Maine College of Art & Design offers several ways to experience our campus virtually and in-person with our priority concern on the safety and health of our students, faculty, staff, and community — including you! Read on for all of the options.
Understanding the undergraduate (BFA) experience
Sculpture | Ceramics | Painting | Printmaking | Photography | Metalsmithing & Jewelry Design | Illustration | Graphic Design | Woodworking & Furniture Design | Textile & Fashion Design | Animation & Game Art | Art & Music (Minor)
Fabrication Lab | Joanne Waxman Library | Cafe | Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) | Residence Halls
Below are the Open Houses dates for the 2023–2024 season. You can register for each event at the linked dates below. All events are located in the Porteous Building at our campus in Portland, Maine, unless otherwise noted.
Transfer Day Open House
Friday, May 19, 1–4:30pm
July Open House
Friday, July 7, 1–4:30pm
September Open House
Saturday, September 16, 10:30am–4pm
October Open House
Date TBA, 10:30am–4pm
November Open House
Saturday, November 11, 10:30am–4pm
January Open House
Saturday, January 27, 10:30am–4pm
February Open House
Saturday, February 24, 10:30am–4pm
June Open House
Saturday, June 22, 10:30am–4pm
Masking is not required at MECA&D, but you are welcome to wear a mask at any time. If you are feeling sick, you may reschedule your visit, or we highly recommend wearing a 3-ply medical mask, a 3-ply medical mask with a cloth mask on top, N95, KN95, or a KF94 to help protect the health and safety of our community.
We invite you to an individual portfolio review session with an admissions counselor to receive feedback on your portfolio! These sessions can be exploratory info sessions, a time to get guidance on your portfolio, or an opportunity to submit your portfolio for an application. We offer reviews at National Portfolio Days and individual sessions. To schedule an individual session, please email admissions@meca.edu.
For more support as you build your portfolio, check out our How To or explore joining us for a Pre-College summer session.
Take an in-person tour of campus! Join us for an hour-long tour with a MECA&D admissions counselor or student tour guide to explore all 6 floors of our main building which includes studio departments, major spaces, the MECA&D Cafe, Library and the Institute of Contemporary Art. Residence halls are optional at the end of the tour. Schedule your campus tour online here.
Masking is not required at MECA&D, but you are welcome to wear a mask at any time. If you are feeling sick, you may reschedule your visit, or we highly recommend wearing a 3-ply medical mask, a 3-ply medical mask with a cloth mask on top, N95, KN95, or a KF94 to help protect the health and safety of our community.
Join us for a tour with Joel Tsui, Graduate Admissions Coordinator at MECA&D! Explore the key facilities you will have access to as an MFA, MAT or Salt student — including Joanne Waxman Library, Institute of Contemporary Art, and MECA&D Café — as well as additional resources to enrich your time as a MECA&D graduate student. If you are unavailable during the scheduled time, please be in touch at admissions@meca.edu to schedule a different date, or request a live, virtual tour you can attend from the comfort of your home.
Register for a campus visit at our Graduate Tour Portal here.
Each year we host several information sessions, webinars, open houses, and other opportunities to visit each of the three graduate programs at MECA&D. Check back later this summer for the next round of events this fall.
Thursday, January 27: 6–7pm ET
Here at MECA&D, we take pride in our equal emphasis on both studio production and research rigor. Not only do our MFA candidates complete a thesis body of work, they will also have to publish an 8,000-word thesis book, as well as defending their thesis in a panel discussion.
This is all thanks to a supportive faculty body and the unsung heroes of our staff at the Joanne Waxman Library. Staff from our Library and Admissions will come together to talk a bit more about how we have been able to support our diverse student body’s individual needs, and how the Joanne Waxman Library may just be the best kept secret of our College. Join Director of the Joanne Waxman Library Shiva Darbandi, Library Collections and Programming Manager Liz Rhaney, and Graduate Admissions Coordinator Joel Tsui (he/him) on this Zoom webinar.
The MFA at MECA&D: Research Rigor recording will be posted soon. Please check back for the link!
Thursday, January 20: 6–7pm ET
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies has always had a unique staff and faculty body. Being such a hands-on field of study, we are all practitioners and educators of our craft.
Faculty and staff from Salt at MECA&D will come together to share a bit more about ourselves, as well as the projects we pursued while supporting our Salt students. We will also talk about the program, and what makes our 15-week Graduate Certificate a unique experience for prospective storytellers. Join Salt Director Isaac Kestenbaum (he/him), Graduate Admissions Coordinator Joel Tsui (he/him) on this Zoom info session.
The Salt at MECA&D Virtual Info Session recording will be posted soon. Please check back for the link!
Wednesday, January 12, 2022
A lot of our MAT Teacher Candidates have fond memories of their “aha” moment — the day they decided that being an art educator is what they wanted to do. However, finding the right path towards being an art educator can be tricky.
Faculty and staff from MAT at MECA&D will come together to share a bit more about ourselves, as well as the projects we pursued while supporting our MAT Teacher Candidates. We will also talk about the program, and help folks understand how our MAT program can help them kickstart a career in art education.
The MAT at MECA&D Zoom Info Session recording will be posted soon. Please check back for the link!
Thursday, November 18, 2021
New year, new MECA&D! We have plenty to share about our program and our College, and we would like to share them all with you at our Zoom info session. Faculty and staff from MFA at MECA&D will come together to share our observations on the road, as well as on campus throughout the past year. We also have a physical presence at all of this year’s Graduate National Portfolio Days (Chicago, San Francisco, New York City) and will be sharing our findings as we talk to artists and prospective students. Finally, we will go through updates on our MFA program and talk through the application process.
Join the Chair of the MFA program Chris Stiegler (he/him) and Graduate Admissions Coordinator Joel Tsui (he/him) on this Zoom info session, along with a live Q&A session, by registering through the form below.
Friday, November 12, 2021
New year, new cohort! Last year, we hosted a webinar where we brought MAT Teacher Candidates and recent MAT alums together to chat and talk about their experience in and out of the classroom. This year, we’re bringing back the same format to connect recent MAT alums with our current Teacher Candidates.
Alumni and current teacher candidates from the MAT and MECA&D will come together for a 45-minute conversation and interactive Q&A, to share observations out in the field, and compare experiences on their time as a Teacher Candidate in our MAT program. Finally, we will go through updates on our MAT program and talk through the application process. Join teacher candidates Tori Hamilton, MAT alumni Madison Mahoney MAT '21, and Cooper Binette MAT '21, and Graduate Admissions Coordinator Joel Tsui on this webinar, along with a live Q&A session.
As you may know, the Salt Graduate Certificate for Documentary Studies is unique in that the program is neither an introductory course, nor is it a masterclass. Ideal Salt students are folks who have gotten a taste of what it is like to produce a story — be it a short film or an audio piece — and are ready to learn through a rigorous and hands-on program. We all have to start somewhere, and thankfully, you can produce your first documentary piece completely on your phone!
Faculty, staff, and alumni from Salt will come together for a 60-minute panel and interactive Q&A, to share our experience with getting things done on a budget, how to make the most out of your equipment, and tips on producing remotely and on a budget. We'll also give updates on our Salt program and talk more in depth about how students of different skill levels benefit from the program.Join the Salt Director Isaac Kestenbaum, and Graduate Admissions Coordinator Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, and special guests on this webinar, along with a live Q&A session, by registering through the form below.
Have you ever wondered how you can strive in an interdisciplinary program? Why do we offer an interdisciplinary program? Even if you are an artist dedicated to a singular practice, what can you get out of an interdisciplinary MFA program?
Chris Stiegler, MFA Chair; Gail Spaien, MFA Faculty; Caitlin D'Amico, current MFA student; and Graduate Admissions Coordinator Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19 from the MFA at MECA&D will come together for a 60-minute panel and interactive Q&A, to share our relationship with the program from various perspectives, examples of how past and current students have taken advantage of the program’s openness, and give you offer you advice on how you can leverage your existing practice to stand out among the applicant pool. We'll also give updates on our MFA program and talk about the application process.
When was the last time you saw art in person? Chances are, the last time you saw art was through a screen or print materials. Over the course of 2020, many art communities were forced to come up with virtual experiences for their audiences. If you are a prospective applicant at MECA&D, this is a great time to also think about how you approach your portfolio submission.
Faculty, staff, and alumni from the MFA at MECA&D will come together for a 60-minute panel and interactive Q&A, to share our relationship documented art, thoughts about the process, and give pointers on how to arrange, edit and present a portfolio to make sure your application is competitive. We'll also give updates on our MFA program and how our cohort of low residency and full residency students is faring.
Join the Chair of the MFA program Chris Stiegler, Sculpture Department Professor Ling-Wen Tsai, Collections and Programming Manager Liz Rhaney MFA '20, MFA student Adam Powers, and Graduate Admissions Coordinator Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19 — a recording can be seen here.
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges educators have faced in recent years is learning how to adapt everything we knew about teaching to an online, virtual, digital, and occasionally asynchronous space. The Master of Arts in Teaching at Maine College of Art & Design adapted their curriculum to not only address the changing dynamics of being an art educator, but to also ensure our teacher candidates acquire skills for a hands-on environment.
Join the Interim Chair of the MAT program Dr. Rachel Somerville; teacher candidates Lauren Anderson '20, Madison Mahoney, and Trent Redmond; MAT alumni Karol Carlsen MFA '20, Anne Hayes MFA '20, and Adrienne Munger MFA '20; and Graduate Admissions Coordinator Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19 on this 60-minute panel discussion and Q&A session.
2020 is the year where social distancing and virtual conferences (Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams…) permeate our lives. As George Lucas once said, “Sound is half the picture.” Have you considered how your audio quality can enhance your audience’s experience with your digital content, whether it is a webinar, an online class, or even an office meeting?
Join Salt Director Isaac Kestenbaum, recent Salt alum Sam Leeds (Salt '19), and Graduate Admissions Coordinator Joel Tsui BFA ‘16, Salt ‘17, MFA ‘19 on this 30-minutes webinar where they discuss the quality of various microphones—from the built-in mics of your devices to the tried-and-true condenser mics. A Q+A session follows with updates on what's new at Salt for this year. You can watch the recording on YouTube.
