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Info For

  • Prospective Students
  • Current Students
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Alumni
  • Parents & Families
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  • Educators
  • Employers
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  • About
    • Column 1
      • MECA at a Glance
      • Mission, Vision & Core Values
      • History & Timeline
      • Office of the President
      • Board of Trustees
      • Why Art School?
    • Column 2
      • Pre-College
      • Continuing Studies & Summer Camps
      • Educational Philosophy
      • Campus Facilities
      • Advancement
      • Faculty Excellence
    • Column 3
      • Directory
      • Careers at MECA
      • Virtual Tour
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      • News
      • Events
    • Column 4
      • Discover Portland
      • Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at MECA
      • Joanne Waxman Library
      • Visiting Artist Lecture Series
      • Galleries & Exhibitions

    Embark on a Virtual Tour of MECA

    Let's Go!
  • Academics
    • BFA Programs
      • Ceramics
      • Digital Media
      • Graphic Design
      • Illustration
      • Photography
      • Metalsmithing & Jewelry
      • Painting
    • Column 2
      • Printmaking
      • Sculpture
      • Textile & Fashion Design
      • Woodworking & Furniture Design
      • BFA Minors
      • Academic Studies
      • Foundation
    • Graduate Programs & Continuing Studies
      • Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
      • Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
      • Salt Documentary Studies
      • Continuing Studies
      • Pre-College
    • Resources
      • Academic Calendar
      • Course Catalog & Schedule
      • Registration & Academic Advising
      • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Joanne Waxman Library
      • Staff Directory

    Applications open for MAT 18— Scholarships available!

    Learn More
  • Admissions
    • I am a Future...
      • Undergraduate
      • Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
      • Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
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      • Transfer Students
      • Military & Veterans
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    • Applying to MECA
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    Transfer Day AT MECA (June 1, 2018)

    RSVP
  • Student Life
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    • Second Column
      • Residence Halls
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      • Commencement
    • Get Involved
      • Parents & Families
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      • Public Engagement
    • Do. See. Eat.
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      • Café at MECA
      • Discover Portland
      • Discover Maine

    Voted "Second Coolest Small City" in America

    Discover Portland
  • Artists at Work
    • Artists at Work Resources
      • Contact A@W
      • Hire an Artist
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      • On View
    • Professional Development
      • MECA Portfolio
      • Internships
      • Job Board
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    • Public Engagement
      • Project Space
      • Public Engagement Fellows
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    • Alumni
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      • Transcript Request
      • Grants & Residencies

    Showcase of Creative Work

    View MECA Portfolios
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    • Prospective Students
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  • About
    • Column 1
      • MECA at a Glance
      • Mission, Vision & Core Values
      • History & Timeline
      • Office of the President
      • Board of Trustees
      • Why Art School?
    • Column 2
      • Pre-College
      • Continuing Studies & Summer Camps
      • Educational Philosophy
      • Campus Facilities
      • Advancement
      • Faculty Excellence
    • Column 3
      • Directory
      • Careers at MECA
      • Virtual Tour
      • Online Shop
      • News
      • Events
    • Column 4
      • Discover Portland
      • Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at MECA
      • Joanne Waxman Library
      • Visiting Artist Lecture Series
      • Galleries & Exhibitions

    Embark on a Virtual Tour of MECA

    Let's Go!
  • Academics
    • BFA Programs
      • Ceramics
      • Digital Media
      • Graphic Design
      • Illustration
      • Photography
      • Metalsmithing & Jewelry
      • Painting
    • Column 2
      • Printmaking
      • Sculpture
      • Textile & Fashion Design
      • Woodworking & Furniture Design
      • BFA Minors
      • Academic Studies
      • Foundation
    • Graduate Programs & Continuing Studies
      • Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
      • Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
      • Salt Documentary Studies
      • Continuing Studies
      • Pre-College
    • Resources
      • Academic Calendar
      • Course Catalog & Schedule
      • Registration & Academic Advising
      • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Joanne Waxman Library
      • Staff Directory

    Applications open for MAT 18— Scholarships available!

    Learn More
  • Admissions
    • I am a Future...
      • Undergraduate
      • Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
      • Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
      • Salt Graduate Certificate
      • Continuing Studies
      • Pre-College
    • Info For
      • Transfer Students
      • Military & Veterans
      • Parents & Families
      • International Students
    • Applying to MECA
      • How To Apply
      • Apply to MECA
      • Tuition & Financial Aid
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    • Discover MECA
      • Virtual Tour
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      • Meet the Staff
      • MECA On The Road

    Transfer Day AT MECA (June 1, 2018)

    RSVP
  • Student Life
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      • Campus Resources
      • Contact Student Life
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      • Crisis Support
      • Orientation
      • Commencement
    • Get Involved
      • Parents & Families
      • Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at MECA
      • Artists at Work
      • Public Engagement
    • Do. See. Eat.
      • Portland's Arts Community
      • Café at MECA
      • Discover Portland
      • Discover Maine

    Voted "Second Coolest Small City" in America

    Discover Portland
  • Artists at Work
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      • On View
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About Office of the President

Office of the President

Welcome to Maine College of Art.

For more than 135 years, MECA has been committed to educating artists for life. The MECA education is rooted in artistic excellence, creative entrepreneurship, and civic engagement.

Today, the vitality of our mission is clearly exemplified by our expanding facilities and resources, highly engaged and prolific student body, growing network of successful alumni, impressive caliber of faculty, visiting artists and guest lecturers, and supportive team of staff.

MECA’s  educational experience will prepare you for a multitude of creative pursuits while giving you the necessary tools to succeed in your chosen path. Our interdisciplinary curriculum focuses on models of creative practice, ensuring that you will graduate with a solid understanding of how to most effectively use your passions, talents, and education to make a living as a professional artist and designer.

Located in the heart of Portland, Maine’s thriving Downtown Arts District, MECA is perfectly situated at the core of one of America’s most livable cities. Portland is a place of true cultural distinction that celebrates creative expression, individualism, and originality. Renowned locally, nationally, and internationally for awe-inspiring natural beauty, historic architecture, and an edgy urban pulse, a brief walk around the city reveals how easily one can fall in love with this great destination that MECA proudly calls home.

At MECA, we believe that art and culture make our communities better. We are committed to empowering a new generation of creative-problem solving Artists at Work. I invite you to plan a visit, explore the campus culture, and discover for yourself how MECA provides an incomparable, individualized foundation for a successful career in the arts. We look forward to welcoming you as part of our vibrant, challenging, and highly supportive community.

I encourage you to schedule a personalized visit so you can discover MECA for yourself
.

Laura Freid
President


MECA Appoints Laura Freid as Next President

Read More

Laura Freid's Biography

Read More

Laura Freid Media

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Board of Trustees

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        • MECA Supports Peaceful Protest
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        • Tinderbox
        • MECA Through & Through
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        • Residual Utopia
        • Ann Hirsch: Sharing Love
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        • We Are What We Hide
        • Thomas Moser “Legacy in Wood”
        • Innocent Production
        • East to East
        • Razzle Dazzle Sis Boom Bah
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        • The Wrong Kind of Bars
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        • Idea of North
        • 2013 Faculty Exhibition
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        • Bump
        • Bounty
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        • The World Over
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        • Motorpark
        • Bridgman & Packer
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        • Francis Cape: Utopian Benches
        • 2012 MFA Thesis Exhibition
        • Consumption
        • Whole Earth Catalog
        • Michael Bell-Smith
        • Time-Lag Records
        • Drawn to Disaster
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        • 2011 MFA Thesis Exhibition
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  • What do our alumni do?

    Statistics from the 2015 Strategic National Arts Alumni project (SNAAP)

    Did you know?

    55% is the national average for arts alumni that work as professional artists.

    45% is the national average for arts alumni that are self employed, independent contractors, or freelance workers.

    63

    Work as professional artists

    23

    Work as graphic designers, illustrators, or art directors

    16

    Founded a business

    23

    Work as craft artists

    38

    Work as fine artists

    29

    Work as art teachers

    17

    Pursued an MFA after graduation

    47

    Are self-employed, independent contractors or freelance workers

    91

    Make art in their personal time

    View More
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