Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art

Interdisciplinary research, self-directed studio practice, national and international travel
The Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art (MFA) program at Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D) offers an interdisciplinary approach that encourages students to think across traditional academic boundaries, expand their art practice, and challenge their intellectual curiosity.

Our six-term curriculum emphasizes the intersection of studio practice, individual research, and critical analysis. Built on a commitment to one-on-one student mentoring by distinguished faculty, Visiting Artists, critics and curators, MECA&D’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.

Full and low residency
The strengths and uniqueness of our Master of Fine Arts come from a curricular structure that cultivates a sense of community between Low and Full Residency students. Embedded into the MFA program is a level of flexibility, where students choose either a Low or Full Residency option. MECA&D’s Full Residency option provides 24/7 access to private studios and staffed fabrication facilities where students work alongside peers and with local faculty. Among the first programs of its kind in the country, MECA&D’s Low Residency option combines intense periods of on-campus instruction with the freedom and independence of working from any home location, anywhere in the world. Intensive group sessions, woven throughout our two-year curriculum, bring all MFA students together for research, travel, and dialogue. Supported by renowned faculty, visiting artists, and carefully selected graduate advisors, our students benefit from collaborating with others and collectively working to elevate the field of art.

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 Core Faculty for lectures and studio visits. The 2024 Visiting Artists included a range of makers and thinkers, among them Sonya Schönberger, Heather Guertin, Annika Earley, Andrew Roberts, Deepanjan Mukhopadhyay, Anina Major, Sheida Soleimani, Tawni Shuler, Aaron T Stephan, Jane Wong, Summer J. Hart, and Demian DinéYazhi’.

Visiting Artists deliver public lectures, conduct studio visits, and participate in group activities and discussions with graduate candidates during their respective week-long visits.

Graduate faculty
Tracey Cockrell, Program Chair of MFA in Studio Art, Associate Professor of MFA in Studio Art / Stephen Benenson, Adjunct Assistant Professor of MFA in Studio Art and Foundation / Sebastian Black, Adjunct Assistant Professor of MFA in Studio Art / Patricia Brace ’06, Visiting Assistant Professor of MFA in Studio Art, Sculpture and Foundation / Jeane Cohen, Adjunct Assistant Professor of MFA in Studio Art / Lourdes Correa-Carlo, Adjunct Assistant Professor of MFA in Studio Art / Lauren Fensterstock, Adjunct Assistant Professor of MFA in Studio Art / Adriane Herman, Professor of the MFA in Studio Art & Printmaking / Rachel Katz MFA ’00, Adjunct Instructor of MFA in Studio Art, Administrative Director of Graduate Programs / Julie Poitras Santos, Associate Professor of MFA in Studio Art / James Allister Sprang, Visiting Assistant Professor of MFA in Studio Art / Christopher Stiegler, Assistant Professor of MFA in Studio Art / Ling-Wen Tsai, Professor of Sculpture and Foundations and MFA in Studio Art.