Maine College of Art & Design located in Portland, Maine, delivers a demanding and enlivening education in visual art and design within an intimate learning community.
We teach each student how to transform aspirations and values into a creative practice that serves as the foundation for a lifelong pursuit of personal and professional goals. Founded in 1882 and fully accredited, MECA&D educates artists at all stages of their creative careers, offering both the Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts degrees as well as a wide range of professional institutes and continuing studies classes for individuals of all ages. The College gallery, the Institute of Contemporary Art at MECA&D, has been hailed as one of the finest art spaces in the Northeast for the exhibition of leading edge contemporary art.
MECA&D is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design.
Institution
Maine College of Art & Design is an independent college of art and design located in the center of the thriving arts district of Portland, Maine. Established in 1882, the College currently enrolls approximately 425 students, the majority of whom are in the undergraduate program. About 1,000 students take classes through MECA&D’s Continuing Studies Program annually. MECA&D’s Joanne Waxman Library is an important resource of art and design oriented books and periodicals for the region. The Institute of Contemporary Art at MECA&D is a vibrant site for the exhibition of contemporary art.
MECA&D is characterized by its intimate learning community, its interdisciplinary nature and the breadth of its programs. It confers the degrees of Bachelor of Fine Arts in eleven majors, Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art, Master of Arts in Teaching, and the Salt Graduate Certificate in Documentary Studies. Maine College of Art & Design is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). The College’s accreditation status with both agencies was renewed in 2016. Our goal at MECA&D is to teach each student how to transform aspirations and values into a creative practice that serves as the foundation for a lifelong pursuit of personal and professional goals.
Institutional Values
Maine College of Art & Design recognizes that diversity is integral to the academic experience and strives to foster an inclusive culture defined by respect, equity and social responsibility. These principles serve as another catalyst for MECA&D students, faculty and staff to become the critically engaged citizens upon whom our world depends. MECA&D seeks to cultivate a learning environment that prepares students to thrive in a diverse and global community by systematically and intentionally designing curricular and co-curricular initiatives that engage and reflect a wide range of perspectives and themes.
MECA&D welcomes students, faculty and staff of every age, race, class, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, faith, religion, veteran status, mental, and physical ability. We also encourage all members of the MECA&D community to participate in opportunities which address larger cultural inequalities and inequities and to think critically about their impact on our college community and larger world.