Call for applications: Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art

Applications accepted on a rolling basis through May 1, 2021 as space permits.

We are looking for students who are interested in taking an interdisciplinary approach to their practice, expanding their research and professional horizons, experimenting in their studio, and seeing where the work takes them. Applicants should be interested in studying with artists and peers working in varied media. 

Interdisciplinary research, self-directed studio practice, national and international travel
The Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art program at Maine College of Art (MECA) supports interdisciplinary studio practice, encouraging students to think across traditional academic boundaries, expand their art practice, and challenge their intellectual curiosity. As an MFA serves as the terminal degree in the field of art practice, our program readies its graduates to be artists, researchers, educators, and colleagues. The faculty, visiting artists, and studio advisors push our students to pursue independent endeavors and new methodologies to exciting outcomes. Our annual Thesis Exhibition and Defenses enrich  our students with a deep appreciation for both art practice and scholarly research. 

Our two-year, trimester structure emphasizes the intersection of studio production, individual research, critical analysis, and curatorial experimentation. Built on a rigorous curriculum and a commitment to one-on-one student mentoring by distinguished faculty, visiting artists, critics, and curators, MECA’s MFA program offers a dynamic and supportive learning environment for artists who want to define and pursue a sustainable and attainable vision for their art practice.

Flexible options: Low and Full residency
Low and full residency, students work together in yearly cohorts that join us in the heart of Portland’s Art District for Summer and Winter Intensives on Maine College Art’s campus. While here, students have 24/7 access to more than 200,000 square feet of art facilities. During these intensives and throughout our two-year trimester curriculum, students work in individual studios and meet one-on-one with faculty, visiting artists, and advisors. Students in our low residency are paired with an advisory local to their home studios during the Fall and Spring. Full residency students continue to work with our faculty while maintaining a studio on campus. Admittance is specific to one of these options but students have successfully moved between the two with ease.

Summer intensive in Portland, Maine
All of our students are in residence in Portland, Maine for eight weeks in the summer. As the first and fourth terms in a six trimester course, these summer intensives function as catalysts for community and exchange as select Visiting Artists and Critics accompany Graduate Faculty for both lectures and one-on-one time with our graduate candidates. Visiting Artists deliver public lectures, conduct studio visits, and participate in critiques with graduate students during their respective week-long visits.

Recent Visiting Artists include Elizabeth Atterbury, Genesis Belenger, Sonya Clark, Charlie Hewitt, Kathy Bradford, Caroline Wells Chandler, Keith Boadwee and Bradford Nordeen.

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 / Ling-Wen Tsai, Professor of Sculpture + MFA in Studio Art / 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 / Seth Rogoff, Adjunct Instructor of History + MFA in Studio Art / Rachel Miller, Adjunct Instructor of the MFA Studio in Context

Contact us to schedule an online tour of our facilities or a portfolio review.
T 207 699 5023 / admissions [​at​] meca.edu