Maine College of Art

Within the Landscape, Anne Ireland '94
2017-07-13 10:00 - 2017-09-10 16:00 (America/New_York) | Maine Jewish Museum, 267 Congress Street, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Within the Landscape, Anne Ireland '94
Maine Jewish Museum, 267 Congress Street, Portland Maine
Viewing Hours: Monday–Friday, 10:00am-4:00pm, Sundays 1:00pm–5:00pm, or by appointment.
Opening Reception: July 13, 2017, 5:00pm-7:00pm
Exhibition: July 13, 2017–September 10, 2017
First Friday Art Walks: August 4 & September 1, 2017, 5:00pm-8:00pm
Nancy Davidson, Curator
A graduate of Bowdoin College and the Maine College of Art & Design, Anne Ireland '94 is a native New Yorker whose ties to Maine began with her father who grew up on the Eastern Promenade, Portland. Today Ireland divides her time between her Maine and Sarasota Florida studios. Ireland has been the recipient of several residency fellowships, in California, Maine and Florida. Her work has been shown in exhibitions throughout New England, most recently at St.Botolph Club, Boston and Greenhut Galleries, Portland. Ireland was profiled in Maine Home and Design in 2013 and has had her work selected for two LLBean catalog covers. She is represented by The Gallery at Somes Sound in Somesville on Mount Desert Island. In her latest work, primarily of Maine where she still lives half the year on her family’s saltwater farm in Bath, Ireland explores nature as a place deep within self. Her palette has shifted, becoming more organic and naturalistic even as her brushwork relaxes, allowing for a hint of abstraction and a greater embrace of intuition. She seeks to create the landscape she wishes to inhabit, moving away from earlier work – horizons pursued, the long view sought – in favor of something more intimate and immediate. Her intention is less to render landscape than open it and invite one to enter it.

Pickwick Independent Press Print Fair
2017-07-22 10:00 - 16:00 | Congress Square Park, Portland, 04101
Pickwick Independent Press, a community printmaking facility located in Portland's downtown Arts District, will hold its second annual Pickwick and Friends Print Fair on Saturday, July 22, 2017, from 10 AM to 4 PM, in Congress Square Park. The Director of Pickwick Press is Pilar Nadal MFA '13 and was founded by Lisa Pixley '07
Pickwick Independent Press is organizing the Fair in conjunction with the Friends of Congress Square Park. More than 25 Maine printmakers, collectives, and organizations will exhibit and sell their work, including Pickwick Independent Press, Wolfe Editions, members from Running with Scissors, members from Peregrine Press, Future Mothers, Wing Club Press, Publication Studio, Lisa Pixley, Hannah Hermes, Scott Minzy, and more! Participants will demonstrate a variety of printmaking processes and will sell hand printed fine art, functional wares, cards and stationery, and everything in between.

The Print Fair will highlight some of the amazing printmaking currently being done in Maine, and will draw attention to the many makers of multiples in the state.
Alumni participating: Lisa Pixley '07, Hannah Hermes '15, Shayna Blumert '13, Kate Katomski MFA '02, Jodi Ferry '14, Kristina Buckley '15, Hope Rovelto '01, Emma Wolfsohn '17, Ashley Hall '16, Sara Inacio '17, John Costello '15, Shawn Brewer '12, Carter Shappy '15, Kris Johnsen '08, Emily Seekins '14, Debbie Schmitt '04
Faculty participating: Elizabeth Jabar, Asst. Dean & Director of Public Engagement, Program Chair of Printmaking; Colleen Kinsella, Faculty of Printmaking; Crystal Cawley, CS Instructor
The complete list of exhibitors can be found here.
A rain date has been planned for: Sunday, July 23, 2017, from 10:00am–4:00pm

I miss you tooooo!!!
2017-07-27 09:00 - 2017-09-08 17:00 | Charles C. Thomas Gallery at Maine College of Art & Design, second floor
I miss you tooooo!!!
An exhibition of prints by Pilar Nadal, MFA '13
On view through September 8, 2017, Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm
Maine College of Art & Design, Charles Thomas Gallery
Pilar Nadal

MECA&D Alumni Residency: Open Studios
2017-07-28 16:00 - 18:00 | Porteous Building, Maine College of Art & Design, 522 Congress Street, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Please join us for the inaugural open studios of the alumni residency at MECA&D.
The residents will open their studios to the MECA&D community this Friday, July 28, from 4pm–6pm in the MFA studios in the Porteous Building.

This year's selected participants are Sage Lewis '04, Eric Nichols MFA '13, Ray Ewing '12 and Dylan Hausthor '15.
The alumni residency at MECA&D is designed to bring a small group of alumni back to campus each summer for five weeks of studio time while renewing their ties to the College. Originally conceived as an MFA only residency, it has since expanded to include BFA alums.
Header: Sage Lewis in her studio space

In addition to the on-campus residency, MECA&D also awards summer residencies to alumni and faculty at the Pace House in Stonington and in Baie St. Marie, Nova Scotia For a complete list of 2017 residency participants, click here.
For more information contact, Edwige Charlot at EdwigeCharlot@meca.edu.

Hiraeth
2017-08-11 17:00 - 2017-08-26 20:00
'Hiraeth'
Michel Droge MFA '10, Visiting Assistant Professor
Opening: August 11, 5:00-8:00pm
Gallery Hours: Tues–Sat, 11:00am-6:00pm
On view through August 26, 2017
Frank Bockerman Gallery, 68 Maine St. 3rd floor, Brunswick, Maine

2017 MECA&D PechaKucha
2017-10-19 19:00 - 21:30
PechaKucha 20x20 is a simple presentation format where you show 20 images, each for 20 seconds, as you explain your idea or story. This night celebrates MECA&D with special presentations from our community.

When: Thursday, October 19, 2017. Doors open at 6:30pm. Showtime is 7:20pm.
Where: The Portland House of Music, 25 Temple St., Portland.
Cost: $7 General Admission at door, $5 Students.

Our Emcee for tonight is Raffi der Simonian, MECA&D's Marketing & Communications Director.
RSVP on Facebook
MECA&D Presenters
James Sylvester (Printmaking '18)
The Process of Play

James Sylvester is a visual artist born and raised in Milford, Connecticut. He grew up pushing himself creatively through drawing, skateboarding, and music and studying varying forms of personal expression seen in the drawings of Vincent Van Gogh and heard in the songs of Neil young and Leonard Cohen. Seeking a stronger artistic community, he moved to Portland, Maine to study fine arts at MECA&D, where he fell in love with printmaking processes that allowed him to manipulate and produce his drawings in ways he was not previously capable.

Erin Curren
Art Becomes You

As a creator and teacher, Erin loves sharing the joy of movement through Nia and inspiring others to connect with their bodies, one another, and their creativity in new ways. She believes when we tap into our innate creativity, energy shifts, life is lighter and possibilities flow.

Eva Rose Goetz
Angels, Animals and Robots

Rose Goetz's early years were spent with her family: Mom Dad, brothers and sister and dog Tippy, traveling along flat dusty Texas roads and visiting cotton gins. Her love of art was fostered in the back seat of an old un-air-conditioned station wagon. The family spent winter vacations along Texas border towns near Mexico. Eva crossed into Mexico and her senses were charmed. Goetz's work is born from these early travels into Latin America. Her love of South America, the people, the language, the food, and color--stems from these early beginnings. Today, Eva lives with her own family in Maine; balancing her time between art making, PachaWorks (a shamanic energy practice), and motherhood. Her daughters are now almost grown. She still travels. Peru calls her often, and South America still inspires her.
Goetz received a BFA from University of Texas in Austin, and a MS in Education from Bank Street College in New York where she was also active in the East Village Art Movement. Goetz has exhibited throughout the United States for many years.

Tabitha Barnard (Photography '16)
Cult of Womanhood

Tabitha Barnard was born in Freedom, New Hampshire, in 1994. She is a photographer who grew up in rural Maine with three sisters. Growing up in a very Christian female-dominated family has had a huge influence on her work. She works primarily in digital and analog color photography, exploring themes of femininity and religion. She received her Bachelor of Fine Art from Maine College of Art & Design in the Spring of 2016 and currently works as the media technician at the Maine College of Art & Design.

Lewis Rossignol (Illustration '17)
Discarded: A Visual Journal

Lewis Rossignol is a freelance illustrator located in South Portland, Maine. He graduated with a BFA in Illustration from Maine College of Art & Design. He has worked with clients including Dispatch Magazine, Current Affairs Magazine, ICA @ MECA&D, Defender Razors, Geary Brewing, and JDM Pedals.

Hannah Merchant (Woodworking & Furniture Design '13)
Strengthening Within for a Resilient Future

Hannah Merchant earned a BFA in Woodworking and Furniture Design, a minor in Public Engagement from the Maine College of Art & Design in 2013. She assisted Future Farmers during the WORK OUT: Sustainable Engagements with Landscape exhibit at the deCordova Sculpture Park. She designed and built the Grow Cart, a tricycle powered mobile farmstand for Portland nonprofit, Cultivating Community. Her current project, motivated by motherhood, sustainability, and connecting to our food, is homesteading and starting Dugnad Farm in Northport, Maine.

Gergana Rupchina (Graphic Design '98, MAT '17)
My Multifaceted Human Experience

Gergana Rupchina has been creating art starting at an early age in her native country of Bulgaria. Her love for art eventually lead her to the Maine College of Art & Design where she earned a BFA in Graphic Design. After working as a graphic designer and a self employed artist, she decided to embark on a new carrier as an art teacher. Gergana went back to the Maine College of Art & Design to graduate from their Master of Arts in Teaching program. Throughout my creative life experiences, she has designed jewelry, created pattern designs, as well as a mixed media art.

Mark Marchesi (Photography '99)
Now You See Me... The Changing Cityscape of Portland

Mark Marchesi was born in 1977 in a suburb of NYC. He earned a BFA in photography from Maine College of Art & Design in 1999. Mark's photographs have been exhibited widely throughout the US. Notable shows include Port of Portland: A Ship Shaped History at Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine, Slack Water at Space Gallery in Portland, ME, and most recently Evangeline: A Modern Tale of Acadia at PhoPa Gallery in Portland. Mark has received three Maine Arts Commission grants to support photographic efforts, his images have been published in two photography books about Maine, and he recently published a monograph. Mark currently resides in the Portland area with his wife and two young daughters.

Joanne Arnold (Painting '79)
Showing Up

In 1979, Joanne Arnold graduated from Maine College of Art & Design with a BFA in Painting, with honors.
Regaining her visual self became a priority for Joanne 10 years ago after all of her children were off to college. One practice she began and continues now is to photograph at first light/dawn every day, year round, without exception. She wanted to learn the lessons of showing up; of putting herself on the spot; to work with what was available right in front of her and recalibrate the discipline of seeing; to be faced over and over again with a not-knowing that would rekindle a spirit of invention and challenge her assumptions.
In 2013 Joanne was ordained as an Interfaith Chaplain after two years of study and internships. The listening skills cultivated in chaplaincy deepened her ability to witness and extended her empathy and compassion. She found that the camera became a part of chaplaincy; a sacred witnessing; a visual listening; an opportunity to discover something about the people she shared this world with. Joanne found that the camera offered her a way to be with people that she cannot otherwise experience without the camera; it becomes an extension of care and connection. Joanne discovered it was not a way to stay on the periphery, but a tool that allowed her to enter the field with the subject, in a place of grace, where they are affected by one another.

Coral Howe (Illustration '16)
Reiki—The Power of Nothing

I have a rare form of tinnitus where all I hear is screaming. I graduated from MECA&D in 2016. I tried to run away as fast as possible, but I tripped and scuffed my knee. I've been here ever since.

Photo by Niki Taylor

Want to view videos from our last PK? Click here.

2017 MECA&D Holiday Sale
2017-12-01 17:00 - 2017-12-02 17:00
2017 MECA&D Holiday Sale
Find the perfect gift made by MECA&D students, alumni, faculty and staff. We invite you to share an experience beyond shopping— connecting with the arts community, celebrating with your family, and buying local. Free Admission! All ages!
Click here to visit the Holiday Sale site with more information.
Location and Sale Dates

Maine College of Art & Design, Porteous Building
522 Congress Street, Portland, Maine 04101

Friday, December 1, 5pm–9pm
Saturday, December 2, 10am–5pm

#MECA&Dmade
In addition to the two-day event, this year there is a new sales venue. #MECA&Dmade is a pop-up shop in Artists at Work from December 6 to 23, 2017 featuring selected alumni work. Learn more about #MECA&Dmade here.
Details
This year’s Holiday Sale at the Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D) will be held on Friday December 1, 2017 from 5pm to 9pm and Saturday, December 2, 2017 from 10am to 5pm. In its 23rd year, the MECA&D Holiday Sale is the Arts District’s premier holiday sale event, connecting Maine makers and buyers, providing an experience beyond shopping.
The juried 2017 Holiday Sale will include over 50 alumni vendors, selling handmade ceramics, jewelry, furniture, prints, and textiles. Student vendors include the Printmaking, Illustration, Metalsmithing & Jewelry, and Drawing departments.
Vendors

Kifah Abdulla (Continuing Studies Faculty)
Ebenezer Akakpo '01 of Akakpo & Co.
Cat Bates '09 of Cat Bates Jewelry & Accessories
Ingrid Bathe of Ingrid Bathe Porcelain
Derek Bedford '01 of Possum Hollow Farm Soap, LLC
Shana Belknap '91
Don Best '80 of Don Best Wood Art
Maggie Bokor of Maggie Bokor Jewelry
Carrie Brezzo '04 of CarrieSewFancy
Katie Burns, Current Student
Crystal Cawley (Continuing Studies Faculty)
Daniel Cerreta '10 of Fathom Toy Works
Peter Dore '17 of Boothby Furniture Company
Nicholas Downing of Downing Arts (Staff)
Melanie Duarte '07 of Porchpegasus
Lisa Ferreria Jones '02 of Ember Grove
Kristi Frank of SALTGRASS Jewelry
Janine Grant of Janine Grant Ceramics
Sam Guay '12 of Sam Guay Illustration
Amalia Guettinger '12 of Amalia Moon
Adriane Herman (Faculty)
Hannah Hermes '15 of The Hermes Crab

Elizabeth Jabar of Future Mothers (Faculty)
Adrian King '12 of Adrian King Pottery
Marilyn Lucey '09 of LunaPetunias
Tracy Mastro '91 of Tsmastro Enameling
Hugh McCormick '15 of Hired Wrights
Taylor Mirabito '16 of Taylor Mirabito Illustration & Hana Firestone ‘14
Jason Morrissey '98
Kevin Mosca, Current Student
Emily Norton '07 of Emily Diaz Norton Ceramics
Jeanne Paterak of BloomStudio (Continuing Studies Faculty)
Emily Percival '06 of Emily Percival Jewelry (Staff) & Maria Wolff
Roxanne Quimby Hon. DFA '12 of My Pasta Art
Kari Radasch '97 of Radasch REDware (Faculty)
Natalie Reed '13
Joe Rosshirt '11 of FortHouse Studio
Hope Rovelto '01 of Little Chair Printing
Miles Spadone '13 of Spadone Home
Aaron Staples '08 of Staple Goods
Molly Steinmetz '14 of Pinfolk Studio
Beth Taylor '08 of Longstocking Design
Jessica Teesdale of Jess Teesdale Pottery (Staff)
Dietlind Vander Schaaf, (Staff) & Amy Vander Els
LK Weiss '11 of Bowline Co.
Sarah Camille Wilson '07

The Joanne Waxman Library at MECA&D will be holding their annual book sale during Holiday Sale hours. All of the proceeds from the book sale will benefit the Library.
Header: LK Weiss '11 of Bowline Co.

#MECA&Dmade Showcase
2017-12-06 10:00 - 2017-12-23 17:00
#MECA&Dmade is a pop-up shop in Artists at Work from December 6–23 featuring selected alumni work.
Regular Hours

Monday–Thursday, 10am–5pm
Friday, 10am–7pm
Saturday, 11am–4pm

Special Hours

Thursday, Dec. 7 until 7pm as part of Merry Madness
Saturday, Dec. 23, from 10am–5pm for last minute shoppers

The #MECA&Dmade showcase will include the following artists: Kari Radasch '97, Eric Drzewianowsk '04, Kristin Fitzpatrick '13, Maggie Muth '11, LK Weiss '11, Amalia Guettinger '12, John Nelson '12, Shannon Owen '14, Kelsey Haley '15, Tabitha Barnard '16, Sophie Cangelosi '16, Melinda Aste '17, Meg Hahn '17, Eden McDowell '17 and faculty member Adriane Herman.
Also participating is Might and Main, a local design firm co-founded by MECA&D alum Sean Wilkinson '01 and employing alums Morgan DiPietro '11, Sarah McLean '14, Sabrina Volante '14, Miekala Cangelosi '16, and intern Mackenzie Mangosing, a current student. As an homage to Maine, Might & Main created a collection of usable goods marked with the word that has proclaimed our state’s mission since declaring independence in 1820: “Dirigo,” Latin for “I Lead.”
For more information contact us at ArtistsAtWork@meca.edu.

'Aubades' Exhibition: Michel Droge MFA '10
2018-01-05 10:00 - 2018-01-31 18:00
Michel Droge: Aubades
On view from January 5–31, 2018
Located at Anthropologie (60 Pearl St, Portland, ME)
Viewing Hours: 10am–6pm
In this exhibition, Michel Droge MFA '10 (Visiting Assistant Professor of Printmaking and Foundation) presents 53 small paintings.
Michel Droge, Aubade #1
"Aubade... a French word for a song or poem of lovers parting at dawn.
These small paintings are my Aubades...they are for Love and early mornings and the sweetness and....for You. My song , my heart
The sky is white as clay, with no sun."
—Philip Larkin (from Aubade)

Masthead image by Michel Droge (cropped)

Meet the Residencies: New date
2018-01-23 17:30 - 19:00 | ICA at MECA&D, 522 Congress St., Portland, Maine, 04101, United States
Meet the Residencies
Representatives from Maine artist residencies will offer an overview of their various programs. Meet the Residencies will be held at Maine College of Art & Design on Tuesday, January 23 from 5:30pm–7:00pm in the ICA at MECA&D.
Presenters include the Hewnoaks Artist Colony, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Monhegan Artist Residency, MECA&D Residencies, Celebration Barn, Kismet Foundation, Watershed Center for the Arts, and the Joseph A. Fiore Art Center.
Administrators will discuss the specifics of their residency, who is a good fit, and what makes for a successful application.
*Admission is free. To reserve a seat, contact artistsatwork@meca.edu or 207.699.5016.
Header Image: Meg Hahn, 2017 MECA&D alum, was accepted into two residency programs last summer, the Monhegan Artist Residency and Hewnoaks (pictured). Image credit: Alban Maino.
RSVP on Facebook here.

Salt Alumni Mixer
2018-03-29 17:00 - 19:00
Salt Alumni Mixer @ Rising Tide Brewery
Thursday, March 29, 5:00–7:00pm
Rising Tide Brewery, 103 Fox Street, Portland, Maine
Dear Salt Alum,
Please join fellow Salt alums and current Salt students at a special Alumni Mixer at Rising Tide Brewery in Portland. We’d love to see you there!
Come catch up with old Salt friends, meet current students, and tell us what you’re up to.
Rising Tide offers beer and cider, as well as non-alcoholic drinks— light snacks and a first drink will be provided by Salt.
We’d appreciate it if you’d RSVP by March 20 on our Facebook event page. And if you have any questions about the event, please reach out to Colin Cheney, who teaches the Salt Workshop, and is also our new Outreach Coordinator: ccheney@meca.edu.
Looking forward to seeing you at Rising Tide!
Warmly,
Annie

Collect: Summer Art Sale
2018-06-28 10:00 - 18:00, 2018-06-29 10:00 - 18:00, 2018-06-30 10:00 - 18:00

Curious Nature: 2018 Alumni Triennial
2018-08-03 11:00 - 2018-09-15 17:00 | Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design, first floor
Curious Nature: 2018 Alumni Triennial
On view from August 3 – September 15, 2018
Exhibition Opening: Friday, August 3, 2018, 5:00–8:00pm
Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design
ICA Gallery hours: Wed–Sun, 11:00am–5:00pm, Thurs, 11:00am–7:00pm, Friday, 11:00am–5:00pm, (FFAW until 8:00pm)
Curious Nature brings together a diverse group of artists who draw inspiration from the natural world. Employing various mediums, from painting to sculpture, photography, and installation, their works are rooted in the act of looking closer.
The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness. - John Muir
“These artists explore our relationship with the natural world through investigating the structure of reality, daily rhythms, beauty, texture, and emergent patterns. Focusing their attention on places and processes that are often overlooked, they illuminate the various forces affecting ecosystems and the environment that surrounds us. Their perspectives range from the micro and macro, revealing new views of familiar terrain. In an attempt to capture that which is in a state of constant transformation, they record their surroundings, yielding works that inspire our own sense of awe, inviting us to both celebrate nature and protect it.” -- Guest Curator, Shannon Rankin ’97.
Rankin’s selections include fifteen artists exhibiting diverse works that range from painting, printmaking and photography, to sculpture, ceramics, metalwork and installation. Artists include: Annika Earley MFA ’16, Kristin Fitzpatrick ’13, Danielle Gerber ’12, Alisha Gould MFA ’10, Kayla Goulden ’13, Lenka Konopasek MFA ’01, Mark Marchesi ’99, Tessa Greene O'Brien MFA ’16, Isabelle O'Donnell ’17, Catherine Quattrociocchi ’17, Sam Richardson ’15, Celeste Roberge ’79, Bryan Stryeski ’01, Sarah Camille Wilson ’07 and Charley Young MFA ’14.
Learn more
Masthead Image: Danielle Gerber, Canyon, 2012, bronze, brass, spray paint.

Opening of Curious Nature: 2018 Alumni Triennial
2018-08-03 17:00 - 20:00 | Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design, first floor
Curious Nature: 2018 Alumni Triennial
On view from August 3 – September 15, 2018
Exhibition Opening: Friday, August 3, 2018, 5:00–8:00pm
Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design
ICA Gallery hours: Wed–Sun, 11:00am–5:00pm, Thurs, 11:00am–7:00pm, Friday, 11:00am–5:00pm, (FFAW until 8:00pm)
Curious Nature brings together a diverse group of artists who draw inspiration from the natural world. Employing various mediums, from painting to sculpture, photography, and installation, their works are rooted in the act of looking closer.
The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness. - John Muir
“These artists explore our relationship with the natural world through investigating the structure of reality, daily rhythms, beauty, texture, and emergent patterns. Focusing their attention on places and processes that are often overlooked, they illuminate the various forces affecting ecosystems and the environment that surrounds us. Their perspectives range from the micro and macro, revealing new views of familiar terrain. In an attempt to capture that which is in a state of constant transformation, they record their surroundings, yielding works that inspire our own sense of awe, inviting us to both celebrate nature and protect it.” -- Guest Curator, Shannon Rankin ’97.
Rankin’s selections include fifteen artists exhibiting diverse works that range from painting, printmaking and photography, to sculpture, ceramics, metalwork and installation. Artists include: Annika Earley MFA ’16, Kristin Fitzpatrick ’13, Danielle Gerber ’12, Alisha Gould MFA ’10, Kayla Goulden ’13, Lenka Konopasek MFA ’01, Mark Marchesi ’99, Tessa Greene O'Brien MFA ’16, Isabelle O'Donnell ’17, Catherine Quattrociocchi ’17, Sam Richardson ’15, Celeste Roberge ’79, Bryan Stryeski ’01, Sarah Camille Wilson ’07 and Charley Young MFA ’14.
Learn more
Masthead Image: Celeste Roberge, Agarum Clathratum, Cyanotype on Somerset paper, 30" x 22", 2014.
Photography Credit: Robert Diamante. Printed at: University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL. Collection of the Artist.

Drawing Now: Exhibition
2019-01-17 11:00 - 2019-03-22 17:00 | Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design, first floor
Drawing Now
On view from January 17–March 22, 2019
Exhibition Opening: Friday, February 1, 2019, 5:00–8:00pm
Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design
ICA Gallery hours: Wed–Sun, 11:00am–5:00pm, Thurs, 11:00am–7:00pm, Friday, 11:00am–5:00pm, (FFAW until 8:00pm)
This exhibition is organized by the Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design, Director of Exhibitions, Erin Hutton and co-curated by Bruce Brown and Munira Naqui.
Drawing Now celebrates the works by artists of the Drawing Collective and three guest artists. With its members hailing from eleven countries, the Drawing Collective’s objective is to maintain the development of an international aesthetic. The common denominator uniting these artists is the practice of drawing.
Descendants of Bauhaus, De Stijl, Réalities Nouvelles and Art Concret their works represent a contemporary continuum of research in the formal purity of abstraction. The core of the Drawing Collective lies in the inter-connectivity of artists separated by geographical, linguistic and cultural barriers. Devoted to the exploration of new strategies and methods, their works expand upon a rich intellectual and aesthetic history of abstract drawing.
Following Paris and Sydney, Drawing Now at the Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design in Portland, Maine is the Drawing Collective's first exhibition in the United States.
Bruce Brown and Munira Naqui, Guest Curators
Artist Biographies
View Artist Biographies

Wahida Azhari (Germany) A Hamburg-based artist, Azhari is inspired by the relationships between space, emptiness and light.
Louise Blyton (Australia) A reductive artist experimenting with light and form, Blyton explores the fragility of beauty through subtle shifts of light and shadow.
Christine Boiry (France) Boiry’s work comes from the study of color, material and movement to create a minimal space, in search of rhythm, emptiness and light.
Anne Brochot (France) Brochot’s work is influenced by the geometrical patterns, materials and tools of architecture, as well as the organic structures of the countryside.
Liz Davidson (Canada) Davidson’s drawings are not preparatory sketches for other works. They are studies of light and shadow observed through the seasons in her studio in rural Quebec.
Elena Dombrovska (Ukraine) Dombrovska uses the line as a structural and form producing element to reflect on the aesthetics of geometric forms.
Clint Fulkerson (USA) Fulkerson is a graduate of the Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D). Fulkerson’s work features complex patterns and forms made by an accumulation of hand drawn marks. His art is influenced by science, mathematics and information technology, as well as an innate curiosity about the fundamental aspects of existence.
André Geertse (Netherlands) Geertse’s work is inspired by his time spent on the North Sea Coast of the Netherlands with the spectacle of sea, light and air. The work reflects a strength of color, space and light.
Ellen Golden (USA) Golden’s drawings flow from an intuitive and emotional response to the natural world. Her drawings are products of a very focused meditative process.
Barbara Halnan (Australia) Halnan, a multimedia artist believes drawing is essential to her art-making. Her fine line drawings on paper reference the flatness of the dry lake bed .of Menindee in NSW - the distant horizon, the sky and the colors of the local vegetation, sand and earth.
Daniel G. Hill (USA) A multi-disciplinary artist who has worked in sculpture, installation, painting, and digital media, Hill focuses on the works construction and its physical presence that gives rise to self reflective viewing ito remind us of our capacity to wonder. Hill is an Assistant Professor of Fine Arts at the Parsons School of Design in NYC and is the President of American Abstract Artists.
Erdem Kucuk-Koroglu (Turkey) Having a master’s degree in mathematics has greatly influenced Kucuk-Koroglu’s artwork, which he describes as geometric abstract paintings.

Emma Langridge (Australia) Landridge, who considers herself primarily a painter, applies the same strict practice used in her paintings in her drawings. She uses everyday materials, strictly controlled procedures, and a reliance on millimeter increments with allowance for irregularities.
Danielle Lescot (France) Lescot is a painter, ceramist and sculptor who lives and works in Paris. Lescot”s drawings are results of a daily exploration of color and form in her studio.
Jean-Luc Manguin (France) The basis of Manquin’s art work is the square, a quadrilateral figure that is a surface to divide evenly, a checker board space to fill, or an element to build into a grid.
Marilyn Chapin Massey (France) Passionate about color, Massey’s work is inspired by the colors and shapes of urban areas, such as New York and Paris. Massey”s recent drawings use non color as she continues to experiment with the underground transportation web.
Munira Naqui (USA) The Drawing Collective founder Naqui, born in Bangladesh came to the USA in 1982 after studying in Moscow. She lives in Portland and works from her studio in New Gloucester. For Naqui, drawing is a meditative exercise that follows the manner of Tibetan mandalas, always focusing on the process to reach clarity of thought.
Michael Perlbach (Germany) A visual artist who uses a drawing technique he calls “dissolution”, Perlbach’s drawings are assembled from tiny structures sometimes not distinguishable from simple dots.
Marion Piper ( UK) Drawing and painting are increasingly indivisible activities in Piper’s studio. Each sets the stage for the other and creates space for an improvised performance in both the manufacture and the content of the work. Colour, materials and surface form part of the plot.
Tineke Porck (Netherlands) The nature of Porck’s art is abstract, minimal and has interfaces with constructivism, zero and minimal art. She uses a basic language of form - lines, points, crosses and surfaces – and sober colors, such as shades of grey, white and black.
Grieteke Roosma (France) Roosma pursued drawing and photography after earlier careers in education and fashion design. A keen observer of nature and different cultures, her drawings are abstract studies greatly influenced by the physical and emotional world.
Diane Scott (New Zealand) A sculptor, Scott uses sculpture to inform her drawings through their shared concerns of space, illusion, materiality and light. She employs different media for her drawings that push the boundaries of traditional drawings.

Jamel Sghaier (Germany) After serving in the Merchant Marines, Tunis-born Sghaier, became a self-taught visual artist. His work is inspired by pure abstractions of forms. He currently lives and works in Tunisia and Germany.
Bogumila Strojna (France) A sculptor born in Poland Strojna lives and works in Paris.She has used drawing as a sketching tool, as well as a point of departure to develop independent works.
Truong Thanh (Vietnam) Thanh focuses his work on the use of three-dimensional geometry, inspired by constructivist and minimalist art. His drawings are based on the structures of objects and their response to forces.
Richard van der Aa (France) Born in New Zealand, van der Aa lives and works in Paris. He is the founder of ParisCONCRET. The works on paper van der Aa is presenting in Drawing Now are indicative of the lexicon of reduced but evocative forms the artist has been employing over many years in his exploration of the limits of minimalism and formal abstraction.
Wilma Vissers (Netherlands) A Dutch visual artist who is inspired by emptiness and space, Vissers believes spatiality and infinite space must be present even in the smallest work.

Participating artists also include the following guest artists:
Josefina Auslender (USA) Born in Argentina during the era of abstract art, Auslender established herself as a successful sculptor. The troubled times of the 80s in that part of the world brought her to the USA where she started again as a visual artist. Her repertoire include intricately executed drawings that go beyond intellectual mark making. She uses simple forms to address complex issues related to her unique world view.
Kevin Townsend (USA) An internationally recognized artist and professor currently living and working in Kansas City as part of KCAI’s foundation department, Townsend’s expanded drawing practice centers around mark-making, obsession and the phenomenology of time. He previously taught as visiting professor in the Art Education Department of Massachusetts College of Art and Design and as a visiting artist and lecturer in Drawing & Painting at Boston’s School of the Museum of Fine Art at Tufts University.
Michael Winkler (USA) Winkler is a visual/conceptual artist. For over 35 years he has been engaged in an exploration of the imagery and implications of a process-based transformation of the signs of language. His abstract images reveal the patterns encoded in the letter-sequences of the spelling of word. Winkler says: “A word’s spelling is an unplanned product of a collective awareness which extends back to the word’s ultimate origin.”

Masthead Image: Clint Fulkerson, Portal 20 (cropped), graphite, ink and gouache on paper, 30" x 22", 2018

Meet the Residencies: Info Session
2019-01-22 18:00 - 20:00 | Osher Hall, Maine College of Art & Design, 2nd Floor, 522 Congress St., Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Meet the Residencies: Information Session
Tuesday, January 22, 2019, 6–8pm
Maine College of Art & Design, Porteous Building, Osher Hall
Admission is free. To reserve a seat, contact artistsatwork@meca.edu or 207.699.5016.

Maine College of Art & Design and Hewnoaks present "Meet the Residencies". Representatives from Maine artist residencies will offer an overview of their various programs.
Presenters include the Hewnoaks Artist Colony, Monson Arts, The Ellis-Beauregard Foundation, Monhegan Artist Residency, MECA&D Residencies, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, and the Joseph A. Fiore Art Center. Administrators will discuss the specifics of their residency, who is a good fit, and what makes for a successful application.
Snow date: Wednesday, January 23, 2019 at 6:00pm.
Cover image: Meg Hahn, 2017 MECA&D alum, was accepted into two residency programs last summer, the Monhegan Artist Residency and Hewnoaks (Photographer: Alban Maino)

Alexandra Silverthorne MFA ’10: 'yes is the only living thing' | Exhibition + Reception
2019-07-05 09:00 - 2019-08-16 17:00 | ME, United States
Alexandra Silverthorne MFA ’10: yes is the only living thing

On view: July 5–August 16, 2019
Opening Reception: July 5, 6–8pm
Artists at Work Gallery at MECA&D

Artist Talk + Book Signing
August 1, 5:30pm
Osher Hall at MECA&D

This summer, Alexandra Silverthorne MFA ’10 will be showing work from the series at the Artist at Work Gallery at MECA&D. The show will be up from July 5—August 16, with an opening reception July 5, 6-8pm.
Alexandra Silverthorne MFA '10 is releasing her new book, yes is the only living thing, a series of 76 images looking at moments of celebration, wonder, and stillness in her own life. Shot the year following a friend’s sudden cancer relapse and near-immediate death, the images echo her attempts to infuse her own life with some of the same determination, thoughtfulness, and grace that was ever-present in her life. The series was captured with recently-discontinued peel apart instant film on a fickle hand-me-down Polaroid Reporter camera. Silverthorne was attracted to the unpredictability of both the film and the camera and how this seemed to echo the unpredictability of life, itself. The book features all 76 images, a collection of text by Julie Poitras Santos, and a conversation with Annie Mahon.
View the project and learn more here.

There will also be an Artist Talk + Book Signing featuring a conversation with Julie Poitras Santos on August 1, 5:30pm at Maine College of Art & Design in Osher Hall. The talk will be moderated by Katarina Weslien.

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Alexandra Silverthorne, yes is the only living thing, 11" x 14" archival inkjet print from scanned instant film. Edition of 5.

Alexandra Silverthorne MFA ’10: 'yes is the only living thing' | Artist Talk + Book Signing
2019-08-01 17:30 - 19:00 | Osher Hall, Maine College of Art & Design, 2nd Floor, 522 Congress St., Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Alexandra Silverthorne MFA ’10: yes is the only living thing

On view: July 5–August 16, 2019
Opening Reception: July 5, 6–8pm
Artists at Work Gallery at MECA&D

Artist Talk + Book Signing
August 1, 5:30pm
Osher Hall at MECA&D

There will be an Artist Talk + Book Signing featuring a conversation with Julie Poitras Santos on August 1, 5:30pm at Maine College of Art & Design in Osher Hall.

Alexandra Silverthorne MFA '10 is releasing her new book, yes is the only living thing, a series of 76 images looking at moments of celebration, wonder, and stillness in her own life. Shot the year following a friend’s sudden cancer relapse and near-immediate death, the images echo her attempts to infuse her own life with some of the same determination, thoughtfulness, and grace that was ever-present in her life. The series was captured with recently-discontinued peel apart instant film on a fickle hand-me-down Polaroid Reporter camera. Silverthorne was attracted to the unpredictability of both the film and the camera and how this seemed to echo the unpredictability of life, itself. The book features all 76 images, a collection of text by Julie Poitras Santos, and a conversation with Annie Mahon.
This summer, Alexandra Silverthorne will be showing work from the series at the Artist at Work Gallery at MECA&D. The show will be up from July 5—August 16, with an opening reception July 5, 6-8pm.

View the project and learn more here.
