miller has worked with six high school students to sketch a series of portraits of each student. In exchange for their time as figurative models, they have learned the intaglio print process for their own use. Miller, MECA students and faculty and Portland High students then collaborated on additional print portraits. All will be on display, along with photo documentation of the project. The project is supported by Creative Community Partnerships at MECA and Maine Campus Compact.