Resilience Week at MECA&D
Friday, March 11 - Friday, March 18, 2022
We are very pleased to share Resilience Week's return to Maine College of Art & Design.
Hosted by coordinator Athena Lynch (attended) '20, the Students of Color Coalition (SCC), and Chair of the Diversity Committee Chris Malcolm, Resilience Week is filled with a series of public and private events designed to celebrate and explore important conversations about diversity, intersectionality, identity, and social change.
By bringing together a variety of programming, the event aims to provide a network of support for those committed to fostering change here at MECA&D. Generating conversation and awareness of topics surrounding identity, race, representation, and justice, the goal is to carve a space where students of color don’t just survive. They thrive.
This year, planned activities include: an artist exhibition; Crit Crunch; BIPOC panel discussion; pop-up shop; Freestyle Friday; Capoeira workshop, artist panel, and more. The organizers are also working with Love Lab Studio to create children’s art kits that will be available for sale at the pop-up shop and donated to the Portland Boys & Girls Club and families at the General Assistance office on Forest Ave.
Stay tuned for more dates and information about the public events included in the 2022 Resilience Week.
2022 Workshops + Events
Tuesday, March 1 - Thursday, March 17, 2022
Resilience Week Pop-up Shop
Presented by Students of Color Coalition (SCC), MECA&D Staff and Faculty, and our community of local artists
Location: Zand Head Gallery
Hours: 11:00am - 6:30pm
Take a look at children's art kits, made in conjunction with Love Lab Studio, and other art and goods available at our pop-up shop. Proceeds will go to support the Resilience Week events and SCC. This year, we are very grateful for the generous support of former MECA&D student Joshua Dixon (attended) '19 from Admire Wear, who will join our work as the corporate sponsor of this event.
Interested in having your work included? Sign up here.
Friday, March 4, 2022
Reception for "...we sustain ourselves... by building communities..." exhibition
Presented by Athena Lynch (attended) '20, Students of Color Coalition (SCC), Liz Rhaney MFA '20, Shiva Darbandi
Location: Joanne Waxman Library
Time: 5:00 - 6:00pm
An opportunity for the planning committee to formally kick-off the Resilience Week planned events and celebrate the artists presenting work in the corresponding exhibition.
Saturday, March 5 through Saturday, March 19, 2022
"...we sustain ourselves... by building communities..." Exhibition
Presented by Students of Color Coalition (SCC), MECA&D faculty, and our community of artists
Location: First & Second Floors in the Porteous Building
Virtual tour available to the public while the exhibition is on view.
“One of the most vital ways we sustain ourselves is by building communities of resistance, places where we know we are not alone.” - bell hooks
This year's overarching theme is about sustaining ourselves through community.
See the work in a virtual tour.
Thursday, March 10, 2022
Multicultural Lunch
Presented by Students of Color Coalition (SCC), Pam Ryder, and the MECA&D Cafe staff
Location: MECA&D Cafe
Time: 11am - 1pm
Food feeds the body, the mind and the soul. SCC members and advisors sharing cultural and family recipes with the MECA&D community. Food not only is a source of nourishment, it’s love, culture, tradition, memories and medicine. The community meal is meant to get people together and fellowship with each other. While the pandemic makes it difficult to come together for a meal the way we would like, this is an opportunity to communicate our fellowship and symbolically come together as a community: as a family.
Our community meal will be created in To-Go boxes with Resilience Week stickers.
Saturday, March 12, 2022
SCC Writing Workshop with Signature Soul Resilience Week
Presented by Signature Soul
Location: Mechanics' Hall
Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm
This is a writing workshop for the Students of Color Coalition (SCC).
Saturday, March 12, 2022
Free Flow Vibes facilitated by Signature Soul with guest DJs Liz and Ben
Presented by Signature Soul, Liz Rhaney MFA '20, Ben Spalding MFA '17
Location: Mechanics' Hall
Time: 7:00 - 10:30pm
Music, sharing, poetry, dance, A freestyle dance Wave. Freestyle Friday is a community of artists, MC’s, beatmakers, and general creatives that encourages healing through collaboration and genuine expression.
Sunday, March 13, 2022
Crit Crunch
Presented by participating MECA&D staff and faculty
Location: Room 07
Time: 11:00am - 2:00pm
Students of color have an opportunity to sign up for 25-minute slots and present work for critique in a safe and generative environment. This is a chance to explore not explain content.
Faculty interested in participating can sign-up here.
Monday, March 14, 2022
Resilience Week Panel
‘Sick n tired of the ism schisms’ a BIPOC community discussion
Moderating speakers include Roland Mendiola, Debi Rogers, and Maya Williams
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Time: 3:00 - 6:00pm
Join us for important, expert-led discussions centered around gender, race and in the BIPOC community.
Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Artist Panel
Moderating speakers include Veronica Perez MFA '16, Evelyn Wong MFA '19, and Golaleh Yazdani MFA '18
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Time: 6:00 - 8:00pm
This year's artist panel discussion, featuring MFA alumni Veronica Perez MFA '16, Evelyn Wong MFA '19, and Golaleh Yazdani MFA '18, will focus on personal journeys as BIPOC beginning to mid-career artists tackling subjects such as identity, trauma and visibility.
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Time to chillax…
Presented by Roland Mendiola
Location: Room 07
Time: 3:00 - 4:30pm
This pandemic along with everyday stress has pushed all of us to limits mentally and emotionally. This workshop is for anyone who wants to STOP and BREATHE and BE STILL.
Thursday, March 17, 2022
Visiting Artist Lecture
Presented by IlaSahai Prouty
Location: Zoom (email pnadal@meca.edu for link)
Time: 9:30 - 10:30am
IlaSahai Prouty is an interdisciplinary artist, who works with communities on socially engaged projects. Recent projects have centered on race as a social construction made through language, and co-making as a restorative process for women. She also cultivates a personal studio practice across media, including writing, painting, glass and printmaking.
Prouty is an Associate Professor in the Department of Art at Appalachian State University, where she teaches socially engaged art, and guides seniors in their capstone projects.
Vamos Jogar!( Let's Play!)
Presented by Alejandro Graciano
Location: Mechanics' Hall
Time: 4:00 - 6:00pm
Maestro Alejandro Graciano will introduce Capoeira, a martial arts form brought over from Angola to Brazil. Capoeira is a combination of dance, acrobatics and fighting. Participants should come wearing loose clothing to move freely in this session.
Friday, March 18, 2022
Closing Reception / Reflections
Presented by Athena Lynch (attended) '20, Students of Color Coalition (SCC), Liz Rhaney MFA '20, Shiva Darbandi
Location: Joanne Waxman Library
Time: 5:00 - 7:30pm
Closing reception featuring musical stylings by The Replicants. This event will wrap up the Resilience Week(s) of events and then a discussion on events and how then went/ were received, what worked, etc.
Thank you to the planning team and corporate sponsors!
MECA&D is so grateful to the Students of Color Coalition (SCC), Chair of the Diversity Committee Chris Malcolm, and coordinator Athena Lynch '20 for their work on the third annual Resilience Week that will take place in March. This is an important, unique opportunity for our community to celebrate and explore important conversations about diversity, intersectionality, identity, and social change.
This event is made possible in part thanks to our wonderful corporate sponsors.
