Animation artist Adam Fisher, known for his work on films such as Coraline, The Boxtrolls and Paranorman, joins faculty
Portland, Maine – In recognition of the digital revolution impacting every aspect of contemporary life, Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D) has launched an Animation & Game Art major to prepare student artists with the creative expertise they need to become 21st century storytellers.
In making the announcement, MECA&D Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Ian Anderson said, “I am thrilled that Maine College of Art & Design is offering this new major. Increasingly, global visual culture is interactive and mediated by animation, games, video, and visual storytelling. Our curriculum emphasizes individualized exploration in these areas as well as collaboration and interdisciplinary study. We prepare future animators and game artists to be competitive in the professional marketplace.”
Animation & Game Art focuses on 2D, 3D and stop-motion animation, as well as game design, digital modeling, concept art, and cinematic storytelling. Students learn to use the tools and technologies of contemporary animation and game art production in industry standard workflows. In addition, through Artists at Work, MECA&D connects students to animation and game art internships and career opportunities.
Nationally-acclaimed animator Adam Fisher joins faculty
Anderson also announced that Adam Fisher has joined the Animation & Game Art faculty as Assistant Professor. Fisher is an award-winning animation artist known for his work on seven feature films, including Coraline, The Boxtrolls, and Paranorman.
“Maine College of art is fortunate to have a creative force like Adam Fisher on our Animation & Game Art faculty,” said Anderson. “His expertise, industry experience, and commitment to teaching will help MECA&D deliver an unparallelled learning environment for animation and game art students.”
A native of Prospect Harbor, Maine, Fisher received his MFA in Animation with a focus on character animation in stop-motion and Maya from Rochester Institute of Technology. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies at Wesleyan University. He comes to MECA&D from LAIKA, an award-winning stop-motion animation company in Hillsboro, Oregon. His previous positions were as a stop-motion animator at Bix Pix Entertainment and as a lead stop-motion animator for Starburns Industries on the feature film Anomalisa.
“I’m excited by MECA&D’s reputation for creativity, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and innovation. It strikes me as a place where ideas come first and techniques are utilized in unexpected ways to share these ideas in the most effective manner possible. This is how I like to work,” said Fisher. “As such, I’ve learned to animate using puppets, clay, paper, pencils, Maya, After effects, and even my own beard! I design, plan, build, shoot, composite, record sound, edit, publish, and promote my work, and am looking forward to sharing this with students.”
Booming Animation and game art industry demands well-trained artists
Brian Wilk ’95, VP of Design and Development at Hasbro, Inc., and President of the MECA&D Board of Trustees, noted that animation and game art is a hot field getting hotter.
“The global games market is expected to grow from $137.9 billion in 2018 to more than $180.1 billion in 2021,” Wilk said. “This meteoric growth has created a high demand for well-trained interactive artists who understand the core animation principles and the fundamentals of cinematic storytelling."
For further information about the Animation & Game Art major visit Maine College of Art & Design and contact Admissions for application details.