PORTLAND, Maine - Maine College of Art & Design is proud to announce its inaugural Resilience Week, a project conceived by students and developed by the campus Diversity Committee and Students of Color Coalition. Running from Saturday, February 8 through Friday, February 14, 2020, Resilience Week is dedicated to MECA&D’s mission of racial, sexual, and gender inclusivity and seeks to provide a network of support for those committed to fostering change at MECA&D.
“The impetus for Resilience Week came out of conversations that occurred on campus almost exactly one year ago,” said Diversity Committee co-chair Shiva Darbandi. “Some of these conversations may be difficult and eye-opening for some, but this week is also an acknowledgment and celebration of the experience of artists of color in institutions of higher learning.”
“Promoting a culture of racial justice and social change is one of the five core goals that are being addressed through MECA&D’s strategic planning process,” said President Laura Freid. “I am inspired by the work that our Diversity Committee and Students of Color Coalition have brought to Resilience Week and to MECA&D. I encourage our students and community members alike to take the time to experience the work and reflect on what unites us, rather than what separates us.”
Resilience Week will kick-off on Saturday, February 8th with an intergenerational youth quilting workshop called Mending the Gap: A Community Blanket. Students in grades K-12 are invited to collaborate with MECA&D’s Masters of Art Teaching Program and undergraduate student leaders to create and build community.
“Generating conversation and awareness of topics surrounding identity, race, representation, and justice allows us to carve a space where our students of color don’t just survive, they thrive,” said student leader Ashley Page ’20.
Resilience Week will include an art exhibition, musical performances, children’s programming, and dialogues around race, as well as a film festival on Saturday, February 8, a history of hair braiding workshop on Tuesday, February 11, and a West African Dance Workshop on Friday, February 14.
A full listing of Resilience Week events can be found here.
About Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D):
Founded in 1882, Maine College of Art & Design is located in the heart of downtown Portland's thriving Arts District. MECA&D offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 11 studio majors (including Animation & Game Art), Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art, Master of Arts in Teaching, Continuing Studies and Pre-College. Institutes at MECA&D include the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, which offers a graduate certificate, and the Institute for Contemporary Art, which is free and open to the public Wednesday – Sunday.
Contact: Leah Igo Brooks, Director of Marketing & Communications; 207.699.5010, ligo@meca.edu
Page Banner: Daniel Minter, The Rooster, 2019.
This piece is part of the Resilience of Diversity Exhibition currently on view as part of MECA&D's inaugural Resilience Week. The show is curated by MECA&D students Ashley Page ’20 and Alejandra Cuadra ’20.