Graduate Info Sessions & Webinars

Salt at MECA&D Presents: Remote Production on a Budget

Watch the recording on the MECA&D Vimeo channel!
Tuesday, February 9 | 6-7pm EST

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.

Register through the form below to join this webinar and live Q&A session with Salt Director Isaac Kestenbaum, Graduate Admissions Coordinator Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, as well as special guests -  Salt alum Kaitlyn Schwalje Salt '18,  Jenna Lane, and filmmaker Alex Wolf Lewis.

Presenter Bios: 

Isaac Kestenbaum (he/him) | Director, Salt Institute for Documentary Studies at MECA&D
Isaac Kestenbaum is a veteran audio producer and journalist. He is the co-founder, along with Josephine Holtzman, of the production company Future Projects; they most recently created the best-selling true crime podcast Midnight Son for Audible Originals. Isaac has reported extensively on climate change in Alaska, and his work has been funded by the Arctic Circle Foundation and the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting. Isaac has also worked with Vox, NPR, The Guardian US, The GroundTruth Project, AIR, and SIERRA Magazine. He has taught and led workshops for UnionDocs, UVA, NYU, and Monson Arts. He is the former Production Manager at the national oral history and radio project StoryCorps. Honors include a Peabody Award, a duPont Award, an Online News Association award and an Alaska Broadcasters “Goldie” Award. Isaac grew up on Deer Isle, Maine, and has worked as a farmer, a newspaper reporter and a commercial lobsterman. He attended the Salt Institute in 2008, where he wrote about the unexpected resurgence of the sturgeon in the Penobscot River.

Kaitlyn Schwalje Salt '18 (she/her) | Alum, Salt Graduate for Documentary Studies at MECA&D. Co-director of Snowy.
Kaitlyn Schwalje is a science journalist and documentary director based in Portland, Maine. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Carnegie Mellon University and completed her postgraduate studies at the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design. Before pivoting to storytelling, Kaitlyn designed haptic prototypes for the research division of the Walt Disney Company. Her stories about her disaster obsessed father, tsunamis, how archaeology saved the cat, and city squirrels appear in CBC, Atlas Obscura, WNYC, 99% Invisible, National Geographic, and others. Director Credits include, This Land (Maine Unit) a feature film documenting the 2020 election, and Snowy (Sundance ‘21). 

Alex Wolf Lewis (he/him) | Documentary director, director of photography. Co-director of Snowy.
Alex Wolf Lewis is a documentary director and director of photography based in Portland, Maine. As a director, credits include the short docs, Snowy (co-directed) (Sundance 2021), Hildegarde’s Piano (Rooftop Film Festival 2019) and Single Room Occupancy (co-directed) (SIFF 2016, Big Sky 2017, Short of The Week). He has travelled the world shooting for Anthony Bourdain Parts: Unknown, Vice, Netflix, HBO, CNN, PBS, A&E, Discovery as well as a number of feature documentaries and shorts. DP Credits include: Well Groomed (HBO Sports, SXSW 2019, Hot Docs 2019), 2nd Unit DP on the narrative feature Critical Thinking, dir. John Leguizamo, (SXSW 2020). 

Jenna Lane | Alum, Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
Jenna Lane is a documentary producer and longtime journalist with deep experience in radio news. Her work as a field reporter has been honored by the Associated Press and the Radio Television Digital News Association. After earning the Gracie Award for a series profiling burn victims from the Camp Fire of 2018, Jenna joined the team developing “Three Days in Paradise.” The documentary series and podcast, now in production, tackles climate change and disaster survival through the stories of Paradise, California residents before, during and after one of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in recorded history. Jenna’s Salt project in 1996 also involved a small town’s transformation; she documented the attempt to turn the waterfront of Belfast, Maine — then known for chicken processing plants — into a tourist attraction.

Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19 (he/him) | Graduate Admissions Coordinator
Joel Tsui is a three-time Maine College of Art & Design alum (BFA ‘16, Salt ‘17, MFA ‘19). Currently, he is the Graduate Admissions Coordinator at MECA&D, a documentary photographer specializing in fine art archival, as well as a conceptual artist operating under the pseudonym Probably Joel. His interest as an artist lies in the intersection of documentary and art, and can be seen as a distilled form of visual journaling that is not defined by any single discipline. Joel's works have been shown at the Camden International Film Festival, New England Graduate Media Symposium, and Center for Maine Contemporary Art. In his spare time (if he has any), Joel produces music with chromatic harmonicas and analogue synthesizers, and his current pandemic hobby is building mechanical keyboards.

MAT at MECA&D Presents: Educators On-Air: Virtual Interview Tips and Tricks

Tuesday, January 19 | 6:30pm–7:30pm EST
Watch a replay of this session via our MECA&D Vimeo channel.

By now, many of us are no strangers to being on a video call, whether you are teaching an online class via Canvas, attending a Zoom meeting, or having your virtual interview with MAT at MECA&D. While not everyone has access to specialized equipment or a dedicated space for video calls, there are many things you can do to be more impressionable to your audience, students or interviewers.

Past and current teacher candidates from MAT at MECA&D will come together for a 60-minute panel and interactive Q&A, to talk about what makes an impressionable MAT virtual interview, from what to expect to advice for an engaging dialogue with the reviewing committee. We will also share various tips on enhancing your video call mise-en-scène, give updates on our MAT program and talk about the application process.

Join the MAT alum Jon Rudnicki MAT '19, current teacher candidate Philippa Adam, and Graduate Admissions Coordinator Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19 on this webinar, along with a live Q&A session, by registering through the form below.

Presenters

Jon Rudnicki MAT '20 (he/him) | MAT alum
Jon Rudnicki graduated from MECA&D's MAT program in 2020 and currently resides in Midcoast Maine tutoring students and writing a children's book. Before attending the program, Jon graduated with a degree in Art History and worked in several art galleries and museums as well as teaching internationally in Europe and West Africa. One of the reasons he came to the program was because it offered the opportunity to student teach abroad which he carried out in Lagos, Nigeria. He loves seeing how he can use art as a vehicle to reveal talents and build skills in students from all backgrounds. To see more about Jon's art and educational practice visit- jonrudnicki.com

Philippa Grace (they/she) | MAT teacher candidate
Philippa Grace is a current MAT teacher candidate at MECA&D. They hold a Sculpture BFA from MassArt and have also completed a wooden boat building apprenticeship in midcoast Maine. Their studio practice centers around process-based craft, primarily in drawing, fiber, and ceramics. Outside of the art studio, they are a labor organizer with experience in union organizing and grassroots worker-centered advocacy. Philippa's teaching philosophy is centered around social and emotional learning and mindfulness, the intersections of social justice and community education practices, and advocating for and supporting exceptionalities in learning and alternative education methodologies. Outside of the classroom, they are likely to be at home with their dog creating a magnificent mess with food and art. 

Joel Tsui BFA '16, Salt '17, MFA '19 (he/him) | Graduate Admissions Coordinator
Joel Tsui is a three-time Maine College of Art & Design alum (BFA ‘16, Salt ‘17, MFA ‘19). Currently, he is the Graduate Admissions Coordinator at MECA&D, a documentary photographer specializing in fine art archival, as well as a conceptual artist operating under the pseudonym Probably Joel. His interest as an artist lies in the intersection of documentary and art, and can be seen as a distilled form of visual journaling that is not defined by any single discipline. Joel's works have been shown at the Camden International Film Festival, New England Graduate Media Symposium, and Center for Maine Contemporary Art. In his spare time (if he has any), Joel produces music with chromatic harmonicas and analogue synthesizers, and his current pandemic hobby is building mechanical keyboards.

MFA at MECA&D Presents: The Interdisciplinary

Tuesday, January 12 | 6pm EST.
Watch a replay of this session via our MECA&D Vimeo channel.

Every year, we meet prospective MFA students of all disciplines — some are experts of their medium of choice, while others push the envelope by combining multiple disciplines as a response to an ever-evolving art practice. At MECA&D, we celebrate all disciplines, and take pride in building diverse cohorts every year, where our students learn from each other just as much as they do through our faculty body.

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?

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 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.

Join 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 on this webinar, along with a live Q&A session, by registering through the form below.

Panelists

Chris Stiegler (he/him) | Chair, Master of Fine Arts
Chris Stiegler is an art historian and curator who founded the projects Town Hall Meeting and The Institute for American Art. Town Hall Meeting was a collaborative effort that produced symposiums, museum tours, and lectures. Chris serves as museum director for Institute for American Art, a curatorial project that situates works of art and objects of culture within a residential setting. As a teacher he has focused on historiography, criticism of the contemporary, and 20th century art history. Chris holds BAs in art history and printmaking from the University of Delaware and a Master of Modern Art in connoisseurship, market history, from Christie's Education.

Gail Spaien (she/her) | Professor, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts
Gail Spaien is an artist and educator. She has been granted numerous fellowships including the Djerassi Foundation Resident Artists Program in Woodside, CA, Millay Colony for the Arts in Austerlitz, NY and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. She has received grant funding from the Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Foundation, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Artist Advancement Grant, and the Maine Arts Commission. Spaien’s group exhibitions include the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, MA, DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, in Lincoln, MA, Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockport, ME, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, in California, Crocker Art Museum, in Sacramento,CA, the Portland Museum of Art, and the Institute of Contemporary Art at MECA&D in Portland, ME.

Caitlyn D’Amico (she/her) | student, Master of Fine Arts
Caitlyn D’Amico is an abstract painter living in Portland, Maine where she attends Maine College of Art & Design as a second-year MFA student. She received her BFA in Painting with a minor in Fashion Design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. While attending Pratt Institute she exhibited in a group show titled R.E.M. and at Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute (Utica, NY). Through painting directly on walls and repeating those shapes in wood, foam, or fabric, her work explores the effects of a particular arrangement of objects in space. She enjoys bursts of bright color, twisting tubes and wires, and shiny fabrics.  In preparation for her thesis exhibition (May of 2021), she is exploring how paintings exist in multi-dimensional pictorial planes that allow viewers to enter into a different physical and mental space. 

Joel Tsui BFA '16, Salt '17, MFA '19 (he/him) | Graduate Admissions Coordinator
Joel Tsui is a three-time Maine College of Art & Design alum (BFA ‘16, Salt ‘17, MFA ‘19). Currently, he is the Graduate Admissions Coordinator at MECA&D, a documentary photographer specializing in fine art archival, as well as a conceptual artist operating under the pseudonym Probably Joel. His interest as an artist lies in the intersection of documentary and art, and can be seen as a distilled form of visual journaling that is not defined by any single discipline. Joel's works have been shown at the Camden International Film Festival, New England Graduate Media Symposium, and Center for Maine Contemporary Art. In his spare time (if he has any), Joel produces music with chromatic harmonicas and analogue synthesizers, and his current pandemic hobby is building mechanical keyboards.

MFA at MECA&D Presents: Documented Art and the Portfolio

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. 

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 for a 60-minute panel and interactive Q&A. We'll 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.

A link to the recorded session can be accessed here.

Presenters

Chris Stiegler (he/him) | Chair, Master of Fine Arts
Chris Stiegler is an art historian and curator who founded the projects Town Hall Meeting and The Institute for American Art. Town Hall Meeting was a collaborative effort that produced symposiums, museum tours, and lectures. Chris serves as museum director for Institute for American Art, a curatorial project that situates works of art and objects of culture within a residential setting. As a teacher he has focused on historiography, criticism of the contemporary, and 20th century art history. Chris holds BAs in art history and printmaking from the University of Delaware and a Master of Modern Art in connoisseurship, market history, from Christie's Education.

Ling-Wen Tsai (she/her) | Professor, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts
Ling‐Wen Tsai was born in Tainan, Taiwan. Her practice spans a broad range of mediums and disciplines including: sculpture, installation, performance, video, photography, painting, and drawing. She also integrates sound/music and body/movement into her artistic practice, and has collaborated with sound artists, musicians, composers, and choreographers.  Tsai holds an M.F.A. in Sculpture from Washington University, a B.A. in Studio Art from Webster University, and a certificate in Landscape Architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design. She also holds a B.S. degree from Chung-Shan Medical University in Taiwan. Tsai has exhibited and performed her work nationally and internationally, including at: Cité Internationale des Arts (Paris, France); Siena Art Institute (Siena, Italy); Golden Parachutes (Berlin, Germany); Richmond Art Gallery (British Columbia, Canada); Tainan University of Technology (Tainan, Taiwan); Czong Institute for Contemporary Art (CICA), Gyeonggi-do, Korea; Qasim Sabti Gallery (Baghdad, Iraq); Halim Bey Municipal Art Gallery (Mytilene, Greece); Asian Cultural Center (New York, NY); Goethe-Institute (Boston, MA); Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (St. Louis, MO); Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (Grand Rapids, MI); ARC Gallery (Chicago, IL); Bowdoin College Museum of Art (Brunswick, ME); Center for Maine Contemporary Art (Rockport, ME); Portland Museum of Art (Portland, ME).

Liz Rhaney MFA '20 (she/her) | Collections and Programming Manager, Joanne Waxman Library
Liz Rhaney is a video and sound artist who uses her knowledge of different disciplines to create a multilayered artistic practice. Her work is inspired by her passion and experience with community activism. Her first experience with art was as a drummer, which she has been doing for 3 decades. She obtained her BFA from Armstrong State University (now Armstrong Campus of Georgia Southern University) in 2016, focusing on Graphic Design. She also minored in writing, taking classes in Feminist and Cultural Studies as well as working for the campus newspaper The Inkwell. She obtained her MFA from Maine College of Art & Design in 2020. She is currently researching the use of video as a multisensory form of storytelling and activism. She is the Collections and Programming Manager for the Joanne Waxman Library at MECA&D. 

Adam Powers (he/him) | student, Master of Fine Arts
Adam Powers  is currently a second-year MFA (Master of Fine Art) candidate at the Maine College of Art & Design. Adam has a BS in Photography from the University of Central Florida. Predominantly exploring commercial and urban exteriors, Adam captures nuanced architectural environments in a style of street photography. The themes of their work are the subjectivity of beauty, the fragility of the built world, and the curation of familial legacy. Their current work explores an intergenerational hobby of photography through their paternal photographic archive, rephotography, and their present perspective on the medium of photography.

Joel Tsui BFA '16, Salt '17, MFA '19 (he/him) | Graduate Admissions Coordinator
Joel Tsui is a three-time Maine College of Art & Design alum (BFA ‘16, Salt ‘17, MFA ‘19). Currently, he is the Graduate Admissions Coordinator at MECA&D, a documentary photographer specializing in fine art archival, as well as a conceptual artist operating under the pseudonym Probably Joel. His interest as an artist lies in the intersection of documentary and art, and can be seen as a distilled form of visual journaling that is not defined by any single discipline. Joel's works have been shown at the Camden International Film Festival, New England Graduate Media Symposium, and Center for Maine Contemporary Art. In his spare time (if he has any), Joel produces music with chromatic harmonicas and analogue synthesizers, and his current pandemic hobby is building mechanical keyboards.

MAT at MECA&D Presents: Life as a Teacher Candidate

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 Redmon; alumni Karol Carlsen MAT '20, Anne Hayes MAT '20, and Adrienne Munger MAT '20; and Graduate Admissions Coordinator Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19 on this 60-minute panel and interactive Q&A, to compare notes on their MAT experience and share how they've all been adapting to a new form of teaching. We'll also give updates on what’s new in the MAT program, including new faculty, new classes, and new programs!

A link to the recorded session can be accessed here.

Presenters

Dr. Rachel Somerville (she/her), Interim Chair, Master of Arts in Teaching
Dr. Rachel Somerville is the Interim Chair of the Master of Arts in Teaching at MECA&D. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of California, Davis, and her doctoral work centered on research that bridges the divide among innovation, community, and education, studying maker spaces within formal education and examining teachers as early implementers of this movement and the academic conditions that foster creativity. Dr. Somerville’s approach to teaching emphasizes collaboration, creativity, and student voice. 

Lauren Anderson '20 (she/her), Teacher Candidate
Lauren Anderson graduated from Maine College of Art & Design in 2020 with her BFA in ceramics. Her art practice focuses on accumulation of many small pieces to create a larger immersive space. Her focus on installation art in her undergrad made her constantly curious about the way in which humans interact with the space and world around them. Color theory plays a large part in her work as she strives to express emotions and concepts through her use of color. Color evokes curiosity and she hopes to teach children at a young age how truly powerful colors are in terms of expression. Lauren entered the MAT program with a surface level understanding of why she wants to be a teacher. She came in with hopes to help children become inspired to create art. As the program has progressed she is delving much deeper than surface level and figuring out why she is here. Art is just as important if not more important than core curriculum subjects. Lauren has a strong passion for the visual world and hopes to share this passion with her students. She wants to create a safe space for her students to escape to, to put their mind at ease and be a great part of their day. She hopes to prove that the arts are crucial to a child’s cognitive development. Her intuition allows her to adapt to any given situation as well as allows her to push innovative ideas. She is still grappling with the question of how the safe space of a classroom can be protected in times of online distance learning. There is a lot of new knowledge that can and will be learned. She is inspired, passionate, and ready to tackle all of her struggles and curiosities head on.

Madison Mahoney (she/her), Teacher Candidate
Madison Mahoney is currently an MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching) candidate at Maine College of Art & Design. She hails from Charlotte, North Carolina and lives in Portland, Maine. Madison earned a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from the University of Vermont where she focused on painting and graphic design. Her current studio practice involves painting with acrylic on wood panel and explores the relationship between color and portraiture. In her paintings, she combines elements of Japanese ukiyo-e art with bold colors and shapes found in contemporary art. As an artist and future art educator, she believes that the art classroom is a place of collaboration, exploration, and self expression. Madison's teaching philosophy is rooted in creating a safe classroom environment for every student.

Trent Redmon (he/him), Teacher Candidate
Trent Redmon is a 26-year-old teacher candidate from Burlington, Kentucky. He has a BA in Studio Art from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching at Maine College of Art & Design in Portland, Maine. As an artist, Trent specializes in drawing and painting, often utilizing a combination of oil-based paint marker and acrylic paint to create zany, colorful and chaotic compositions of cartoon imagery. In 2019, Trent created a large mural entitled MICROCOSM, in the entryway of the Shearer Art Building at his alma mater, Transylvania University. Since arriving in Portland, Maine, he has been involved in the SPACE Gallery's Community Flag Project, has led a Virtual Art Fair lesson for kids entitled CARTOON CREATURES, and has done field-work at Waynflete Elementary School, and South Portland Parks and Rec. In November, Trent will begin a student teaching placement at Congin Elementary in Westbrook, ME. 

Karol Carlsen MAT '20 (she/her), alum
Karol Carlsen is an elementary art teacher at Pittston Randolph Consolidated School and River View Community School in Gardiner Maine. She is currently teaching Art on the Cart. Karol graduated from MECA&D’s MAT program this past spring and holds a B.A. in Studio Art from St. Mary's College of Maryland. Karol is also an artist and focuses primarily on painting aquatic scenes and textures. 

Anne Hayes MAT '20 (she/her), alum
Anne Hayes is a 2020 MAT grad and currently teaches Visual Arts and French at Cheverus High School in Portland. She is also a part of their Campus Ministry program. Anne began MECA&D's MAT soon after returning from a year of teaching English (and art!) in Nancy, France. The connection she felt with her surrounding community and colleagues was really important to her while in France, and she benefitted from having the same connection during her time at MECA&D. As a teacher, Anne wants to be connected to her students, as well as the greater culture and life of the people outside the classroom. She is excited to combine her many interests of language, art, and service at Cheverus, all while keeping up with her own art practice, which includes a variety of mixed media applications, experimentation, and exploration of the natural environment. 

Adrienne Munger MAT '20 (she/her), alum
Adrienne Munger holds a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Maine College of Art & Design (Portland, Maine) and currently works as an Art Educator at Molly Ockett School in Fryeburg, Maine.  She attended College of the Atlantic (Bar Harbor, Maine) where she studied studio art and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Human Ecology. Adrienne is passionate about teaching art because she believes that through art-making her students learn the power of creative expression, feel a deeper connection to others, and develop their own style and authentic voice. Her art practice includes: painting, printmaking, sewing, weaving, and mixed media. To learn more about Adrienne please visit her website: www.adriennemunger.com

Joel Tsui (he/him) BFA '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, Graduate Admissions Coordinator
Joel Tsui is a three-time Maine College of Art & Design alum (BFA ‘16, Salt ‘17, MFA ‘19). Currently, he is the Graduate Admissions Coordinator at MECA&D, a documentary photographer specializing in fine art archival, as well as a conceptual artist operating under the pseudonym Probably Joel. His interest as an artist lies in the intersection of documentary and art, and can be seen as a distilled form of visual journaling that is not defined by any single discipline. Joel's works have been shown at the Camden International Film Festival, New England Graduate Media Symposium, and Center for Maine Contemporary Art Biennial. In his spare time (if he has any), Joel produces music with chromatic harmonicas and analogue synthesizers, and his current pandemic hobby is building mechanical keyboards.

Salt at MECA&D Presents: microphone comparisons for Zoom + new faces and updates

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-minute webinar and Q+A, where they discuss the quality of various microphones—from the built-in mics of your devices to the tried-and-true condenser mics. We will also give updates on what’s new at Salt, including new faculty, new staff, new classes, and new programs!

This event has passed, but you can watch the recording on YouTube.

Presenters

Isaac Kestenbaum (he/him), Director, Salt Institute for Documentary Studies at MECA&D
Isaac Kestenbaum is a veteran audio producer and journalist. He is the co-founder, along with Josephine Holtzman, of the production company Future Projects; they most recently created the best-selling true crime podcast Midnight Son for Audible Originals. Isaac has reported extensively on climate change in Alaska, and his work has been funded by the Arctic Circle Foundation and the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting. Isaac has also worked with Vox, NPR, The Guardian US, The GroundTruth Project, AIR, and SIERRA Magazine. He has taught and led workshops for UnionDocs, UVA, NYU, and Monson Arts. He is the former Production Manager at the national oral history and radio project StoryCorps. Honors include a Peabody Award, a duPont Award, an Online News Association award and an Alaska Broadcasters “Goldie” Award. Isaac grew up on Deer Isle, Maine, and has worked as a farmer, a newspaper reporter and a commercial lobsterman. He attended the Salt Institute in 2008, where he wrote about the unexpected resurgence of the sturgeon in the Penobscot River.

Sam Leeds (they/them), Salt Alum, Producer, and Artist
Sam Leeds is an audio producer and artist. They are currently a producer for NPR Music's Louder Than A Riot, a podcast tracing the interconnected rise of hip-hop and mass incarceration. Their work has also been heard on Life Kit, All Things Considered, KNKX, Constellations, Field Recordings Podcast, and more. Sam is a graduate of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies and holds a B.A. in Communication and Spanish from the University of Washington.

Joel Tsui (he/him) BFA '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, Graduate Admissions Coordinator
Joel Tsui is a three-time Maine College of Art & Design alum (BFA ‘16, Salt ‘17, MFA ‘19). Currently, he is the Graduate Admissions Coordinator at MECA&D, a documentary photographer specializing in fine art archival, as well as a conceptual artist operating under the pseudonym Probably Joel. His interest as an artist lies in the intersection of documentary and art, and can be seen as a distilled form of visual journaling that is not defined by any single discipline. Joel's works have been shown at the Camden International Film Festival, New England Graduate Media Symposium, and Center for Maine Contemporary Art Biennial. In his spare time (if he has any), Joel produces music with chromatic harmonicas and analogue synthesizers, and his current pandemic hobby is building mechanical keyboards.