Annual art sale raises crucial funds for student scholarships while supporting emerging and established artists.

PORTLAND, Maine – Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D) is pleased to present the 2019 COLLECT Summer Art Sale, a fundraiser in support of MECA&D’s Student Scholarship Fund. This three-day event, free and open to the public from 10am to 6pm, Thursday June 27 through Saturday June 29, is the perfect venue in which to discover emerging artists, view new work by established artists, and build or add to an art collection. The art sale features a unique, diverse, and unexpected array of original work in a variety of genres with a range of sizes, prices, and media, including furniture, sculpture, jewelry, paintings, prints, photography, textiles, drawings, and more. COLLECT raises crucial funds for MECA&D student scholarships while benefiting the participating artists.

MECA&D’s 2019 COLLECT Summer Art Sale features work by more than 100 MECA&D alumni, students, faculty, and friends. Ranging in style from traditional to contemporary, the invitational sale incorporates some of the finest art generated by artists from New England and beyond. The 2019 sale includes pieces by Cat Bates ’09, Don Best ’79, John Bisbee, Matt Blackwell ’77, Meghan Brady, Julie Crane ’86, Nicole M. Duennebier ’05, Alisha Gould MFA ’10, Meg Hahn ’17, Connie Hayes ’80, Alison Hildreth ’76, Ayumi Horie, Anne Ireland ’94, Baxter Koziol ’17, Margaret Lawrence ’93, Jocelyn Lee, Daniel Minter, Tessa Green O’Brien MFA ’16, Celeste Roberge ’79, Lewis Rossignol ’17, Dietlind Vander Schaaf, Brendan Ripken Shea ’18, Shoshannah White, and many others.

The 2019 COLLECT Summer Art Sale will be held in the Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design, located at 522 Congress Street in Portland, Maine. For a full list of participating artists and to see a curated preview of the work, visit meca.edu/collect.

Maine College of Art & Design, a nationally recognized college of art and design anchored in the heart of Portland’s vibrant Arts District, provides scholarships, state-of-the-art facilities, robust programming, and vital opportunities to hundreds of students each year, giving them the tools they need to become successful artists, designers, visionaries, creators, and citizens. We are grateful for the support the COLLECT Art Sale generates. In the past, the sale has generated over $100,000 in revenue. Participants can opt for receiving 50% commissions or donating their full proceeds to benefit the next generation of artists.

MECA&D believes that investing in the arts has never been more imperative. Art gives us meaning and identity, helping us reflect on and shape our lives; it is fundamental to our well-being. That is why we believe that providing artists with the education they need to succeed is such a critical and vital mission.

Vice President of Institutional Advancement Matthew Goetting says, “MECA&D is one of the largest driving engines for the creative economy in Portland and in Maine. COLLECT is our largest fundraiser of the year. It’s truly a ‘win-win-win’ event that supports working artists, helps keep MECA&D affordable and sustainable, and gives aspiring collectors the chance to own stunning, original works of art.”

This year’s event is sponsored by J.S. McCarthy Printers, The Hanover Insurance Group, Coffee by Design, Wipfli Macpage, Headlight Audio / Visual / Video, Sodexo, Wright-Ryan, Delta Dental, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, USI Insurance Services, Press Hotel and Union Restaurant, the Law Offices of Joe Bornstein, Batson River Brewing & Distilling, Portland Museum of Art and Plant Office. The exclusive media sponsor is Decor Maine.

For more information, contact ligo@meca.edu. Digital images available upon request.

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