
Bryan Hansen '18
I now have a great respect for the processes of making. There are some incredibly intelligent, amazing . . .”
Describe a body of work that you are currently working on. My most recent body of work involves a series of lightly abstracted tools that can be handled but are functionally unusable. These objects juxtapose visual worth and use value, hybridizing stereotypically "masculine" actions and "feminine" aesthetics. They act as totems that . . .Read More

Betsy Lewis '16
Student Perspective: Betsy Lewis (Metalsmithing & Jewelry Design '16) from Maine College of . . .”
Student Perspective: Betsy Lewis (Metalsmithing & Jewelry Design '16) from Maine College of Art. To view more of Betsy's work, view her portfolio online here.Read More

Catherine Quattrociocchi '17
MECA has expanded the way that I think about materials. It has given me the freedom to experiment with . . .”
Catherine Quattrociocchi '17 (Metalsmithing & Jewelry) was accepted into the juried exhibition Any Portmanteau in a Storm, a showcase in the blending of techniques, materials, and ideas to create the perfect storm of conceptual creativity through Wearable Art. The opening reception is Saturday, April 2, 6:00–8:00pm and the . . .Read More

Mary Forst '16 & Betsy Lewis '16
Two Metalsmithing & Jewelry Design majors, Betsy Lewis '16 and Mary Forst '16, were accepted into . . .”
Two Metalsmithing & Jewelry Design majors, Betsy Lewis '16 and Mary Forst '16, were accepted into national exhibitions. Betsy is exhibiting in Craft Forms 2015, dedicated to enhancing the public's awareness of fine contemporary craft, while providing a venue for established and emerging artists to share their creative endeavors. . . .Read More

Betsy Lewis '16
My internship gave me a sense of where I want to be in ten years. The work I did and the people I met gave me . . .”
Not content to spend her summer with one internship, Elizabeth “Betsy” Lewis traveled to New York City to intern for jewelry designer Janice Grzyb, as well as Erin Daily and Brian Weissman, owners of Brooklyn Metal Works. “My objectives for this summer were to be thrown into the depths of the metals industry,” Betsy explains, . . .Read More

Cat Bates '09
Balance ambition with discipline and patience. Building a career as an artist takes time and you need a place . . .”
I began building my independent studio practice soon after graduation from MECA. I focused initially on one of a kind works but eventually, begrudgingly, I began working in multiples and developing a production line. While a student I had shunned this kind of work believing that it lacked soul or artistry, however once I started . . .Read More

Tegan Curry ’02
Tegan Curry is from Bar Harbor, Maine, and currently produces six lines of jewelry. Growing up, she spent . . .”
Tegan Curry is from Bar Harbor, Maine, and currently produces six lines of jewelry. Growing up, she spent summers on the ocean working for her dad, with plenty of time to explore the coastline. Her latest product, LobsterBand Rings, stands apart from her other work and was inspired by finding various colored lobster bands while . . .Read More

Jeffrey Herman ’81
When you think about what artists like Hal know, there is no comparison. I received a first-rate education, . . .”
Jeffrey Herman ’81 came to Portland School of Art (PSA) before it was called MECA, before it was housed in an historic flagship six-floor department store and before it offered courses such as the “Art of Business.” Today he is the owner of a highly successful business, Herman Silver Restoration and Conservation, and founder of . . .Read More

Chaya Caron '99
Chaya Caron ’99 began designing jewelry at the age of 16, graduating in 1999 with a BFA in Jewelry & . . .”
Chaya Caron ’99 began designing jewelry at the age of 16, graduating in 1999 with a BFA in Jewelry & Metalsmithing. She pursued business education studies at the University of Maine and apprenticed under three goldsmiths. She is the owner of Chaya Studio Jewelry and her collection is inspired by her love of nature, conscious . . .Read More

Aaron Patrick Decker ’12
Every jewel has a person out there, my job is to unite them.”
In 2012, as a senior at MECA majoring in Metalsmithing & Jewelry, Aaron Patrick Decker ’12 was awarded a prestigious Windgate Fellowship, which allowed him to participate in artist residencies at the Turnov international Jewelry Symposium in Turnov, Czech Republic; at the Estonian Academy of Fine Arts; and at the Association of . . .Read More

Sharon Portelance '82
After receiving her BFA in Jewelry and Silversmithing in 1982 from the Portland School of Art (now Maine . . .”
After receiving her BFA in Jewelry and Silversmithing in 1982 from the Portland School of Art (now Maine College of Art), Professor Portelance traveled the country, ultimately settling in Seattle, Washington, where she began her studio practice and discovered what was to become her future in teaching at the Pratt Fine Arts Center in . . .Read More