The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D) is pleased to announce the 2021 Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Thesis Exhibition opening on Saturday May 15, 2021. The MFA Thesis Exhibition will be on view from May 15 - June 11, 2021.
This year’s exhibition features work in a variety of media, including drawing, sculpture, painting, ceramics, photography, and installation. Seen together, these thesis projects hybridize a range of conceptual themes and material approaches as they relate to visual culture, the political landscape and to contemporary art practice. The work in the exhibition represents the synthesis of each graduate candidate’s experience in the Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art program at Maine College of Art & Design.
Artists: Julia Baugh, Hannah Bevens, Caitlyn D’Amico, Lauren Donovan, Dulce Garcia, Chris Gray, Clinton Hamilton, Chandler Hubbard, Roberta March, Lindsay Mercer, Adam Powers, Jason Rankin, Claudia Sanchez Daza, Lynn Sisler, Jon Stahly, Eliza Ulmer, Nick Vyssotsky
Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art at Maine College of Art & Design
The interdisciplinary approach of the Master of Fine Arts at Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D) asks students to think across traditional academic boundaries, expand their art practice, and challenge their intellectual curiosity. Whether a student chooses the full- or low-residency option, this highly individualized program begins with the Summer Intensive, an 8-week immersive experience featuring a distinguished roster of visiting artists, curators, cultural producers and/or activists in addition to renowned core faculty. Studio-based, the curriculum provides a transformative learning experience for students as they define a sustainable vision for their own art practice through individualized research, critical analysis, and curatorial experimentation, along with a high degree of faculty contact time and structured travel to important cultural sites.
Graduate faculty:
Chris Stiegler, Chair of the MFA in Studio Art and Assistant Professor of Art History
Gail Spaien, Professor of the MFA in Studio Art + Painting
Adriane Herman, Professor of the MFA in Studio Art + Printmaking
Joshua Reiman, Assistant Professor of the MFA in Studio Art + Sculpture
Lauren Fensterstock, Adjunct Assistant Professor of the MFA in Studio Art
Kyle Patnaude, Visiting Assistant Professor, Metalsmithing & Jewelry + MFA in Studio Art
Julie Poitras Santos, Director of Exhibitions + Assistant Professor of the MFA
Seth Rogoff, Adjunct Instructor of History + MFA in Studio Art
Ling-Wen Tsai, Professor of Sculpture and Foundations + MFA in Studio Art
Summer 2020 Visiting Artists
Elizabeth Atterbury
Bianca Beck
Genesis Belanger
Nick Doyle
Lauren Fensterstock
Kelsey Halliday Johnson
Tim Higbee
COVID-19 Policies: The ICA’s simple, timed admission system allows us to welcome visitors to safely view exhibitions at the ICA at MECA&D during the Covid-19 pandemic. Visitors will be asked to comply with all social distancing recommendations, including wearing masks. Gallery staff will be monitoring attendance and regularly cleaning high-touch surfaces, and hand sanitizer is available for all visitors. Visitor numbers will be limited during half-hour time slots. Please register for a free visit to the ICA here or use the QR code on our door to schedule your visit.
ABOUT THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART AT MECA&D (ICA AT MECA&D):
The Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design (ICA), cultivates engagement and dialogue regarding contemporary visual art practices, aiming to foster discourse regarding the critical conversations of our time, and to enhance understanding of visual culture. Located in stunning galleries in Maine College of Art & Design’s landmark Porteous Building, the ICA at MECA&D presents an exhibition calendar of ambitious work by living artists, operates as a learning laboratory for MECA&D students, and as a center for public programming regarding contemporary art that engages with the local, national and global art community.
Hosting five exhibitions each year accompanied by a dynamic series of public events and artist talks, the ICA at MECA&D also supports MECA&D graduate student exhibitions and Maine College of Art & Design events. We are dedicated to working across platforms collaboratively and thinking with others to inspire creative action, reimagine our future, and create compassionate communities together through visual art.
Open Wednesday–Sunday, 12:00pm–5:00pm. The ICA at MECA&D is always free.
meca.edu/ica - instagram.com/icaatmeca - facebook.com/mainecollegeofart
ABOUT MAINE COLLEGE OF ART (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, 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.
Featured artwork: Lauren Donovan, Big Cat, 2020, 61” x 96” x 8”, oil on wood.