Artist Lecture: Allyson Mitchell
2016-10-20 12:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | Osher Hall, Maine College of Art & Design, 2nd Floor, 522 Congress St., Portland, ME, 04101, United States
MECA&D’s Visiting Artist & Guest Lecturer Series invites professional artists, educators, curators, thought leaders, and creative entrepreneurs to present on topics of interest and importance to the MECA&D community.
All lectures in this series are hosted in Osher Hall and are open to the public at no charge. Seating is limited. Supported in part by the Gene R. Cohen Charitable Foundation, the Isabel K. Pease Trust, and friends of the College through the Osher Chair Naming Program. Call 207.699.5010 for more information.
Allyson Mitchell
Thursday, October 20th, 12:00pm
Lady Sasquatchs – installation view of Midge by Allyson Mitchell
Allyson Mitchell is a maximalist artist working in sculpture, performance, installation and film. Her practice melds feminism and pop culture to investigate contemporary ideas about sexuality, autobiography and the body, largely through the use of reclaimed textile and abandoned craft. These articulations have resulted in a coven of lesbian feminist Sasquatch monsters, a room-sized Vagina Dentata, an army of super genius Holly Hobbies and a woodland utopic library complete with a wishing well of forbidden political knowledge. Her works have exhibited in galleries and festivals across Canada, the US and Europe, including Tate Modern, the Textile Museum of Canada, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, the Andy Warhol Museum, Walker Art Center, The British Film Institute, Winnipeg Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of Ontario.
A survey of Mitchell's "hand made" animated film and video work recently toured festivals and performance spaces internationally with exhibitions in Dublin, London and Bologna. Until their retirement in 2004, Mitchell also performed actively with the fat performance troupe 'Pretty Porky and Pissed Off', which she co-founded in 1997.

Media Sponsors

Maine Home+Design is connected to those who live and breathe architecture, art, and good living. Its pages are filled with architectural masterpieces, home design inspiration, compelling artwork, designers, craftspeople, and the latest design trends and industry news.
At Maine Magazine, we believe that Maine is alive with intense creativity and passionate people who contribute to the vibrancy that makes this such a great place to live. We dedicate ourselves to bringing it to our readers.

Public and Alumni Forum on Salt
2016-10-20 17:15 - 18:30 | Maine College of Art & Design, First Floor, 522 Congress St., Portland, ME, 04101, United States
When Salt entered into partnership with Maine College of Art & Design, the College promised to host a forum about Salt to which Salt alumni would be invited. The date for this forum is Thursday, October 20, 2016 at 5:15 pm at Maine College of Art & Design. The first half of the forum will address general questions about Salt and the second half will take the form of a discussion regarding the proposed curriculum for the new graduate certificate program. We will close with an optional tour of MECA&D, led by Dean Anderson.
If you wish to attend the forum, please RSVP in this link.

Artist Lecture: Saya Woolfalk
2016-11-03 12:00 - 13:30 | Osher Hall, Maine College of Art & Design, 2nd Floor, 522 Congress St., Portland, ME, 04101, United States
MECA&D’s Visiting Artist & Guest Lecturer Series invites professional artists, educators, curators, thought leaders, and creative entrepreneurs to present on topics of interest and importance to the MECA&D community.
All lectures in this series are hosted in Osher Hall and are open to the public at no charge. Seating is limited. Supported in part by the Gene R. Cohen Charitable Foundation, the Isabel K. Pease Trust, and friends of the College through the Osher Chair Naming Program. Call 207.699.5010 for more information.
Saya Woolfalk
Thursday, November 3rd, 12:00pm
Saya Woolfalk, Virtual Chimeric Space, Mixed Media with HD Digital Video Projections, 42' x 12' x 12'
Saya Woolfalk is a New York based artist who uses science fiction and fantasy to re-imagine the world in multiple dimensions. With the multi year projects No Place, The Empathics, and ChimaTEK, Woolfalk has created the world of the Empathics, a fictional race of women who are able to alter their genetic make-up and fuse with plants. With each body of work, Woolfalk continues to build the narrative of these women's lives, and questions the utopian possibilities of cultural hybridity.
Her work considers the idea that symbolic and ideological systems can be activated and re-imagined through collaboration, imaginative play and masquerade. To effect this re-imagining objects, bodies, and landscapes are constructed to immerse us in the logic of another place. In many ways Woolfalk’s works become the repository of the dreams and ideas of the many people who participate in producing and imagining the contours of the works. In the tradition of the fable or folk story, Woolfalk maps the desires and ideas of people to create narratives that attempt to be relevant to a contemporary audience.

Media Sponsors

Maine Home+Design is connected to those who live and breathe architecture, art, and good living. Its pages are filled with architectural masterpieces, home design inspiration, compelling artwork, designers, craftspeople, and the latest design trends and industry news.
At Maine Magazine, we believe that Maine is alive with intense creativity and passionate people who contribute to the vibrancy that makes this such a great place to live. We dedicate ourselves to bringing it to our readers.

Remembrance Day for Lost Species: Poetry Reading
2016-12-02 12:30 - 13:30 | Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design, first floor
Friday, December 2, 12:30pm
Please join local poets in the galleries in the ICA at Maine College of Art & Design for a lunchtime reading of poems in memoriam to species extinctions. This reading has been organized in response to a global movement of artists and creatives seeking to bring attention to these losses through a worldwide Remembrance Day for Lost Species on November 30.
Poets reading include:

Gibson Fay-LeBlanc, Portland Poet Laureate
Annie Finch
Megan Grumbling
Julie Poitras Santos

Image provided by the Facebook page of Remembrance Day for Lost Species.

Info Session: Painting Retreat on the French Riviera
2016-12-04 15:00 - 16:00 | Osher Hall, Maine College of Art & Design, 2nd Floor, 522 Congress St., Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Painting Retreat on the French Riviera
Students are housed in the 19th century Italianate "Villa" (above) and in the Château.
The Château de La Napoule
With Diane Dahlke, May 15–22, 2017
Info Session: Sunday, December 4th
3:00-4:00pm in Osher Hall

We will hold an Informational Session on Sunday, December 4th from 3:00-4:00pm in MECA&D’s Osher Hall. Meet Diane Dahlke, discuss the curriculum, view slides from previous retreats and learn more about the history of the Château and the great beauty of its environs.
Read more information about the trip here

Accountant Workshop: Using the Opportunity Maine Tax Credit
2017-01-30 17:30 - 19:00 | ICA at MECA&D, 522 Congress St., Portland, Maine, 04101, United States
Accountant-In-Residence Workshop:
Using the Opportunity Maine Tax Credit
Monday, January 30, 5:30pm
Artists at Work, Maine College of Art & Design
The Opportunity Maine Tax Credit reimburses student loan payments for college graduates from 2008-2016 who live and work in Maine. Bonus points if you graduated with a degree in graphic design or new media, which are considered STEM degrees and have additional benefits.
Free for faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Please reserve a seat by emailing jtomlinson@meca.edu.

Artist Lecture: Dyani White Hawk
2017-02-02 12:00 - 14:00 | Osher Hall, Maine College of Art & Design, 2nd Floor, 522 Congress St., Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Dyani White Hawk
Thursday, February 2, 12:00pm
MECA&D’s Visiting Artist & Guest Lecturer Series invites professional artists, educators, curators, thought leaders, and creative entrepreneurs to present on topics of interest and importance to the MECA&D community. All lectures in this series are hosted in Osher Hall and are open to the public at no charge. Seating is limited.
As a woman of Lakota and European ancestry, White Hawk was raised among Native American communities within urban landscapes. Her work reflects these cross-cultural experiences through the combination of modern abstract painting and traditional Lakota art forms. Some works are executed strictly in paint; others incorporate beads, porcupine quills, ledger paper, brass sequins and other materials representing a Lakota aesthetic. White Hawk strives to create honest, inclusive compositions that acknowledge all parts of her history, Native and non-Native, urban and reservation, grassroots and academia. These works are intended to increase exposure and inclusion of Native American contributions and thought within contemporary arts. The complexity of visual and conceptual references encourage conversations which in turn acknowledge the diversity of Native experiences, break down misconceptions, generalizations, and reinforce the importance of a Native voice within contemporary arts.
Dyani White Hawk, Untitled (blue and gold), acrylic, oil, vintage beads, thread on canvas, 2016

Media Sponsors

Maine Home+Design is connected to those who live and breathe architecture, art, and good living. Its pages are filled with architectural masterpieces, home design inspiration, compelling artwork, designers, craftspeople, and the latest design trends and industry news.
At Maine Magazine, we believe that Maine is alive with intense creativity and passionate people who contribute to the vibrancy that makes this such a great place to live. We dedicate ourselves to bringing it to our readers.

Lights Across Congress Celebration
2017-02-03 18:00 - 22:00 | Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress St, Portland , ME, United States
This February 3, the Portland Museum of Art experience will extend outside the walls of the museum, through an innovative event and celebration called Lights Across Congress. This event, anchored by a 124 foot wide by 36 foot high multi-dimensional projection on the museum’s brick facade, will be the art and cultural event of the year.
At 6:00pm, we will start the countdown to the main event, accompanied by music, ice sculptures, and food trucks along Free Street. Then, at 6:30pm, watch from Congress Square as the building comes to life with a custom presentation by local production company, P3. The PMA will be awash with light, and you'll be welcome to come inside and take a first look at Your Museum, Reimagined, with completely reinstalled galleries, new special exhibitions, gallery talks, a new installation of The Workshop, celebratory treats in the PMA Café, and activities for all ages.
Free and open to the public! Congress Square.

Research Writing Workshop 1: Getting Started
2017-02-21 12:00 - 13:30 | The Learning Studio, 522 Congress Street, Room 200, Second floor, PORTLAND, ME, 04101, United States
Tutoring takes place in Room 200, the Learning Studio, adjacent to the Joanne Waxman Library.These will be offered Universal Time: 12pm–1:30pm, unless otherwise noted. More details will be posted for each.
Sign-up is encouraged, as space will be limited in some workshops. To sign up, students can email tutor@meca.edu.

Tuesday, 21 February: Research Workshop 1: Getting Started
Thursday, 23 February: Using the Chicago Manual of Style (mini-workshop)
Tuesday, 28 February: How to Take Great Notes
Tuesday, 7 March: Nailing the Scholarship Application Essay
Tuesady, 28 March: Research Workshop 2: Writing, Citing & Paraphrasing
Thursday, 30 March: Beyond the 5-Paragraph Essay
Tuesday, 4 April: Senior Synthesis Workshop
Tuesday, 18 April: How to Write a Great Artist Statement
Tuesday, 25 April: Creative Journaling

More information about MECA&D's Tutorial Services, along with how to create an one-on-one meeting, is available on this page.

Artist Lecture: Abelardo Morell
2017-03-02 12:00 - 14:00 | Osher Hall, Maine College of Art & Design, 2nd Floor, 522 Congress St., Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Abelardo Morell
Thursday, March 2, 12:00pm
MECA&D’s Visiting Artist & Guest Lecturer Series invites professional artists, educators, curators, thought leaders, and creative entrepreneurs to present on topics of interest and importance to the MECA&D community. All lectures in this series are hosted in Osher Hall and are open to the public at no charge. Seating is limited.
Abelardo Morell was born in Havana, Cuba in 1948. He immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1962. Morell received his undergraduate degree in 1977 from Bowdoin College and an MFA from The Yale University School of Art in 1981. In 1997 he received an honorary degree from Bowdoin College.
His publications include a photographic illustration of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1998) by Dutton Children’s Books, A Camera in a Room(1995) by Smithsonian Press, A Book of Books (2002) and Camera Obscura (2004) by Bulfinch Press and Abelardo Morell (2005), published by Phaidon Press. Recent publications include a limited edition book by The Museum of Modern Art in New York of his Cliché Verre images with a text by Oliver Sacks.
Abelardo Morell, Tent Camera Image, Walden Pond, 2016

Media Sponsors

Maine Home+Design is connected to those who live and breathe architecture, art, and good living. Its pages are filled with architectural masterpieces, home design inspiration, compelling artwork, designers, craftspeople, and the latest design trends and industry news.
At Maine Magazine, we believe that Maine is alive with intense creativity and passionate people who contribute to the vibrancy that makes this such a great place to live. We dedicate ourselves to bringing it to our readers.

This Week: 'Eve of a Hundred Midnights' Book Signing & Reading
2017-03-08 18:00 - 19:30 | PhotoLab, 522 Congress Street, PORTLAND, ME, 04101, United States
Please join us on Wednesday, March 8, at 6:00pm for a book signing and reading with Bill Lascher Salt '02 for his book Eve of a Hundred Midnights. This event takes place in the PhotoLab, located in the Lower Level of the Porteous Building. Free and open to the public.

Eve of a Hundred Midnights
Eve of a Hundred Midnights tells the true story of two newlywed war correspondents’ island-hopping run for their lives across the Pacific after the fall of Manila. The book charts the career of Melville Jacoby, who covered China and the Philippines during World War II, and recounts how Mel’s love for China and journalism brought him into the orbit of MGM scriptwriter-turned-journalist Annalee Whitmore, who he married in Manila barely a week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Portland, Oregon-based author Bill Lascher, a relative of Jacoby’s and a 2002 graduate of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, will discuss the book and how journalists like Mel and Annalee brought the oft-neglected conflict in China and the Philippines to U.S. audiences. Lascher will also discuss how he used archival sources from private and institutional collections to bring the Jacobys’ story to life.
Purchase the book here
Bill Lascher, Salt ’02
Artist Biography
Bill Lascher is a Portland, Oregon-based journalist whose work appears in Atlas Obscura, The Guardian, Pacific Standard, High Country News, the Oregonian, Portland Monthly and elsewhere. A graduate of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine, and Oberlin College, Lascher studied history with a politics minor. Lascher also earned a master’s degree in 2009 in specialized journalism from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California.

Jenny Scheinman Lecture
2017-03-09 12:30 - 14:00 | Osher Hall, Maine College of Art & Design, 2nd Floor, 522 Congress St., Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Jenny Scheinman
Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait

Jenny Scheinman will give a lecture discussing the vision behind Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait and the inspiration for her live score in Osher Hall at 12:30pm on Thursday, March 9. Further information about the artist, her project, and upcoming performance can be found at Portland Ovations.
Free and open to the public.
"In her new multi-media project, acclaimed composer, singer, and violinist Jenny Scheinman invites us into the captivating visual world of Depression-era filmmaker H. Lee Waters. Scheinman is joined by guitarist Robbie Fulks (who is “so good, it’s scary” according to The Chicago Tribune) and banjoist Robbie Gjersoe to create a live soundtrack of new folksongs, fiddle music, and field sounds to accompany this fascinating footage of small town America, masterfully reworked into a new film by director Finn Taylor. The humanity in these songs and images bares a transcendent, universal quality that speaks to any community."

Justice for Women Lecture Series: Storytelling Event & Write-in
2017-03-22 12:00 | Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design, first floor
Justice for Women Lecture Series: Storytelling Event and Write-in
MECA&D is teaming up with the Justice for Women Lecture Series, presented by the University of Maine School of Law, and the USM Office of Multicultural Student Affairs to host a storytelling event and write-in on Wednesday, March 22 from 12:00pm–1:30pm in the ICA. Joining us from Malaysia, Zainah Anwar, a leading voice in the Muslim feminist movement, will encourage others to tell their stories by sharing her own.

Want to help?
There is no action without inspiration.
In addition to attending the event, you can donate postcards and supplies for the event. We want these stories to inspire participants to write messages of hope to their senators, representatives, family members, or friends. Our state is home to over 8,000 new Mainers who are Muslim, making this awareness raising event as much a local issue as it is global.
For questions contact Shiva Darbandi at diversity@meca.edu.

Artist Lecture: Ian Lynam Design
2017-04-06 12:00 - 14:00 | Osher Hall, Maine College of Art & Design, 2nd Floor, 522 Congress St., Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Ian Lynam Design
Thursday, April 6, 12:00pm
MECA&D’s Visiting Artist & Guest Lecturer Series invites professional artists, educators, curators, thought leaders, and creative entrepreneurs to present on topics of interest and importance to the MECA&D community. All lectures in this series are hosted in Osher Hall and are open to the public at no charge. Seating is limited.

Ian Lynam Design is a multidisciplinary creative studio specializing in unique solutions for international clients. The studio has been based in Tokyo since 2005. Ian Lynam Design is a Tokyo design studio operating at the intersection of graphic design, design education and design research. We specialize in identity, cultural research and typography. We make stuff for forward-thinking humans.
Ian Lynam speaks internationally on a range of topics from Japanese typography to cultural concepts revolving around design. Presentations tend to wind and weave through aesthetic trends and analysis, graphic design history, design criticism, and political economy.

Media Sponsors

Maine Home+Design is connected to those who live and breathe architecture, art, and good living. Its pages are filled with architectural masterpieces, home design inspiration, compelling artwork, designers, craftspeople, and the latest design trends and industry news.
At Maine Magazine, we believe that Maine is alive with intense creativity and passionate people who contribute to the vibrancy that makes this such a great place to live. We dedicate ourselves to bringing it to our readers.

Film & Discussion: Refugee Kids: One Small School Takes On the World
2017-04-07 19:00 - 20:00 | ME
Refugee Kids: One Small School Takes On the World
Friday, April 7, 2017 at 7:00pm in Osher Hall
Hosted by the MECA&D Diversity Committee, this event is free and open to the MECA&D community and general public. Part of First Friday Art Walk activities.
Refugee Kids is a short documentary that follows students at a New York City summer program for children seeking asylum from the world's most volatile conflicts. The film presents an intimate, emotionally gripping account of the students' stories of escaping war and conflict and resettling in America, chronicling their triumphs and setbacks as their lives unfold over the course of one formative summer. Refugee Kids humanizes complex geopolitics and depict the challenges and urgency of immigration to American in an increasingly dangerous and interconnected world.
Reza Jalali and Ekhlas Ahmed will lead a discussion about the film immediately following the 46-minute film.

Reza Jalali, recognized as one of the eminent ethnic Americans in Making it in America: a sourcebook on eminent ethnic Americans (©2001by Elliott Robert Barkan) and named as one of Maine’s 50 leaders by Maine Magazine in 2016, is a writer, educator, and human rights activist. As a member of Amnesty International USA Board of Directors, Jalali has led delegations to different refugee camps in Turkey and Bosnia. He has participated in numerous United Nations-sponsored international conferences. In 1992, he visited the White House as part of a national delegation to discuss the plight of Kurdish refugees fleeing Iraq. Reza manages the Office of USM Multicultural Student Affairs and advises Muslim students at Bowdoin College.
Ms. Ekhlas Ahmed, a refugee and a civil rights activist from Darfur, Sudan, fled with her family to Egypt and lived there for two years before being resettled in Portland, Maine in 2005. She has since graduated high school with honors and earned a degree in sociology from University of Southern Maine with hopes of helping resettle refugees. She is the vice President and Co-founder of Darfur Youth of Tomorrow, an organization raising awareness related to the violence and unmet needs in Darfur. Currently Ms. Ahmed is an AmeriCorps member educating, helping to motivate Multilingual & Multicultural students through the Make It Happen Program at the Casco Bay High School.
For more information about the film: Refugee Kids: One Small School Takes On the World

MECA&Dmorphosis Fashion Runway Show
2017-05-04 19:00 - 20:00 | Porteous Building, Maine College of Art & Design, 522 Congress Street, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
MECA&Dmorphosis celebrates MECA&D's graduating professional artists and raises critical scholarship funds to educate the next generation of artists. This year, MECA&Dmorphosis consists of two separate events. The Runway Fashion Show is on Thursday, May 4, and the BFA Thesis Exhibition is on Friday, May 5, 2017.

Thursday, May 4, 2017, Show Starts at 7:30, Doors Open at 7:00
The Runway Fashion Show in the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) features work by students in our Textile & Fashion Design Program and raises critical support for MECA&D’s Student Scholarship Fund. The Textile & Fashion Design Program at MECA&D was created through a generous gift from Roxanne Quimby.
We are happy to report that this event has SOLD OUT!!
Please contact Dietlind Vander Schaaf at dvanderschaaf@meca.edu for wait list info.

2017 Sponsors

Contributors

Media Sponsors

MECA&Dmorphosis 2017: BFA Thesis Exhibition
2017-05-05 09:00 - 2017-05-23 17:00 | Porteous Building, Maine College of Art & Design, 522 Congress Street, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Friday, May 5, 2017, 5:00–8:00pm
The 2017 Thesis Exhibition Opening will be held in conjunction with the First Friday Artwalk. This year's exhibition features work by over 100 graduating students in our BFA program. Light fare and interactive art on Floors 1, 2 and 3 of the Porteous Building. Free and open to the public. The BFA Thesis Exhibition will be on view through May 23.
For more information contact Dietlind Vander Schaaf at 699.5012 or dvanderschaaf@meca.edu.
Artwork in header is by Greta Wilsterman '17
» View Senior Thesis Online

106th MECA&D Commencement
2017-05-13 10:00 | State Theatre, 609 Congress St, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Commencement will be held on Saturday, May 13, 2017 at 10:00am at the State Theatre located at 609 Congress Street, Portland, Maine.
Download the 2017 Commencement invitation.
Schedule

Doors open to the public at 9:15am. No tickets are required.
The commencement ceremony typically lasts two hours.
A reception will immediately follow the commencement ceremony at Maine College of Art & Design at 522 Congress Street, Portland, Maine.
Parking information is below. Plan to arrive early to allow time to find parking.
Any additional announcements for families and guests will be posted on this page. Questions may be directed to studentlife@meca.edu.

How can I see my student's work?
The Thesis Exhibition is open, free of charge to the public, starting on First Friday, May 5, 2017.

Collect: Summer Art Sale
2017-06-29 10:00 - 2017-07-01 18:00 | Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design, first floor
Join Us for our Summer Art Sale
June 29 - July 1 at MECA&D's Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA at MECA&D)
Featuring the original works of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends, proceeds benefit MECA&D’s Student Scholarship Fund to enable the next generation of artists to pursue their talents.
A Sampling of Featured Work:

See the list of Featured Artists.
Open to the Public June 29 - July 1
The Art Sale is held in MECA&D’s ICA within the Porteous Building, 522 Congress St, Portland, Maine.

Shop: 10am-6pm, Thursday, June 29
Shop: 10am-6pm, Friday, June 3
Shop: 10am-6pm, Saturday, July 1
Maine College of Art & Design presents Collect: MECA&D’s Summer Art Sale 2017, June 29 - July 1, a fundraiser in support of MECA&D’s Student Scholarship Fund. This three-day, salon-style extravaganza is a great opportunity 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. One to five works are priced by the artists and sold to benefit MECA&D, with 50% and 25% commission or full donation options.
For more information, email collect@meca.edu
Read the press release.
Special thanks to our generous supporters:
Sponsors

Media Sponsors

Additional Support

Special Thanks

Talk with Hetritsab Gabra Rimtothe
2017-07-11 19:00 - 21:00 | Osher Hall, Maine College of Art & Design, 2nd Floor, 522 Congress St., Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Hetritsab Gabra Rimtothe
Osher Hall, Second Floor Porteous, Maine College of Art & Design
Tuesday, July 11, 7:00-9:00pm
Public Talk- "Kindness is your reliable guide to chaos".

Film: The Sacred Place Where Life Begins
2017-07-13 17:30 - 19:00 | Osher Hall, Maine College of Art & Design, 2nd Floor, 522 Congress St., Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Film: The Sacred Place Where Life Begins
Thursday, July 13, 5:30pm
Osher Hall, Second Floor, Porteous
Miho Aida will be screening her film, The Sacred Place Where Life Begins. The film documents women in the American Arctic and their efforts to protect it. Miho is an environmental educator originally from Japan and works in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to discussing her film, Miho provides opportunities to write letters to elected officials. Both adults and children in the audience are very moved by the experience.
In 2015, Miho biked from DC to Bar Harbor showing the film in campgrounds and libraries. She is now partnering with the Sierra Club and focusing attention on Ohio and Maine to enact change that may help protect this area.
From Miho
Hello, everyone! My name is Miho Aida. My first name Miho means to be a leader who demands for greater democracy for all people and protects culture and environment. My birthdate is the day when US Congress officially recognized as Women’s Equality Day. I aspire to live a life that honors my name and my birthdate. One of the ways that I live up to my name is to create an environmental media culture that gives a voice to women. In particular, I am committed to amplify a voice of women of color through films to counterbalance the lack of their representation in the environmental movement with a hope to provide role models for all girls.
This July, I am coming to Maine to share my award-winning short documentary called The Sacred Place Where Life Begins - Gwich'in Women Speak. In this short film, Arctic indigenous Gwich’in women call for a permanent protection of their sacred land in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from a potential oil development. The development would not only violate the rights of indigenous people but also integrity of humanity, and I feel strongly that I have a personal power and responsibility to stand in unity with the Gwich'in for the future generations.
I will be touring on my bicycle with a hope to help communicate the voice of the Gwich'in women and show how one woman can make a difference to protect our heritage that we all have responsibility to pass on to our future generations. Come see the film and be inspired to take action with us. Join the movement. See you in Maine!

Visiting Artist Lecture: JooHee Yoon
2017-07-27 18:30 - 20:30 | Osher Hall, Maine College of Art & Design, 2nd Floor, 522 Congress St., Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Illustration Institute & MECA&D are pleased to host an evening with JooHee Yoon on July 27, from 6:30–8:30pm at MECA&D's Osher Hall. Free, and open to the public.
JooHee Yoon contributes regularly to publications, such as the New York Times and the New Yorker, in addition to working on books, advertising and various other projects. Based in Brooklyn, she divides her time between her studio and teaching at the Rhode Island School of Design. Learn more at their website.
SOI57 Poster, call for entries poster for the Society of Illustrators in New York City (front and back).

Art in header: JooHee Yoon, New York Times Sunday Review for an op-ed article about how the Republican party should work with the government rather than fighting it

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.

An Evening with Cartoonist Mimi Pond
2017-08-31 19:00 - 21:00 | Osher Hall, Maine College of Art & Design, 2nd Floor, 522 Congress St., Portland, ME, 04101, United States
An Evening with Cartoonist Mimi Pond

Thursday, August 31, 7:00–9:00pm
Maine College of Art & Design's Osher Hall
522 Congress St, Portland, ME
Free and open to the public

Join LA-based cartoonist Mimi Pond for the launch of her highly-anticipated graphic novel The Customer Is Always Wrong. Told in the same brash yet earnest style as her previous memoir Over Easy, The Customer is Always Wrong is the saga of a young naïve artist named Madge working in a restaurant of charming drunks, junkies, thieves, and creeps. Taking place in Oakland in the late seventies, Pond’s story details the trials and tribulations of Madge’s daily grind as a waitress at the Imperial Cafe. She'll be joined in conversation by local author, illustrator, and professor at MECA&D, Scott Nash.
Mimi Pond is a cartoonist, illustrator, and writer. She has created comics for the Los Angeles Times, Seventeen magazine, National Lampoon, and many other publications. She has also written for television: her credits include the first full-length episode of The Simpsons, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”, and episodes for the television shows Designing Women and Pee Wee’s Playhouse. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, the painter Wayne White.

ICA at MECA&D: American Genre Painting Symposium
2017-09-15 10:00 - 17:00 | ME
Portland, Maine ~ The Institute of Contemporary Art in conjunction with the Painting and MFA programs at Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D) is pleased to invite the public to attend On Genre: A Painting Symposium, a daylong series of conversations about the power of painting and the idea of genre as a cultural structure — one that guides interpretation, anticipation and imagination.
This unique community gathering will spotlight and examine the exhibition American Genre: Contemporary Painting, curated by Michelle Grabner, Crown Family Professor of Art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Nationally and internationally recognized presenters will be joined by an engaged group of artists, arts leaders and students to share perspectives about still life, landscape and portraiture as categories that chart historical continuity and reveal American value systems. A rich opportunity for extended discussion, Grabners’ exhibition is compelling and approachable, and yields great potential for interpretation and reflection on painting and genre as spaces of agreement.
The morning session will begin with a brief overview by Michelle Grabner, followed a keynote lecture entitled Contemporary Genre Painting: Animating the Intimate by Marie Shurkus, Ph.D, Chair of Academic Studies and Professor of Art History at MECA&D. Drawing insight from the feminist tenet that the personal is political, this talk will analyze how contemporary genre paintings invite audiences to participate in an imaginary realm that activates real consequences.
An afternoon panel discussion, Painting as Common Ground, led by Barry Schwabsky, American poet and the art critic for The Nation (the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States), will explore genre and painting as systems that organize, interpret, translate and imagine history and experience. In response to Michelle Grabner's curatorial focus, five panelists Sharon Butler, Angela Dufresne, Shara Hughes, Chris Stiegler and Roger White will share a variety of perspectives and insights about contemporary painting and illuminate the role of genre as a ubiquitous frame of reference. A community event intended to foster cultural dialogue, audience members will be encouraged to take part in an extended question and answer period following the presentation.
On Genre: A Painting Symposium will end with a closing reception in the ICA. For more information, please contact Erin Hutton, Director of Exhibitions and Special Projects, Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at Maine College of Art & Design at 207.699.5025 or ica@meca.edu .
This event is free and open to the public. Due to limited seating, RSVP to the September 15th Symposium by emailing ica@meca.edu.
Header Artwork: Dan Attoe, Cedar Tree with Creep, 2017

Ceramics Visiting Artist: Chris Gustin
2017-09-26 11:00 - 11:50 | Osher Hall, Maine College of Art & Design, 2nd Floor, 522 Congress St., Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Visiting Artist Lecture: Chris Gustin
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Presentation: Osher Hall, 11:00–11:50am
Chris Gustin, Cloud Series #1720, 2017, 24x28x25, Stoneware, Anagama Wood Fired
"I am interested in pottery that make connections to the human figure. The figurative analogies used to describe pots throughout history all in some way invite touch. The pots that I respond to all speak of a clear, direct sense of the hand. The hand is celebrated in the work by its maker, whether it is that of a fifteenth century rural potter or a nineteenth century court artisan. And it becomes a necessary tool for the user in understanding the relationship of the object to its function, and subsequently, to how that object informs ones life.
Though most of my work only alludes to function, I use the pot context because of its immense possibilities for abstraction. The skin of the clay holds the invisible interior of the vessel. How I manipulate my forms "around" that air, constraining it, enclosing it, or letting it expand and swell, can allow analogy and metaphor to enter into the work.
I want my work to provoke image to the viewer, to suggest something that is just on the other side of consciousness. I don't want my pots to conjure up a singular recollection, but ones that change with each glance, with each change of light. I use surfaces that purposely encourage touch, and by inviting the hand to explore the forms as well as the eye, I hope to provoke numerous memories, recollections that have the potential to change from moment to moment."
View Chris Gustin's website here.
Chris Gustin, Cloud Series, #1719, 2017, 30x28x26, Stoneware

Hrishikesh Hirway of Song Exploder
2017-10-02 19:00 - 20:00 | Osher Hall, Maine College of Art & Design, 2nd Floor, 522 Congress St., Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Hrishikesh Hirway of Song Exploder
Monday, October 2, Osher Hall at 7:00pm
Hrishikesh Hirway is a musician and designer who started making podcasts in 2014. He hosts and produces the award-winning podcast Song Exploder, where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made.
In 2016, he created The West Wing Weekly, an episode-by-episode discussion of the beloved political drama, which he co-hosts with West Wing actor Joshua Malina. In 2017, Hrishikesh helped Google launch their first original podcast, City Soundtracks, and an experimental music VR project, called Inside Music. He has also collaborated with Apple, WIRED, and Vulture. Through his shows, he has interviewed a wide range of guests, including Björk, U2, Lorde, Metallica, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Allison Janney, and Aaron Sorkin.
Hrishi was an artist-in residence at the Sydney Opera House, and he has spoken about creativity, music, and design at Pinterest, IDEO, Etsy, and the Google Design Conference in Los Angeles. He has a BA in Art from Yale University.

Visiting Artist Lecture: Anthony Sonnenberg
2017-10-05 12:00 - 13:00 | Osher Hall, Maine College of Art & Design, 2nd Floor, 522 Congress St., Portland, ME, 04101, United States
BFA Fall 2017 Visiting Artist Lecture Series
All lectures in this series are hosted in Osher Hall and are open to the public at no charge. Seating is limited. Supported in part by the Gene R. Cohen Charitable Foundation, the Isabel K. Pease Trust, and friends of the College through the Osher Chair Naming Program. Call 207.699.5010 for more information.
Anthony Sonnenberg
Thursday, October 5, 12:00–1:00pm
Crowns and candlesticks— things made in the moments just before a crash are the subject of my work. Rather than casting judgments, I seek to actively engage with and bear witness to the tragic and beautiful nature of this cycle. My making comes from seeing the writing on the wall and not knowing what to do about it.
Artist included in ICA exhibition: Confabulations of Millennia. On View: October 6–December 8, 2017
Anthony Sonnenberg, Character Study for Silenus, Archival Inkjet Print, Materials of crown - Hand cut and shaped brass sheeting, brass piping, red coral, silver solder. 2014.

Khen Rinpoche Tsetan: "Dealing with Negativity in the World Around Us"
2017-10-06 19:00 - 20:00 | ME
Khen Rinpoche Tsetan, Tibetan Lama speaks on
"Dealing with Negativity in the World Around Us"
Friday, October 6, 7:00pm
Osher Hall, Second floor, Porteous
Free and open to the public
Khen Rinpoche Lobzang Tsetan, a Tibetan Buddhist monk and educator, founded the Siddhartha School in 1995 in his remote home village of Stok, Ladakh. What started in a one-room shed is now an exemplary private school with over 300 students in grades K through 10. The Siddhartha School gives the children of Ladakh access to the highest-quality, thoroughly modern education in the region, while also honoring their way of life and traditions within the school curriculum and activities. Children at the Siddhartha School learn four languages (English, Hindi, Tibetan and Ladakhi), computer skills, sciences, math, creative arts and social studies. Unique in Ladakh, Siddhartha School does not deny admission on the basis of need.

Q&A + Exhibition Walkthrough: Confabulations of Millennia
2017-10-07 11:00 - 13:00 | ME
Join us in the ICA at MECA&D for a Q&A and Exhibition Walk-Through — with Guest Curator Richard Saja and the artists from Opening: 'Confabulations of Millennia' exhibition.
Richard Saja, Guest Curator. Participating Artists: Erin M. Riley, Melora Kuhn, Beth Katleman, and Anthony Sonnenberg
Artwork in Header:
Richard Saja, A Three Day Party (detail), 2016
Confabulations of Millennia
On view from October 6 - December 8, 2017
Exhibition Reception: Friday, October 6, 2017, 5:00–8:00pm
Melora Kuhn, Waterfall Bust, 2016
Curated by artist Richard Saja, Confabulations of Millennia brings together the works of 19 contemporary artists who take direct inspiration from the 18th and 19th centuries. Using established styles, techniques and objects perfected in the 18th and 19th centuries, the 19 artists assembled deploy history as a springboard in order to speak to the intricacies and inconsistencies of modern life be they social, political or aesthetic.
Artists include: Martha Arquero, John Brauer, Joey Chiarello, Emily Diaz Norton, Douglas Goldberg, Jeremy Hatch, Beth Katleman, Ryan Wilson Kelly, Melora Kuhn, Livia Marin, Oscar Sancho Nin, John O'Reilly, Erin M. Riley, Richard Saja, Anthony Sonnenberg, Ryan Swanson, Vadis Turner, Julia Whitney Barnes
Masthead Image: Beth Katleman, Hostile Nature, USA (detail), 2014
The ICA at Maine College of Art & Design is free and open to the public. Wednesday–Sunday 11:00am–5:00pm, Thursday 11:00am–7:00pm, and First Fridays 11:00am–8:00pm.
