Above and Beyond:
The Student Grant for Professional Development

Maine College of Art & Design’s Above and Beyond Grant helps currently enrolled BFA, MFA, and MAT students access structured opportunities and experiences that take them above and beyond MECA&D’s classrooms and facilities. Students will learn basic skills in grant writing, budgeting, and formatting work samples while assembling proposals to fund activities such as conferences, workshops, or professional events. All applicants will receive feedback on their applications.

The maximum request is $500.

There are two grant cycles in 2021.
All applicants are required to attend an informational workshop before submitting a proposal.

Workshops:
Coming Fall 2021

Reserve your slot here

2021 Deadline: April 15, 2021
With notification by May 1 for activities taking place between May 15, 2021 and January 30, 2021.
Application Form

Eligibility:

For BFA applicants: students need a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the most recent semester. Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors must be enrolled for the upcoming semester to qualify.

Funds cannot be used for:

+ equipment
+ projects that are part of the curriculum
+ activities that earn academic credit
+ resources that are available at or through MECA&D.
+ day-to-day creative practice expenses (rent, materials, marketing, etc.)

Requests are capped at $500. Each grant cycle has $2,500 available.

Review Criteria:

+ Artistic practice is clear
+ Funded activity is clear
+ Activity relates to practice
+ Goal of activity is clear
+ Activity advances practice
+ Budget is clear
+ Budget is realistic
+ Work samples are well presented
+ Quality of work

Past Awardees

2021 Awardees

Lynn Sisler MFA '21, for residency at Artists' Association of Nantucket
Hope Drenning '24, for professional development of visual display at art fairs

2020 Awardees

Fall 2020

Ellie Quillen for photography instruction related to food blogging.

Spring 2020

Ian Colwell '20, for a residency at Oxbow

Ramone Lampos, for a residency at ACRE

Liz Rhaney MFA '20, for a video class at Maine Media Workshops

Phoebe Zildjian '20, to attend Wooden Boat School

Elyse Grams MFA '20, to attend NCECA conference

Matanah Betko '20, for travel to Zambia

Ann Finkel '20, to take courses in coding

Melanie Kim '23, to attend Vancouver Film School

2019 Awardees

Fall 2019

Natalie Brown '23

Spring 2019

Rachel Monegue '19, Photography

Ashley Page '20, Sculpture

Rebecca Richards '20, Metalsmithing + Jewelry Design

Anna Marie Valenti MFA '20

Evelyn Wong MFA '19

2018 Awardees

Fall 2018

Maggie Cote '19, Graphic Design

Samantha Myrdek '19, Illustration

Katherine Miller '19, Photography

Sumayo Shute '22, Undeclared (Freshman)

Spring 2018

Prudence Ho ’19, Painting

Jamie Latorre ’20, Woodworking and Furniture Design

Ozlenen Ozbicerler ’19, Graphic Design

Brendan Shea ’18, Painting

James Sylvester ’18, Printmaking

2017 Awardees

Sarah Belhumeur '18, Digital Media, minor in Drawing

Emmett Freeman '17, Ceramics

Meg Hahn '17, Painting, minor in Art History

Ellanor Milkowski Dahlgren '17, Printmaking

Catherine Quattrociocchi '17, Metalsmithing & Jewelry

Lewis Rossignol '17, Illustration

2016 Awardees

BFA

Sophie Cangelosi '16, Illustration

Mary Forst '16, Metalsmithing & Jewelry

Ashley Wernher-Collins '16, Fashion & Textile Design

MFA

Amelia Garretson-Persans, MFA '16

2015 Awardees

BFA

Katherine Ackley '15, Illustration

Caitlin Ervin '16, Sculpture and Public Engagement Minor

Sara Inacio '17, Printmaking

Jonathan Novak '15, Graphic Design

Elana Sternick '16, Woodworking & Furniture Design

Jacqueline Weichemann '15, Photogrpahy

MFA

Tessa O’Brien, MFA '16

Veronica Perez, MFA '16

2014 Awardees

BFA

Chloe Beaven '15, New Media

Forest Gagne '14, Woodworking & Furniture Design

Liz Long '14, Illustration

Rangeley Morton '14, Woodworking & Furniture Design

Nicholas Norris '14, Painting

Hillary Stucker '14, Ceramics

MFA

Charley Young, '14